At the start of the year, Singapore forward Faris Ramli found himself without a club after terminating his contract with Perlis FA less than a month after signing for the Malaysian Premier League club.

Ten months later, the 27-year-old is the Singapore Premier League's (SPL) Player of the Year after an outstanding season with Hougang United. He scored 16 goals in the Cheetahs' league title challenge before they finished third behind champions Brunei DPMM and Tampines Rovers.

Speaking to The Straits Times after he pipped DPMM's league top scorer Andrei Varankou and Tampines Rovers talisman Shahdan Sulaiman to the award, an elated Faris said last night: "I have been dreaming of this ever since I began my professional career.

"Considering the circumstances, this feels surreal and I'm shocked that I won because the recent winners were all from league-winning teams.

"But things happen for a reason and when Perlis fell through, Hougang approached me with a good offer and challenge, which I'm grateful for. I made the best out of the situation and everything fell into place."

He dedicated the award to his team and family for their support, but also credited former Home United teammate and former German Bundesliga playmaker Ken Ilso for his advice.

"Ken is a player who can score and create and I learnt a lot from him during training sessions," said Faris, one of the S-League Player of the Year nominees in 2017.

"He encouraged me to be selfish at times to create chances during games, and it helped me at a time when I needed to produce more output in terms of goals."

His win breaks the Albirex Niigata stranglehold on the award stretching from 2015 to 2018. The last local winner was former Warriors FC goalkeeper Hassan Sunny in 2014, who then moved to Army United in Thailand.

However, Faris may continue to set the SPL alight with his trickery and goals. He said: "This cannot be the peak of my career as I want to continue improving and challenging myself.

"While there are offers from Malaysia and interest from Thailand, I owe it to Hougang to listen to what they have planned for me because they took me in when I had no club."

The Young Player of the Year trophy went to diminutive Home United midfielder Hami Syahin ahead of Albirex duo Kaishu Yamazaki and Kyoga Nakamura.

The 1.66m Hami, 20, has grown in stature during the season and is now a regular fixture in the Singapore national squad.

In a recorded message from Japan, where he is in a training camp with Fandi Ahmad's Singapore Under-22s as they prepare for the upcoming SEA Games, Hami said: "Home United took me out of my comfort zone and the many experienced players in the team helped me grow as a footballer and human being.

"I'm grateful for the opportunities they gave me to express myself and I take this win as motivation to improve further."

The FAS Nite 2019, held at Orchard Hotel, is a platform to recognise the best of Singapore football, honouring achievements on and off the pitch.

Unsurprisingly, champions DPMM's coach Adrian Pennock was Coach of the Year, while Geylang International midfielder Barry Maguire won the Goal of the Year award for his stunning outside-foot curler after brilliantly controlling a cross-field pass in the 2-1 win over the Young Lions in August.

Pennock, a former Stoke City assistant manager, said: "I'm extremely humbled.

"It's always nice to get an award, and from your peers as well. It's been a fantastic season and a bit surreal in some ways.

"I would never have thought a year ago I would be standing here being an SPL champion and winning this award."