Albion's gradual progression towards Premier League safety has been a team effort.

It has not been about outstanding individuals so much as contributions all over the pitch.

This will probably have been highlighted by voting for the Player of the Season.

The poll to succeed Anthony Knockaert, following the Frenchman's exploits in the Championship, closed on Sunday evening.

A case can be made for a handful of candidates and there is unlikely to be a runaway winner.

Even so, I expect Pascal Gross to be the recipient of the accolade at the annual awards dinner at the Amex on Thursday week.

Nobody has done more than the German craftsman to put Albion within touching distance of survival.

They have scored 29 goals. Gross has directly or indirectly been involved in 13 of them.

He has been a big influence ever since Harry Maguire gave him a wake-up call about the physicality of the division in the first away game at Leicester.

Gross learnt from that. A few weeks later he scored Albion's first goal, followed quickly by another, to secure a confidence-building first win against West Brom at the Amex (below).

The Argus: His other goals in a tally of five have been significant too, an equaliser against Stoke, the winner at home to Watford, the clincher against West Ham.

He has yet to score away but he has also provided eight assists, the majority for Glenn Murray.

Gross is not the type of player to get you out of your seat with a solo effort or explosive finish, although his version of the Cruyff turn continues to confuse opponents.

He just oozes Teutonic competence. He is technically accomplished, rarely wastes possession, more often than not delivers a threatening cross, corner or free-kick and compensates for a lack of pace with boundless energy and intelligence.

Gross has been the key figure under Chris Hughton in Albion's conversion from Championship 4-4-2 to Premier League 4-4-1-1.

His knack of exploiting pockets of space in the No.10 role and his understanding with Murray have been vital.

He has also shrugged aside the additional complication of adapting to a different country and the every-game intensity of the division.

Gross is not just Albion's player of the season, he is also one of the Premier League buys of the season.

Full marks on that score to the recruitment team under Paul Winstanley for capturing him from unfashionable Ingolstadt for around £3 million. That has proved to be an absolute snip.

Gross might just pull off a double. He must also be a leading contender for a new award, the Players' Player of the Season, selected by the first team squad.

The Argus: Who should join Gross on the stage in the top three for the main prize?

The Argus: David Stockdale was runner-up to Knockaert last season. Stockdale's replacement in goal Mathew Ryan (above top) deserves silver too.

The Australian international, small by modern day goalkeeping standards, has silenced his early doubters with consistently dependable performances.

His last-gasp penalty save at Stoke is right up there as well in the key moments of the season.

It would be a travesty for Dale Stephens (below) to not feature on the podium somewhere. He is the midfield glue that holds everything together, the type of player whose true value to the side becomes appreciated more when he is missing.

The Argus: Several others warrant honourable mentions. Lewis Dunk, unfortunate own goals and missed opportunities from corners apart, has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water.

Dunk's partner at the heart of the defence, Shane Duffy, has for the most part not been far behind in contributing to a defensive record outside the top seven bettered only by Newcastle.

Stephens' accomplice, Davy Propper, has got better and better as the season has developed, Glenn Murray's goals have been crucial to the cause.

They have all played a part but Gross's impact has been the greatest.