BEN Mee is aiming to cap his best ever season in professional football with a return to the Premier League after cleaning up at the supporters clubs’ player of the year awards.

The 26-year-old was rewarded for a season which has seen him start every Championship game for the Clarets with six player of the year awards on Tuesday night, while Joey Barton took home four awards, with Michael Keane and Andre Gray winning one each.

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Mee has missed just 12 minutes of the Football League season and his form has gone up to another level since he moved from left-back to the heart of defence after the 3-0 defeat to Hull on Boxing Day.

Since then Burnley have gone 21 league games unbeaten to take over at the top of the Championship table and former Manchester City youngster Mee is determined to end a memorable season on a high with promotion.

“Getting to play back at centre-half, using that experience I’ve gained in the last few years, has really helped me,” he said of the 2015/16 campaign.

“I think it’s the best season I’ve had and I want to end it on a real high.

“It’s a real honour to be recognised by the fans. It’s great for me to be able to receive the awards.

“I felt I was playing well at full-back as well. I’ve enjoyed the season on a whole, I enjoyed it at the beginning of the season and at the minute it’s going really well for us and we just need to get the job done.”

Championship top scorer Gray might have been named the division’s best player at the Football League Awards, but only one of the 12 Burnley supporters clubs’ voted him their player of the campaign at Turf Moor.

Goalscorers and creative players tend to dominate the end-of-season awards, so Mee was particularly pleased to have been honoured for his work at the back in a season in which Burnley have kept 18 clean sheets.

“The goalscorers get recognised a lot, fair enough, there job is the hardest job on the pitch,” said Mee. “To be recognised is great and for people to see what I’ve been doing on the pitch and to show their appreciation by voting for me is great and it means a lot.”

Mee’s usual partner at the back Keane was also honoured on Tuesday, winning a player of the year award as well as some champagne moment awards for his late goals against Brighton and Middlesbrough in the past month.

Mee said: “He’s been fantastic all season. Keano has done great, he’s a really good young centre half and it’s been enjoyable playing alongside him for half a season. He’s done brilliant and it was nice to see him get a few awards.”

Mee also paid tribute to the man who made way for him in the middle, Michael Duff, with the 38-year-old out of the squad since Boxing Day and out of contract in the summer, with talks over a potential coaching role at Turf Moor continuing.

“He’s been here since I’ve been at the club, he’s been here a long time,” said Mee. “He’s been a great teammate and I’ve enjoyed being around him.

“Whatever the future holds for him I’m sure it will be positive. I’m not sure if I took his place or not but that’s football and he’ll know that. There’s no hard feelings between anybody, we all love him and he’s a great friend.

“Whatever he does, if he stays on, decides to call it a day, he’ll be successful in it.”