City Goalscorers Nerd Out

[Rosencrantz]

Seeing as there is always a debate going on about City strikers/goalscorers and I was bored this afternoon, I thought I would get a spreadsheet going to see if anything interesting pops out. As data is kind of all over the place in different sources, I used the ECFC Bible for stats up to 1990 and Soccerbase for most of the stats after.**

**Steve Moran was from an archived database online as Wiki and Grecian Archive only seemed to have league stats.
**Steve Neville is up to and including 1989/90 but not 1990/91, his last season with us, which is a bit of a pain to find without turfing my old programmes out of the attic. Grecian Archive stats seemed a bit conflicting.

So fifty goals or more for the mighty Grecians are as follows..

Player	Goals	Appearances
Tony Kellow	151	377
Alan Banks	109	286
Darran Rowbotham	101	274
Fred Binney	98	189
Steve Flack	94	414
Graham Rees	92	370
Steve Neville	86	305
Harold Houghton	83	223
Angus MacKay	83	270
Keith Bowker	76	241
Douglas Regan	70	224
Charlie McClelland	65	197
James Bell	63	119
George Purcell	63	249
Ray Pratt	62	180
Fred Whitlow	62	86
Alan Beer	56	126
Ray Carter	53	109
Archie Smith	52	125
Ted Calland	51	108
Richard Ebdon	51	144
Jayden Stockley	51	98
Harold Kirk	50	154

Of course what is a really telling stat would be strike rates. Although some may disagree, I would say that an 1 in 3 strike rate is the sign of a good quality striker. So with the qualifier of more than 45 appearences, here they are...

Player	Goals	Appearances	Appearances per Goal
Roderick Williams	36	46	1.28
Fred Whitlow	62	86	1.39
Fred Dent	35	56	1.60
Henry Poulter	33	54	1.64
Harold Blackmore	47	77	1.64
William Goodwin	40	75	1.88
Henry Bowl	42	79	1.88
James Bell	63	119	1.89
Jayden Stockley	51	98	1.92
John Wilkinson	27	52	1.93
Fred Binney	98	189	1.93
Percy Varco	46	90	1.96
Ray Carter	53	109	2.06
Ted Calland	51	108	2.12
Steve Moran	34	74	2.18
Alan Beer	56	126	2.25
Jamie Cureton	42	96	2.29
Sean Devine	42	100	2.38
Archie Smith	52	125	2.40
John Nicholls	23	57	2.48
Tony Kellow	151	377	2.50
Alan Banks	109	286	2.62
Wilfred Lievesley	38	100	2.63
Ronnie Jepson	25	67	2.68
Harold Houghton	83	223	2.69
Darran Rowbotham	101	274	2.71
Richard Ebdon	51	144	2.82
Frank Wrightson	26	74	2.85
Ray Pratt	62	180	2.90
Ryan Bowman	33	96	2.91
Richard Smart	38	112	2.95
Joe Gadston	32	95	2.97

Some unfamiliar names in that list but a sign and maybe some surprises. Twelve players coming in with a strike rate better than a goal every other game but not many in the last 50 years.

Now the since Tony Kellow debate and the modern striking era (or within my memory ). I tried to pull together all the significant goal scorers/strikers (so not necessarily all strikers) back to the eighties. I might have forgotten some or they might be debatable under significant goal scorers but I tried to get those who scored more than 15 (although I might have been generous to a couple).

Player	Goals	Appearances	Appearances per Goal
Jayden Stockley	51	98	1.92
Steve Moran	34	74	2.18
Jamie Cureton	42	96	2.29
Sean Devine	42	100	2.38
Tony Kellow	151	377	2.50
Ronnie Jepson	25	67	2.68
Darran Rowbotham	101	274	2.71
Ray Pratt	62	180	2.90
Ryan Bowman	33	96	2.91
Reuben Reid	22	67	3.05
Daniel Nardiello	25	77	3.08
Tom Nichols	34	113	3.32
Ollie Watkins	28	99	3.54
Steve Neville	86	305	3.55
Lee Phillips	26	93	3.58
Adam Stansfield	39	158	4.05
Brendon O'Connell	21	87	4.14
David Wheeler	41	171	4.17
Dean Edwards	17	73	4.29
Steve Flack	94	414	4.40
Richard Logan	48	216	4.50
Alan Gow	14	63	4.50
Jamie Mackie	20	96	4.80
Christian Roberts	18	89	4.94
Ryan Harley	50	265	5.30
John O'Flynn	25	133	5.32
Peter Rogers	42	226	5.38
Dave Pullar	27	149	5.52

Of course there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Some of those figures will be more accurate with a goals per minute played stat due to sub appearences. Also you will have players coming to the end of their careers like Kellow skewing the stats from his peak years and those starting out and finding their feet before hitting form and consistency such as Watkins and Nichols. You also have players who played in different positions other than striker during their time here like Neville, Wheeler and O'Connell (right back!).

Anyway, plenty to chew there I think. Have fun.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

I was going to say something but 4.8 games per goal says enough I think.......

 

[Trapdoor]

Steve Moran was before my time but that is some record he's got there... Hot sh*t.

 

[Egg]

Interesting stuff Rosencrantz.

Who is the John Wilkinson who averaged a goal every 1.93 games? Unless my memory is even worse than I thought, I'm assuming this isn't the John Wilkinson who played for City in the early 2000s and, as I recall, went on to become a Singapore international.

 

[Rosencrantz]

Interesting stuff Rosencrantz.

Who is the John Wilkinson who averaged a goal every 1.93 games? Unless my memory is even worse than I thought, I'm assuming this isn't the John Wilkinson who played for City in the early 2000s and, as I recall, went on to become a Singapore international.

Definitely not that John Wilkinson. I was unaware of him also but according to my source (The ECFC Bible), he played for us between 1959 and 1961. He signed from Poole Town and left to go to Wellington Town. Grecian Archive have him as Jack Wilkinson and signing from Port Vale before moving back to Cheshire though so there seems to be some discrepancy although the stats are the same. Maybe the older boys on this forum can fill us young'uns in on John/Jack

 

[Red Devon]

Always thought the John Wilkinson from the early 2000s had something about him a bit like Joel Randall in style...born before his time really, had he been around today I’m sure he had the talent and would have been given the time to develop into a pretty good player.

 

[STURTZ]

I was going to say something but 4.8 games per goal says enough I think.......

Yeah, if you ignore the fact that he scored 12 of his 20 goals in his final 27 games for City, many players needs time to find their mojo, Mackie had a problem with staying onside IIRC. In 2007 aged 22 he matured as a footballer and moved on to have an impressive career in the upper etchelons.

Mackie always had that potential, some people could see it, some people thought he should be a winger!

 

[grecIAN Harris]

Yeah, if you ignore the fact that he scored 12 of his 20 goals in his final 27 games for City, many players needs time to find their mojo, Mackie had a problem with staying onside IIRC. In 2007 aged 22 he matured as a footballer and moved on to have an impressive career in the upper etchelons.

Mackie always had that potential, some people could see it, some people thought he should be a winger!

1 every 3.32 games is all I have to say if you want to squabble about not rating players.
And moving on to Argiggle as moving on to the higher echelons of the game. Oh dear Sturtz, what has become of you in lockdown.

 

[Rosencrantz]

Yeah, if you ignore the fact that he scored 12 of his 20 goals in his final 27 games for City, many players needs time to find their mojo, Mackie had a problem with staying onside IIRC. In 2007 aged 22 he matured as a footballer and moved on to have an impressive career in the upper etchelons.

Mackie always had that potential, some people could see it, some people thought he should be a winger!

1 every 3.32 games is all I have to say if you want to squabble about not rating players.

 

[STURTZ]

1 every 3.32 games is all I have to say if you want to squabble about not rating players.
And moving on to Argiggle as moving on to the higher echelons of the game. Oh dear Sturtz, what has become of you in lockdown.

254 Championship games, 60 Premiership games and 76 games in L! seems to back up your insight into the failure that was Jamie Mackie.