THOMAS Sorensen's super-show for Sunderland against West Ham on Saturday has rocketed the in-form goalkeeper to the top of the Northern Echo Player of the Year charts.

The great Dane was outstanding at the Stadium of Light and that display saw him leapfrog three places to top the pile.

Sorensen is regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in Europe and he will be between the sticks for Denmark in next year's World Cup.

And it is little wonder the 25-year-old is an automatic choice for the Scandinavians after performing consistently for four successive seasons at Sunderland.

Black Cats manager Peter Reid holds nothing but respect for Sorensen's talents and the No 1 is priceless to the Wearsiders' cause.

No matter how hard reserve keeper Jurgen Macho tries it is hard to see a way that he will be able to take over Sorensen in the Sunderland goal. It is the first time that Newcastle centre forward Craig Bellamy has been dethroned from top spot for a while.

That could be because of the amount of chances the fiery-tempered Welshman wastes during a game, but one thing is for sure - his overall displays have ensured he remains in second spot.

The £6m capture from Coventry City in the summer has been in great form for the Magpies and his pace has frightened the vast majority of clubs in the Premiership. There were eyebrows raised when BobbyRobson gambled on paying such a huge fee for the youngster, but Robson never considered it as such. How he has been proved right.

Prior to his time atCoventry,Bellamy was regarded as one of the hottest properties outside the Premiership.

But at Highfield Road his career never really took off and if Sky Blues fans were asked about the time he spent there, then they would simply say 'waste of money' - words not being uttered on Tyneside at present.

In fact £6m in today's market is looking like a snip and with the best days of his career still in front of him, the 22-year-old could become a legend at Newcastle. However, both him and his fellow centre forward at St James' Park Alan Shearer (in eighth spot) are facing suspensions shortly and that could put a dent in their push up the charts.

Bellamy picked up his fifth yellow of the season at Charlton meaning a one-match ban, while Shearer misses three because of his red card after an elbow. Shearer is appealing over the controversial incident which led to him being sent off for only the second time in his successful career.

Middlesbrough pair Gareth Southgate and Paul Ince are nicely placed to make an assault, but with a tricky December for the Teessiders they will do well to remain in the top five.

Boro have to take on Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Fulham and Newcastle during the next few weeks and they will all be difficult propositions.

That being the case, if by the New Year both Ince and Southgate are among the leaders in contention for the Player of the Year crown they will have deserved it. Newcastle keeper Shay Given is in fifth after his superb start to the current campaign.

The former Blackburn shot-stopper's saves have been a major factor in helping the Republic of Ireland to the World Cup and those performances have been witnessed at St James' regularly.

Boro star Carlos Marinelli has had a tremendous November and that shows in the table. The Argentinian wonder-kid has played a large part in lifting his side to mid-table after a disastrous start that saw them struggling.

And Marinelli's rise to sixth may not end there. His flair and energy could quite easily lead to him climbing higher if his form continues to shine.

Elsewhere, Hartlepool's Gordon Watson (seventh) now has eight goals to his name, as he helped the Victoria Park side climb from bottom of the Third Division to within sight of a play-off place.

Darlington's only representative is Danny Mellanby (eighth) who makes his return to action on Saturday after five weeks out with a knee injury.

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