Two landmarks with one goal

[Dutch Uncle]

A brilliant day and a brilliant result. But it may have escaped some that when John scored that late goal it was:

 - Rovers 100th in all competitions this season (Checkatrade is included) fro only the second time in our history

 - John became only the 2nd player in Rovers Football League history to score 25 goals in all competions in a season on two occasions - the other was Tom Keetley who achived the feat 4 times in the 1920's.

Edit: A goal in 1975-76 given variously to to Peter Kitchen and Brendan O'Callaghan in different sources has recently been resolved by the Red Baron as being scored by Peter Kitchen. That would mean 25 goals for PK in that season (and not 24 as I had)  and he scored 27 the following season. So John is one of three not two players.

Still very special company.

[Branton Rover]

& if you read the shit from the pissing morons on Facebook etc some idiots still want us to get rid - JM was outstanding today runs his knackers off & thoroughly deserved his goal- that’s 2 in 2 games & he’s now bang in form again just at the right time

[Herman Hessian]

...shit from the pissing morons on Facebook etc ....

'etc' being on here...

[RobTheRover]

I honestly don't know what some people want.

Why would you rail against a player with a record like JMs?  Makes zero sense. What do they want?  Messi?

[Bezza]

After scoring his goal he dropped to the right side of midfield to block off their danger area, brilliant from John.

[Paul Simpson]

Fantastic result and we simply have the best striker in the football league!!! Marquis has been awesome since the 1st day that we signed him.
Got the club back into league 1 at the first time of asking and possibly up into the championship 🤞 thank you John 👍⚽️⚽️⚽️😀

[BillyStubbsTears]

Haven't seen the video of Marquis's goal, but at the time I thought he had a 5% chance of getting to the rebound before the keeper.

THAT is why he is the best striker for 2 generations. That desire to get there.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Another thing that separates him from 'average' players who are in it for themselves, he made a point of going up to the touchline to welcome Rowe and Smith onto the pitch and said to both of them "Just give it everything!"

[drfchound]

...shit from the pissing morons on Facebook etc ....

'etc' being on here...

Including a bloke near me who shouted for McCann to get Marquis off the effing pitch when he overhit a pass early in the game.

[Branton Rover]

You can’t educate meat

[CJK]

His running and general closing down and harassing is just priceless. One of the first rules in the book is to defend from the front and JM certainly helps with that. Colossal effort as always.

[drfchound]

After scoring his goal he dropped to the right side of midfield to block off their danger area, brilliant from John.

Yep, brilliant that.
Mind you, according to some he should stay up front and down the middle.

[pib]

Haven't seen the video of Marquis's goal, but at the time I thought he had a 5% chance of getting to the rebound before the keeper.

THAT is why he is the best striker for 2 generations. That desire to get there.

100% agree with this.

It’s the difference between a top striker at the top of the charts, and an average striker.

I applaud the bloke! He’s had a frustrating run recently, but was bloody excellent today. Nothing but admiration for the guy.

He has had a frustrating run, but he’s produced two big goals in the past two games, when it has really mattered.

Top player. Some folk might realise they should be careful what they wish for when he moves on.

[PDX_Rover]

John Marquis - would love to know how much ground he covers each game. He was superb today. I’ve never seen a player like that lead the line for Rovers.

We’ve always had an element of moaning t**ts who only come to Rovers to vent their inadequacies in life. f**k ‘em.

Those who know know. We’re blessed to have him for now.

What a performance today. Front to back, magnificent against a good Coventry team. We’ve played better this season but the focus was there, the discipline, the resolve.

Marko did what he had to do when needed. Not much to be honest. Butts and Downing were immense. Butler made some towering clearances today and vital interceptions.

There were a few nerves first half, but the goal settled the lads down. Blair came into the game second half and was great. Danny Andrew gets better and better.

Copps and Whiteman dug in and worked their socks off. Sadlier was excellent, especially getting booked so early. Great goal. Wilks was at it. So strong and his work for the first goal was brilliant.

Herbie showed what a class act he is. Broke up play and some of his control in tight situations was superb.

And then John Marquis. What a player. Ran his blood to water. Got his goal. Led the line superbly again. I don’t know what the bell ends who criticise him want...

Rowe, Smith and Crawford did their bit too - all disciplined and it looked seamless really.

Bring on Charlton. Rovers will be prepared and the Moat will be rocking. Cannot wait.

Get in there!!

[drfchound]

PDX, your post could have been my match summary as well. 👍

[RoversAlias]

An amendment to this, Dutch Uncle. I tweeted out these stats this morning - crediting you for it of course - and received a message from Peter Kitchen saying that he also achieved 25 goals in multiple seasons for the club, 75/76 and 76/77. I consulted Tony Bluff's book and found that it does list 23 league goals for Kitchen (plus 2 League Cup goals taking him to 25) but the box for Goals itself says 22, which must be a misprint? Anyway I tweeted out a clarification on that one, a massively impressive and rare achievement by Marquis whether he's joining a club of 2 or 3 legendary Rovers strikers.

[Dutch Uncle]

An amendment to this, Dutch Uncle. I tweeted out these stats this morning - crediting you for it of course - and received a message from Peter Kitchen saying that he also achieved 25 goals in multiple seasons for the club, 75/76 and 76/77. I consulted Tony Bluff's book and found that it does list 23 league goals for Kitchen (plus 2 League Cup goals taking him to 25) but the box for Goals itself says 22, which must be a misprint? Anyway I tweeted out a clarification on that one, a massively impressive and rare achievement by Marquis whether he's joining a club of 2 or 3 legendary Rovers strikers.

The 1975-76 season is one with a number of goals attributed to different players in different sources. In particular the 2-1 win at Crewe is sometimes given as Kitchen 2, and sometimes as Kitchen and O'Callaghan one each.

The following recent research by the Red Baron (who looked at 79 disputed goals over Rovers history) suggest indeed Kitchen 2 indeed giving 25 to PK. 


1975-76
 
A number of sources, including Bluff & Watson and Rothmans, credit the scorers at Crewe as Kitchen and O'Callaghan. Quite often in Bluff2 it appears that Tony has revisited the evidence and in this case he appears to be correct.
 
The programme for 26/12/75, home to Lincoln City, gives the season's totals to date as Kitchen 9, O'Callaghan 13 and Miller 4. Kitchen and Miller scored in this game, and Kitchen scored again in a 1-2 defeat at Scunthorpe the following day. The next game was the fixture at Crewe (10/1/76) which Rovers won 2-1. Rovers were then at home to Watford on 17/1/76.
 
The Watford programme lists the scorers as Kitchen 13, O'Callaghan 13 and Miller 5. Thies would tie in with Kitchen scoring once each against Lincoln and Scunthorpe and twice at Crewe. In the Notes and News section, there is a comment on the Crewe match that "it was left to Peter Kitchen to score both of the Rovers' goals, and one with the welcome assistance of Brendan O'Callaghan."
 
This means that we should accept that Bluff2 is correct, something which will mean we need to amend the individual totals for both Kitchen and O'Callaghan.


My own records currently have one each for Kitchen and O'Callaghan and I intend to update my records with respect to these 79 goals over the close season. That would indeed add PK to the list of players scoring 25 a season twice. Please apologise to him for me - he is a great hero of mine and I saw him play many many times.

Interestingly the excellent book about Peter Kitchen - 'The Goal Gourmet' by a Leyton Orient fan has him scoring only 1 at Crewe and only 24 in the season 

[RoversAlias]

Brilliant work to seek the clarification between you, you both do absolutely brilliant with these statistics and we are all very grateful! I'll pass it on to Peter.

Think we can all agree that John has hit the heights that very few others have managed in a Rovers shirt over the past three seasons.

[Dutch Uncle]

Very many thanks for this RA.

Just for completeness I must point out that the effort to review the 79 Rovers goals also fully involved Bristol Red Rover, although I reckon BRR would join me in saying that The Red Baron did by far the lion's share.

Again apologies for not checking on those 79 goals before putting up the stat without Peter Kitchen, and thanks for sorting it.

[Move DRFC]

He's become a legendary goalscorer for Rovers. Millwall fans on Twitter very keen on having him back it seems.

Any fan who moans and groans towards him need to quite frankly shut the f**k up. We won't be able to replace him once he leaves.