THE PFA Scotland awards night will take place tomorrow night, yet again before a fair amount of the really meaningful stuff has yet to be decided on the pitch.

For once though, the premature congratulations should not be an issue when it comes to the player of the year award at least, with the final trophy haul of each individual not as pertinent as it may be when it comes to handing out the managers’ award.

We already know the shortlist, with Celtic’s Scott Brown and James Forrest battling it out with Hibernian’s John McGinn and reborn Kilmarnock goal-getter Kris Boyd for the honour. There are more than a few who may feel aggrieved at not making it. A case could certainly be made for McGinn’s Hibs teammate Dylan McGeouch, while Hearts defender Christophe Berra has been a standout performer for his side as well.

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But, this one is voted for by the players themselves, and as much as a great many in my own profession may disagree, you have to give them the benefit of the doubt that they know best.

I would be astonished if Celtic captain Scott Brown doesn’t take the top accolade for the first time since 2009, and I can talk him down from the edge of his seat by revealing that he has also secured my own vote for the Scottish Football Writers Association awards in a couple of weeks’ time.

Brown is an easy player for opposition fans to dislike, but it is hard to argue that he isn’t – by some distance – the best midfielder in the country. Two years ago, he looked a spent force, as a lack of fitness exemplified by niggling hamstring problems saw him sidelined as the Ronny Deila era fizzled out at Celtic Park.

It looked as if Brown’s Celtic career was going the same way, but the arrival of Brendan Rodgers has revitalised the Parkhead skipper – as it also has for Forrest - and he has been imperious for Celtic this season on the domestic scene as well as performing to a decent standard in Europe.

He has his detractors, but he has toyed with the Rangers and Aberdeen midfields at various points throughout the season, most notably in the mismatch at Hampden a couple of weeks ago and when he ran the show in the 3-0 win at Pittodrie, making any denials of his superiority in the context of the Scottish game look borne only from partisanship or a personal dislike of the man himself.

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Perhaps the midfield that has posed Brown most problems this season has been that of Hibs, so it is no surprise to see McGinn on the list.

The former St Mirren man hates talking about it, but it is hard not to see him as the heir to Brown’s throne once his legs finally do give out. McGinn is more attack-minded of course, but Brown himself was hardly a sitting midfielder when he plied his trade in Leith. If he stays in Scotland, you would fancy McGinn to be a sure-fire winner of the award in the future.

As for Forrest, the scintillating form that was the trademark of his season for so long has somewhat tailed off, which isn’t all that surprising given he has already taken part in 58 matches since last July. While he has gone off the boil a little lately though, it has still been a wonderful season for the winger, another who looked to be on his way out of Celtic not so long ago.

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Boyd should also be proud to have deservedly made the shortlist. After two goals in his opening 10 games, you would have got long odds on the 34-year-old finishing as the Premiership’s top scorer, but he is bang on track after bagging 16 in the league and a further five in the cups. He is another player who has benefitted from the input of a manager who knows how to get the best out of him, with Steve Clarke working wonders with the striker and the rest of his Killie teammates.

But, there can only be one winner, and Brown is that man.

I fancy that Kieran Tierney will make it a double for Celtic by picking up the young player of the year award for the third time in a row, and that too will be well-deserved. I’m amazed that Motherwell’s Allan Campbell never made the shortlist, but while Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos, St Mirren’s now on-loan winger Lewis Morgan and Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna can also be proud of their efforts, Tierney remains the outstanding young talent in the country.