TOP GOALSCORER genius Gavin Horsfall (@GHorsfall) shares his favourite Top Goalscorer fancies ahead of the 2017/18 League Two season.
WLB Season Preview 2017/18 | League Two: Top Goalscorer
A typically competitive renewal last year in THE GREATEST DIVISION IN WORLD FOOTBALL that all ended up looking somewhat familiar.
John Akinde rattled in 26 goals for Barnet to tie John Marquis at the top of the standings with Danny Hylton and James Collins sniffing about in the places, a 20-goal Jamie Cureton season apart, this was a season when those proven over the distance came to the fore.
Akinde, Collins and Stevenage's Matt Godden further proof last term that playing for a team competing at the top of the division isn't a pre-requisite; 10 of the 15 players appearing in the top-five over the last three years have scored goals for sides outside the top-six.
Playing minutes are of course key, Akinde, Marquis, Hylton and Collins all went over 40 league appearances last year with the first three in that list all averaging over 0.5 goals-per-90 minutes.
Scott Kashket (33/1 Ladbrokes)
They all trailed Wycombe's Scott Kashket by some distance, however (0.73 goals-per-90 minutes) and the 22-year-old is an interesting runner this time around.
The former Leyton Orient man was motoring before Christmas with 13 goals in 14 games across all competitions but missed most of the action after February as the Chairboys threwaway their chances of promotion.
Injuries in the latter part of the season were perhaps a result of a lack of any pre-season this time last year and no doubt playing more games that he expected. No such worries this time around though, he averaged 2.90 shots on goal per-game last year and looks big at the prices.
Bar Akinde, the top of the market looks pretty uninspiring. Collins and Hylton both turn up at Luton this season but they can't both be on penalties.
I was a big fan of Lee Angol (Mansfield) but he didn't kick-on last year, Danny Newton (Stevenage) makes the step up from Tamworth while Akwasi Asante (Grimsby) will miss pre-season and may not appear until September after recovering from a leg-injury and Mark McNulty (Coventry) hasn't hit double figures in three years south of the border.
There's worse prices than Akinde this year; we know he stays fit and scores goals but you didn't come here to read about 10/1 favourites in 50 runner fields…
Isaac Vassell (50/1 Bet365)
Isaac Vassell at Luton however is just the kind of speculative opinion that looks shrewder and shrewder every time I think about it.
Not many can argue that Luton carry the best attacking threat in the division this year but there's certainly competition for both Hylton and Collins to walk into the first XI; Hylton had an operation over the summer remember while Elliot Lee was restricted to just six appearances for Barnsley last year so is bound to take time to contribute.
Vassell, on the other hand, got better and better as the season went on; he notched, 12 in 14 after Christmas, earning him a start in both play-off semi-finals against Blackpool.
Nathan Jones turned down an offer from Bristol City for the pacy 23 year old just a week ago suggesting to me that he shouldn't be five times the price of his teammates.
Best Bets
League Two – Scott Kashket to be Top Goalscorer (33/1 each-way Ladbrokes)
League Two – Isaac Vassell to be Top Goalscorer (50/1 each-way Bet365)
Not The Top 20 Podcast Betting Preview
Our own Mark O'Haire (@MarkOHaire) joined Bet365's head of media Steve Freeth (@SteveFreeth) and the superb Not The Top 20 podcast (@NTT20Pod) for a special pre-season betting preview.
Hosted by Ali Maxwell (@TheMakeleleRole) and George Elek (@GeorgeElek), the NTT20 podcast is an essential listen for EFL fans so get downloading and listening.
