Harris netted four goals in four league games last month for Oxford United, and beat competition from Sunderland centre back Luke O’Nien, plus forwards Josh Maja (West Bromwich Albion) and Duncan Watmore (Millwall) to win the award.

U’s head coach Buckingham credited the playing and coaching staff for their part in Harris collecting the prize.

READ ALSO: Mark Harris named Championship player of the month

He said: “Individual awards are wonderful to receive, and I’m very happy for Mark. He’s worked extremely hard to continue to stick at it, certainly in the time that I’ve been here, through good and bad.

“I think he would be the first to say, and he has done in our team meeting, that it’s an individual award which is representative of the group, and the group that we have here that has allowed him and us as a team to do what we have so far.

“It’s a nice individual award for him to get himself, but he is the sum of many parts that allow him to really showcase what he’s capable of.”