Billy & Rovers Goalscoring

[Dutch Uncle]

Billy's goal yesterday was his 37th in the league for us. Not immediately a special landmark maybe, but it now makes him the highest league goalscorer for us since Colin Douglas (53 league goals from 1981 to 1992) and Glyn Snodin (59 league goals from 1977 to 1984). He overtakes Paul Heffernan, who despite scoring 54 goals for the club, scored only 36 league goals.

Colin Douglas and Glyn Snodin were also the last two players to score double figures of league goals for the club in three seasons (more recently Michael McIndoe needed cup goals to reach double figures 3 times), so Billy needs 3 more to achieve that.

Only two players in the history of the club have scored 15 league goals a season for the club on 3 occasions - the legendary Tom Keetley who scored 20+ league goals for 6 seasons in a row in the 1920's and Peter Kitchen who scored 15+ 3 times from 1974 to 1977 (Note Bert Tindill in the 1950's and Tony Leighton in the 1960's scored 15+ three times when including cup goals). So 8 more goals for Billy this season would add him to that elite list, and would be a magnificent achievement considering the fact he has played well under the total number of league games possible in that time.

Please stay Billy!

P.S. Also my favourite piece of IKEA furniture.........

Edit: Just remembered Alick Jeffrey also scored 15 on three occasions, 1956-57, 1964-65 & 1965-66, so that list is now 3 players - but even more elite - Keetley/Jeffrey/Kitchen commonly regarded as the best 3 Rovers strikers of the past

[Chris Black come back]

And every single one of Billy's league goals has been playing in the second tier.

Impossible to make comparisons across the decades but if Billy reaches his target of 20 league goals this season he will end up with 50 league goals and arguably the most impressive ever performance by a Rovers striker given quality of league and time taken to achieve record.

[Standanista]

Great post, ta.

Maybe Mr Diouf will have something to say about all the above as the season progresses?

[Bristol Red Rover]

Thanks for those stats

Whilst he never made the 15 in 3 seasons, I'd like to add one other significant player to the top trio of Keetley, Jeffrey and Kitchen and thats Clarrie Jordan, who had that one amazing 42 league goal season with us before being sold half way through the next one to Sheff Weds. On the other side of his career, he was signed in 1940 so the war stopped what would likely have been another 15 in 3 seasons, possibly even better.

Meanwhile, come on Billy, your future could blossom with us!