Nakamura wins Scottish gong

Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura won the Scottish PFA's Player of the Year award.

A fantastic Sunday for Shunsuke Nakamura concluded with the Celtic midfielder becoming the first Japanese winner of the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award.

Earlier in the day and the diminutive midfielder fired Celtic to back-to-back SPL titles, when he struck a trademark free-kick, in injury-time, to earn his side a stoppage time win against Kilmarnock.

Nakamura has enjoyed a fabulous campaign at Celtic Park, with the club's UEFA Champions League adventure demonstrating he has the capacity to play on Europe's biggest stage, as he produced several outstanding displays.

The Japanese collected the award at a Glasgow hotel, with his taskmaster Gordon Strachan having also claimed the Manager of the Year gong.

Nakamura, who also won the Goal of the Season award for a cheeky lob he scored against Dundee United, said: "I'm very pleased but this isn't something you can get on your own - it's down to the whole team and also the supporters.

"All the players deserved to get this award. For example, a player like Neil Lennon is not really in the limelight but he is so important in the background and without players like him we wouldn't have our style of play."

Highly-rated Kilmarnock striker Steven Naismith picked up the Young Player of the Year award.

"I'm a bit shocked to be honest but I'm delighted," conceded Naismith.

"I said when I won the award last year that I didn't want to be remembered as a one-hit wonder and hopefully I've shown this season that I can still hold my own."