History Corner: The Top Marksmen

There have been some outstanding strikers to have graced the league over those years, but a name perhaps not on the tip of your tongue is Paul Culpin, who is actually top of the tree when it comes to league goals in one season.

Culpin (below) failed to make the grade at local club Leicester City, but found some scoring form after flying out to Finland to play for Grankulla IFK and he signed for Nuneaton Borough when returning to this country in 1982.

And it was with Boro that he enjoyed a particularly prolific 1983/84 campaign in the Alliance Premier League.

He scored 41 times as Nuneaton took Maidstone United all the way before losing out on the title by one point in the end.

Just how reliant Nuneaton were on their striker though can be judged by the fact that he scored 41 of 70 of their league goals that season!

He formed a great partnership with Frankie Murphy, who scored 16 himself as well as being a major provider of goals for Culpin.

The striker maintained his prolific form when returning to Finland for their season, scoring 19 goals in 30 matches.

The following campaign was heartbreak again for Boro as they once again finished as bridesmaids, this time to Wealdstone, with Culpin finishing top of the scoring charts again with 36 – Murphy chipping in with 21.

After winning five England semi-professional international caps, Culpin realised an ambition when he signed for First Division Coventry City
in a £50,000 deal in the summer of 1985 at the age of 23.

He debuted for the Sky Blues in a 5-2 win against Oxford United in September 1985, but made only eight more appearances, scoring twice, before transferring to Northampton Town in 1987.

In just over 100 games for the Cobblers and then Peterborough United, Culpin still managed over 50 goals and was even more prolific when re-joining Nuneaton in 1992, scoring 72 times from 102 games - his goalscoring record of 130 goals is the best-ever by a Boro player.

The closest anyone has come to beating Culpin`s record in 1983/84 was just last season, when Ricky Miller won the National League player of the year award at Dover Athletic after scoring 40 league goals for the Whites.

That earned him a three-year contract with League One Peterborough in the summer.

But off-field controversy has dogged the 28-year-old throughout his career which has no doubt held him back and contributed to him having over 17 previous clubs – not including his loan spells.

The competition`s record goalscorer, however, remains Paul `Ocker` Davies, who was prolific for many years with Kidderminster Harriers, totalling 307 goals for them in just 656 matches – a phenomenal record at any level.

However, Davies never once managed to top the scorers` list in one season, but was consistent throughout.

Kim Casey was a striker partner of Davies` for a spell and he showed what a bargain he was at just £2,500 in July 1985 by netting 176 times for Kiddy in just 238 games.

He topped the scoring charts in both 1985/86 – his first at Aggborough – with 36 and then did even better the following season with 38.

He was eventually sold to Cheltenham Town for £25,000 in 1990 – so not bad business for Kiddy!

Matty Tubbs (top of page) scored 23 goals for Crawley Town in 2009/10 after signing following a prolific spell with Salisbury City where he notched 108 goals in 248 games.

The following 2010/11 season, however, Tubbs grabbed 37 goals to top the charts and help the Sussex club to win the title.

Then after half a season in League Two, Tubbs moved to AFC Bournemouth for £800,000 in January 2012.

List of top league scorers (that season`s league champions in brackets).

1979/80 (Altrincham)
Graham Smith Northwich 29
Tommy Paterson Weymouth 28

80/81 (Altrincham)
Colin Williams Northwich 26
Nicky Evans Kettering 25

81/82 (Runcorn)
Colin Williams Scarborough 27
David Mather Telford 24
Aniello Iannone Weymouth 23

82/83 (Enfield)
John Hanson Scarborough 21

83/84 (Maidstone)
Paul Culpin Nuneaton 41
Mark Graves Wealdstone 31
John Bartley Maidstone 27

84/85 (Wealdstone)
Paul Culpin Nuneaton 36
Gary Hooley Frickley 29

85/86 (Enfield)
Kim Casey Kidderminster 36
Carl Richards Enfield 28
Mike Doherty Weymouth 25

86/87 (Scarborough)
Kim Casey Kidderminster 38
Mark Carter Runcorn 30
Steve Butler Maidstone 24

87/88 (Lincoln City)
Steve Norris Telford 24
Phil Derbyshire Stafford 24
Paul Davies Kidderminster 24
Mark Carter Runcorn 22

88/89 (Maidstone)
Steve Butler Maidstone 26
Mark Gall Maidstone 26
Mark Carter Runcorn 23

80/90 (Darlington)
Robbie Cooke Kettering 28
Efan Ekoku Sutton 25
Mark Carter Runcorn 19

90/91 (Barnet)
Gary Bull Barnet 30
Mark West Wycombe 24
Mark Carter Barnet 19

91/92 (Colchester)
Paul Cavell Redbridge 29
Terry Robbins Welling 29
Gary Jones Boston 27
Roy McDonough Colchester 26

92/93 (Wycombe)
David Leworthy Farnborough 32
Mark Whitehouse Bromsgrove 23

93/94 (Kidderminster)
Paul Dobson Gateshead 25
Karl Thomas Runcorn 23

94/95 (Macclesfield)
Paul Dobson Gateshead 25
Carl Alford Kettering 23

95/96 (Stevenage)
Barry Hayles Stevenage 29
Joe O`Connor Hednesford 23
Carl Alford Kettering 22

96/97 (Macclesfield)
Lee Hughes Kidderminster 30
Lennie Dennis Welling 21

97/98 (Halifax)
Geoff Horsfield Halifax 30
Darren Collins Rushden 29

98/99 (Cheltenham)
Carl Alford Stevenage 26
Warren Patmore Yeovil 20

99/2000 (Kidderminster)
Justin Jackson Morecambe 29
Carl Alford Stevenage 24

2000/01 (Rushden)
Duane Darby Rushden 24
Steve Jones Leigh 19

2001/02 (Boston)
Daryl Clare Boston 24
Mark Stein Dagenham 24

2002/03 (Yeovil)
Paul Barnes Doncaster 25
Kirk Jackson Yeovil 24

2003/04 (Chester)
Daryl Clare Chester 29
Steve Guinan Hereford 25
David McNiven Leigh 25
Giuliano Grazioli Barnet 24

2004/05 (Barnet)
Giuliano Grazioli Barnet 29
Michael Twiss Morecambe 22

2005/06 (Accrington Stanley)
Andy Bishop York 23
Justin Richards Woking 21

2006/07 (Dagenham)
Paul Benson Dagenham 28
Charlie MacDonald Gravesend 27
Steve Morison Stevenage 24
Clayton Donaldson York 24

2007/08 (Aldershot)
Stuart Fleetwood Forest Green 28
Steve Morison Stevenage 22

2008/09 (Burton Albion)
Andy Mangan Forest Green 26
James Constable Oxford 23
Steve Morison Stevenage 22

2009/10 (Stevenage)
Richard Brodie York 26
Matty Tubbs Salisbury 23
Tom Craddock Luton 23
James Constable Oxford 22

2010/11 (Crawley)
Matt Tubbs Crawley 37

2011/12 (Fleetwood)
Jamie Vardy 31

2012/13 (Mansfield)
Matt Green Mansfield 25

2013/14 (Luton)
Andre Gray Luton 30

2014/15 (Barnet)
John Akinde Barnet 31

2015/16 (Cheltenham)
Padraig Amond Grimsby 30
Dan Holman Cheltenham 30

2016/17 (Lincoln)
Ricky Miller Dover 40