National Game Awards 2012-13 in association with Budweister Club Futures – Pro-Direct Golden Boot
THERE can’t be many Non-League defenders getting a good night’s sleep right now with a lot of lethal strikers around to give them nightmares.
Goal tallies are racking up around the country and once again The NLP is honouring those most deadly in front of goal with a Pro-Direct Golden Boot National Game Award.
This isn’t an award to be voted on. Just cold hard facts – who has scored the most. Last season saw a titanic battle that
was eventually one by Ryman Premier Wealdstone‘s ace marksman Richard Jolly. The prolific striker bagged a remarkable 48 goals to scoop our gong.
One goal-greedy colleague he edged out is in with a shout again with the prestigious prize currently looking like it will be heading to one of two places – Hitchin Town or Altrincham.
Alty hot-shot Damian Reeves narrowly missed out last season. But after committing to the Robins cause for this campaign, despite a lot of interest in his services in the summer, he’s at it again. Reeves has rattled in 29 goals in the Blue Square Bet North on his way to a present total of 34 in all competitions.
Just four of those have come from the spot and with Lee Sinnott’s Altrincham pushing for promotion there will no doubt be plenty more to follow.
But at Southern Premier Hitchin they have a goal machine all of their own in big striker John Frendo. The former Ware, Chesham and Cambridge City man leads the way at the top of the charts with 36 goals in all competitions.
And his goalscoring prowess is really put into context when you consider the Canaries are struggling towards the bottom of the table.
In fact Frendo had scored 25 of Hitchin’s 45 league goals this season coming into the weekend. If those two aren’t enough to make centre-halves all sweaty with fear then there are some outsiders who shouldn’t be discounted just yet.
Especially when you take the recent form of Lee Gregory. The FC Halifax striker’s recent goal glut of eight goals in three games – including four last weekend against Worcester before a hat-trick on Tuesday against Hinckley.
Gregory has shot up the leaderboard to be one of seven players in a chasing pack with 22 goals.
To keep up to speed with the Golden Boot race as the season enters its final straight we’ve brought back our popular National Strike Force feature.
Compiled by Non-League doyen Tony Williams you’ll be able to follow the goal stats in The NLP each week from now until the end of the season.
Budweiser Club Futures is a programme investing £1m into grassroots football. Season two applications will be live on thefa.com from July 2013 .
NGA 2012-13 LIST OF AWARDS
OUR GAME Player of the Year
SPORTSBEAT Young Player of the Year
REUSCH Goalkeeper of the Year
PRO DIRECT Golden Boot
SK KITS Step 3 & 4 Player of the Year
MARK HARROD Team of the Year
ESPN Cup Run of the Year
POWER HORSE Lifetime Achievement
PREMIER SPORTS Goal of the Season
WILLIAM HILL Fan of the Year
THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATION Community Club of the Year
THE PFA Fair Play Award
BUDWEISER CLUB FUTURES PROGRAMME Unsung Hero
S&C SLATTER Manager of the Year
THE FA England C Player of the Year
