SWINDON Town midfielder Alex Pritchard has been nominated for a prestigious Football League award previously won by Real Madrid star Gareth Bale.

The Tottenham loanee is up for the Football League’s Young Player of the Year award, which will be handed out to the best player aged under 21 at a glittering awards ceremony at The Brewery in London on March 16.

Pritchard has made the final three following a succession of sparkling performances in a Town shirt and now faces competition from Liam Moore of Leicester City and Will Hughes of Derby County.

As well as Bale, other previous winners of the award include Wilfried Zaha, Thomas Ince, Fabian Delph, David Nugent and Connor Wickham.

A further 13 awards will be handed out on the night including the Family Club of the Year, Johnstone’s Paint Community Club of the Year, Capital One Supporter of the Year and the Tokio Marine Unsung Hero award.

On the pitch, the League Football Education Apprentice of the Year will be chosen for each division, as will the Sky Bet Player of the Year and the Mitre Goal of the Year.

In total, 31 clubs have been nominated so far, with Championship side Derby County leading the way with four nominations, while a further nine clubs have been nominated twice.