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Northern Ireland Players with Twenty-plus Goals in a Season

A list of (Northern) Ireland players to have scored more than twenty goals in a Football League/Premier League season...
  • The top scoring Northern Ireland in the Football League was Derek Dougan with 222 goals. He twice topped 20 goals in a season across his 18 season career.
  • Jimmy Dunne scored 20+ goals on four occasions, more than any other Ireland international. These were all in the top-flight in four consecutive seasons.
  • Colin Clarke scored 20+ goals in three consecutive seasons in three different Divisions.
  • Peter Doherty is the only player to have scored 20+ goals for a relegated team (Manchester City in 1937/38. He also the only player to have scored 20+ goals before and after the Second World War.
  • Only one player who was not capped at full level appears on the list below, Under-21 international Billy Kee.
  • All stats to the end of the 2020/21 season.

Season

Team

Tier

App

Gls

George Best

63/64-81/82

411

147

 

 

1967/68

Man. United

(I)

41

28

t

Bobby.Campbell

73/74-87/88

476

179

 

 

1981/82

Bradford C.

(IV)

45

24

P

1982/83

Bradford C.

(III)

40

25

1984/85

Bradford C.

(III)

46

23

C

Colin Clarke

80/81-92/93

398

134

 

 

1984/85

Tranmere R.

(IV)

45

22

1985/86

Bournemouth

(III)

46

26

1986/87

Southampton

(I)

33

20

Johnny Crossan

80/81-92/93

398

134

 

 

1963/64

Sunderland

(II)

42

22

P

Hugh Davey

23/24-27/28

111

71

 

 

1923/24

Bournemouth

(III)

34

20

1925/26

Reading

(III)

24

24

C

Tom Davis

32/33-37/38

163

108

 

 

1933/34

New Brighton

(III)

35

24

1934/35

New Brighton

(III)

42

26

1936/37

Oldham A.

(III)

39

33

Peter Doherty

33/34-52/53

406

197

 

 

1936/37

Manchester C.

(I)

41

30

1937/38

Manchester C.

(I)

41

23

R

1949/50

Doncaster R.

(III)

35

27

t

C

Jack Doran

20/21-23/24

92

46

 

 

1920/21

Brighton & HA

(III)

40

21

1921/22

Brighton & HA

(III)

31

23

Derek Dougan

57/58-74/75

546

222

 

 

1963/64

Peterboro’ U.

(III)

38

20

1966/67

Leicester C.

(I)

31

16

25

Wolves

(II)

11

9

Jimmy Dunne

25/26-36/37

245

173

 

 

1929/30

Sheffield U.

(I)

39

36

1930/31

Sheffield U.

(I)

41

41

1931/32

Sheffield U.

(I)

37

33

1932/33

Sheffield U.

(I)

40

26

Stuart Elliott

02/03-08/09

223

67

 

 

2004/05

Hull City

(III)

36

27

t

P

Will Grigg

08/09-date

376

117

 

 

2014/15

MK Dons

(III)

44

20

P

2015/16

Wigan A.

(III)

40

25

t

C

Terry Harkin

62/63-70/71

261

126

 

 

1964/65

Crewe A.

(IV)

42

35

*

1967/68

Southport

(III)

41

21

Willie Irvine

62/63-72/73

286

133

 

 

1964/65

Burnley

(I)

33

22

1965/66

Burnley

(I)

42

29

t

Billy Kee (U21)

09/10-18/19

379

127

 

 

2017/18

Accrington St.

(IV)

46

25

C

Andy Kirk

04/05-07/08

150

52

 

 

2004/05

Boston U.

(IV)

25

18

25

 

Northampton

(IV)

8

7

 

Ian Lawther

59/60-75/76

598

180

 

 

1960/61

Sunderland

(II)

37

24

1964/65

Scunthorpe U.

(III)

22

13

24

Brentford

(III)

23

11

Davy Boy Martin

34/35-38/39

132

74

 

 

1936/37

Nott'm Forest

(II)

37

29

Billy McAdams

53/54-67/68

343

147

 

 

1959/60

Manchester C.

(I)

30

22

1962/63

Brentford

(IV)

34

22

C

Jimmy McCambridge

30/31-36/37

194

92

 

 

1931/32

Cardiff C.

(III)

38

26

Sammy McCrory

46/47-59/60

457

188

 

 

1950/51

Ipswich T.

(III)

45

21

±

1957/58

Southend U.

(III)

38

30

t

Jimmy.McLaughlin

60/61-73/74

461

126

 

 

1960/61

Shrewsbury T.

(III)

42

20

1961/62

Shrewsbury T.

(III)

42

22

1965/66

Swansea T.

(III)

42

20

Peter McParland

52/53-63/64

352

122

 

 

1959/60

Aston Villa

(II)

41

22

C

Willie Millar

28/29-34/35

146

79

 

 

1930/31

Barrow

(III)

40

25

1931/32

Barrow

(III)

30

30

Pat Nelis

21/22-25/26

86

28

 

 

1921/22

Accrington St.

(III)

11

14

20

Nott'm Forest

(II)

10

6

C

Jimmy Quinn

81/82-99/00

575

210

 

 

1987/88

Swindon T.

(II)

42

21

1993/94

Reading

(III)

46

35

t

C

1997/98

Peterboro’ U.

(IV)

42

20

George Reid

20/21-24/25

82

44

 

 

1921/22

Walsall

(III)

34

21

Dick Rowley

25/26-33/34

181

77

 

 

1929/30

Southampton

(II)

25

25

29

Tottenham H.

(II)

9

4

Tom Shanks

98/99-08/09

128

53

 

 

1903/04

W. Arsenal

(II)

30

24

P

Derek Spence

72/73-83/84

348

97

 

 

1980/81

Southend U.

(IV)

46

21

C

Dave Walsh

46/47-55/56

293

137

 

 

1946/47

West Brom

(II)

38

28

1947/48

West Brom

(II)

35

22

1948/49

West Brom

(II)

41

23

P

Kevin Wilson

79/80-99/00

596

149

 

 

1986/87

Ipswich T.

(II)

42

20

  • Other (Northern) Ireland players to have scored 100+ goals in their career...

Tommy Eglington

46/47-60/61

565

112

 

 

Billy Gillespie

10/11-31/32

472

137

 

 

Jimmy McIlroy

50/51-67/68

576

132

 

 

Bobby Campbell
(Bradford City)
Derek Dougan
(Leicester City)
Dave Walsh
(West Bromwich Albion)

KEY
App - League appearances.
Gls - Season's goal tally (League games only)
Tier - (ie, to 1991/92 Division One = (I), Division Two = (II), etc; 1992/93-2003/04 Premier League = (I), Division One = (II), etc; from 2004/05 Premier League = (I), Championship = (II), League One = (III), etc)
t - Divisional topscorer
C - club finished as champions of their division (and were promoted if lower than tier I.
P - club promoted
R - club relegated
* - some sources credit Harkin with 34 goals in the 1964/65 season.
± - some sources credit McCrory with just 19 goals in the 1950/51 season.

Performances by Club

Team

Total

Notes

Accrington St.

2

*/#

AFC Bournemouth

3

Arsenal

1

 

Aston Villa

1

Barrow

2

 

Boston U.

1

*

Bradford C.

3

 

Brentford

2

*

Brighton & HA

2

 

Burnley

2

Cardiff C.

1

 

Crewe Alex.

1

Doncaster R.

1

 

Hull C.

1

Ipswich T.

1

 

Leicester C.

1

*

Manchester C.

3

 

Manchester U.

1

MK Dons

1

 

New Brighton

2

Northampton T.

1

*

Nott'm Forest

2

*

Oldham A.

1

 

Peterborough U.

2

Reading

2

 

Scunthorpe U.

1

*

Sheffield U.

4

 

Shrewsbury T.

2

Southampton

3

*

Southend U.

2

Southport

1

 

Sunderland

2

Swansea T.

1

 

Swindon T.

1

Tottenham H.

1

*

Tranmere R.

1

Walsall

1

 

West Brom

3

Wigan A.

1

 

Wolves

1

*

* One instance of player transferring from or two the club during the season.
# Technically two different clubs. Original Accrington Stanley folded in 1966. New Accrington Stanley founded in 1968.

Performances by Tier
Number of occurences of a player scoring 20+ goals in a season. Players who scored in two different divisions during the season credited with 0.5 to each tier.

I

II

III*

IV

11.5

13.0

28.5

9.0

III also includes Division 3 (North) and Division 3 (South) 1921-1958.

Stats for the English Premier and Football League/EFL only. Does not include English non-league, Irish League, Scottish League etc.

See Also:

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