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The modern-day Championship was formed in 2004
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Billy Sharp is the most prolific goal scorer in Championship history with 130 goals
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Find out the five players who have scored more Championship goals than anyone else below
IT is blatantly stating the obvious but goals win football matches! And they are particularly important in our EFL Championship which offers a massive financial carrot via promotion to the Premier League.
Before I outline the most prolific Championship strikers of all-time, let’s take a quick look at how the current 2023/24 scoring chart is shaping up…
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21 - Sammie Szmodics, Blackburn Rovers
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18 - Adam Armstrong, Southampton
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18 - Morgan Whittaker, Plymouth Argyle
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15 - Jack Clarke, Sunderland
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15 - Crysencio Summerville, Leeds United
It is fascinating to note three of the top five marksmen don’t play at clubs battling within the Play-Offs or automatic promotion spots.
Indeed, Blackburn Rovers and Plymouth Argyle are hovering precariously close to the dreaded dotted drop line in 17th and 18th places respectively and could still be relegated.
Moving on to analyse the situation historically, these are the top five goal scorers since the Championship was rebranded in 2004….
Seasons as Championship Top Scorer
Since 2004, only two players have finished as Championship top scorer on multiple occasions. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake achieved the feat in consecutive seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09, scoring 48 goals across the two campaigns.
Ebanks-Blake spent the first half of 2007-08 with Plymouth Argyle before joining Wolves, where he scored 51 goals in 101 Championship appearances across two-and-a-half seasons.
Aleksandar Mitrovic joined Ebanks-Blake with two seasons as top goal scorer in 2021-22. Mitrovic shared the goal-scoring lead with Ollie Watkins in 2019-20, with the pair tied on 26 apiece.
After one season in the Premier League, Fulham dropped back down to the Championship in 2021, and Mitrovic finished as top scorer for the second time in three seasons with 43 goals in 44 outings.
Most Goals In A Championship Season
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s dominant 2021-22 season was the most prolific in Championship history, shattering previous records.
Glenn Murray’s 30 goals for Crystal Palace in 2012-13 were the record until 2020-21, when he was overtaken by Ivan Toney, who netted 31 for Brentford.
Mitrovic blew both of those seasons out the water in 2021-22, netting 43 goals as Fulham topped the table.
The Serbian international has been a dominant force whenever he has featured in Championship odds. Over 126 second tier appearances, the former Newcastle striker has netted a whopping 96 goals.
Highest Scorers in Championship History
5th) Chris Martin - 114 goals
Norwich City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Fulham, Reading, Hull City, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers.
Aged 35, Martin remains in fine form delivering 15 goals for Bristol Rovers this season. In fact, he won the League One Player of the Month award for January.
After receiving his accolade, Martin said: “I am confident I can continue to contribute so I don’t even think about my age! I hope to keep finding the back of the net when chances come my way. I just aim to score in every single match I play.”
4th) Ross McCormack - 120 goals
Cardiff City, Leeds United, Fulham, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
McCormack is 37 years old and recently signed for Doncaster City FC in the Central Midlands Alliance League at the 11th level of English football.
Reflecting on his fruitful past spell gracing the second tier, McCormack said: “Playing in the Championship, you had no breathing space to recover from games.
“Even if you hit a hat-trick for your team on a Saturday, you just couldn’t let it sink in because you went into training on the Sunday and then immediately had another match to face in midweek. But I enjoyed it all.”
3rd) David Nugent - 121 goals
Preston North End, Portsmouth, Leicester City, Middlesbrough and Derby County.
Nugent is now 38 and last turned out for Tranmere Rovers on loan in 2020/2021.
He actually made his solitary England appearance whilst featuring in Championship predictions back in March 2007. Going on as a 79th minute substitute away to Andorra, Nugent scored in the final seconds.
He recalls: “It was a totally crazy international experience for me. I was at Preston at the time I got the call-up and no one expected it.
“Scoring for your country is top of the list for things you can do in football. I shot home merely a yard out and it was only against Andorra but no one can take that away from me. It was one of my childhood dreams which came true.”
2nd) Jordan Rhodes - 123 goals
Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City.
Rhodes, 34, is presently on loan from Huddersfield Town at Blackpool in League One. He has notched 15 goals for the Tangerines in 2023/24.
Rhodes said: “I’m really enjoying my football and long may it continue. Once I turned 30 I adopted a policy of staying as fit and trim as possible, working in the gym and eating right.
“So I am training well and I would love to keep playing while anyone requires me.”
1st) Billy Sharp - 130 goals
Sheffield United, Doncaster Rovers, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Reading and Leeds United.
Aged 38, Sharp can still add to his tally having signed for Championship outfit Hull City on January 1st this year.
He said: “I am at the stage in my career where I might not be selected every week. But I’m working hard and keep the younger boys on their toes. I feel I can help Hull hopefully get into the Play-Offs come the end of the campaign.
“I give my all each time I am called upon by the manager who has shown a lot of faith in me. And I want to play on next season. Yes, I’ve heard people say: ‘He’s old, he’s slow.’ However I’ve never relied on pace in my entire life so now I draw on my experience.”
Nevertheless, Sharp has yet to score in Tigers’ colours.
*Credit for all photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
