Outstanding goalscoring performances in August

The long awaited new 2021-22 season has offered a number of goalscoring performances during August that have really stood out. For Adam Boyes of Marske United the last 10 days of the month brought as many goals, to show him leading the NPL goalscoring charts. On the 21st he went nap, in just 76 minutes, against Pickering Town in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup. Three days later he scored a hat-trick, in 47 minutes, versus Yorkshire Amateur in an East Division fixture. He seems to have taken a breather last Saturday, but added another two on Bank Holiday Monday to put him into double figures so far.

The fastest triple this season, in just 34 minutes, came from Josh McKenzie for Sporting Khalsa in the FA Cup Extra-Preliminary game against Coventry Sphinx on 7th August. He’s joined in the scoring charts by Sam Fishburn of Lancaster City, who claimed his 46 minute hat-trick at Grantham Town on the 21st. Chris Lait of Halesowen Town knocked in his treble on the same day at home to Sutton Coldfield Town in 58 minutes.

Not surprisingly, at this early stage, the nap hand and four hat-tricks move the participants into the top of each Division’s goalscoring tables. The Dolly Blues’ Sam Fishburn leads the Premier Division Goals Chart with seven League goals. He’s closely followed by Liam Hardy of Hyde United on six, with Ewan Bange (Bamber Bridge) and Jacob Hazel (Whitby Town) close behind, both with five.

The Seasiders’ aforementioned Adam Boyes leads the East Division with his 10 goals (five in the League) whilst Marc Newsham (Sheffield FC) and Oliver Fearon (Liversedge) lie joint second both on five goals apiece. Seven other East Division players have chalked up four goals.

The new Midlands Division has produced two of the month’s hat-tricks and their claimants lie at the head of that Division’s table. Curtis Burrows of Loughborough Dynamo and the Lions’ Josh McKenzie tops the Division with five goals closely followed by nine other players with four goals.

Colne were looking for anybody other than Reece Webb-Foster to score for almost the whole of the month until last Monday! His seven goals have put him on top of the West Division chart ahead of Rory Fallon (Glossop North End) and James Murphy (Ramsbottom United) both on five goals. A trio of other players lie with four goals apiece behind them.

The best team performances are Bamber Bridges’ 5-1 Premier Division win against Gainsborough Trinity on the 21st. On the same day, the FA Cup brought several high scores with Hebburn Town getting seven unopposed goals away at Yorkshire Amateur and Marske United beating Pickering Town 7-0 at home. The Ammies roared back with a 7-0 scoreline versus Lincoln United the following Saturday in the League.

Chasetown’s 7-0 result against Uttoxeter Town in the FA Cup Preliminary Round is the best of the Midlands, whilst Loughborough Dynamo’s 6-2 against Sporting Khalsa on the 28th is the best home League win in the Division, though Halesowen Town’s 5-2 beating of Shepshed Dynamo on the 17th and Cambridge City’s 5-1 away win at Daventry Town on the 21st stand out too. Sporting Khalsa’s two 4-3 wins versus Coventry Sphinx and Yaxley were both high-scoring, close matches.

Clitheroe’s 7-1 defeat of Bootle on the 25th is a West Division stand out result, only to be equalled three days later when Ramsbottom United and Market Drayton Town repeated the score. The Cleethorpes Town 4-4 draw with Lincoln United on 17th August remains the highest scoring draw of the month, whilst Ramsbottom United’s 5-4 away defeat at Barnoldswick Town in the FA Cup Preliminary Round is the joint highest aggregate score.

The Premier Division yielded 172 goals from 66 games to give an average of 2.61 goals per game. The West Division’s 43 games produced 124 games at an average of 2.88 goals/game. The East Division was even better with 135 goals from 44 games, a mean of 3.07 goals/game. But the new Midlands Division was best of all and has seen 147 goals at an average of 3.2 goals per games from its 46 games.