THE awards are beginning to pile up for Ade Akinbiyi, who was last night crowned the PFA Championship Player of the Month for November.

And the Clarets striker has celebrated winning the prestigious award by becoming officially the top rated player outside the Premiership.

Akinbiyi landed the double whammy following a scintillating month in which he scored his first hat trick for the club at Luton. The stunning treble was all the more remarkable as the Clarets won 3-2 with 10 men at Kenilworth Road following the first half sending off of goalkeeper Brian Jensen.

Akinbiyi then turned provider in the 3-0 victory over Crewe Alexandra to supply John Spicer with his two goals, but it ia the striker's overall contribution that has earned him the Player of the Month award, voted for by supporters at the Professional Footballer's Association official website at www.givemefootball.com.

Meanwhile, in the official Actim Index that charts every player's overall performance from kick off to full time whistle, Akinbiyi has leapt to the top of the Championship charts.

The 13-goal hitman had been second in the rankings to Watford's Ashley Young, but a stunning equaliser at Southampton last weekend enabled Ade to jump above Young with a complex Index rating of 4.62, based on all aspects of his game.

However, the vultures are really gathering in the top ten, with Reading players now occupying places 3 to 9 and former Clarets winger Glen Little lying third.