Brentford striker Marcus Forss has been awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month award for October. The Finland Under-21 international, who is on loan at AFC Wimbledon, scored four goals in the month, including his first professional hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Southend United. Those goals came part of a run of seven goals in his first seven matches for AFC Wimbledon.
Marcus said: "It feels very good. I've been working very hard and the team have been working hard as well and this award shows you that the team has been doing very well as well. Apart from getting a red card this loan move has gone fantastically for me so far. The hat-trick was probably my career highlight so far."
Marcus is a graduate of the Brentford B team and has become only the second Bees player to win the award - after Jake Bidwell in 2014. He joined The Bees after leaving West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2017 and broke all scoring records during his first season with the B Team. He found the net 21 times and picked up the Mary Halder B Team Player of the Year Award at the end of the campaign. That form was rewarded at the time with a new contract and promotion to the First Team squad.
Marcus made a goal-scoring professional debut in an EFL Cup tie at Southend United last August, with his Sky Bet Championship bow coming later that month against Blackburn Rovers. A back injury kept him out until the New Year and, when he returned, he made a further six First Team appearances, netting his first Championship goal during our final day victory over Preston North End. The 20-year-old netted once in three matches for The Bees in August before joining AFC Wimbledon on loan for the season.
Marcus, who signed a new four-year contract before making his loan move, has played ten games in all competitions for AFC Wimbledon, scoring seven goals. He is set to play for AFC Wimbledon today in a Sky Bet League One game at Blackpool and will be looking to add to that tally.