Goals and Assists

[Barrow Hotspur]

This may well be elsewhere but I've quickly totted up the goals and assists this season for the league, FA Cup and FA Trophy. Taken from the fixtures list on this site for the goals, and the match reports/highlights for the assists.

Goals
Baker 10
Boyes 10
Rowe 4
Almond 3
Hunter 3
Jackson 3
Flynn 2
McConville 1
Rutherford 1
Skelton 1

Assists (missing Boyes v Alfreton, Flynn v Hyde and Rowe v Chesham)
Baker 8
Boyes 6
Rutherford 6
Almond 3
Hunter 2
Jackson 2
Rowe 2
Aldred 1
Hessey 1
Hurst 1
McConville 1
Skelton 1

I think a couple of things stand out. Firstly, how important Baker is. Contributing directly to 18 of 38 goals (some of which obviously occured when he wasn't on the pitch). Contrary to some of the shouts on Saturday regarding 442, playing your joint top-scorer behind your other joint top-scorer doen't seem overly defensive to me.

Secondly, the lack of goals from central defenders, every game our centre backs trudge up for about 10 set pieces and there is not 1 goal to show for it. Our inability to defend set pieces has been well documented, is the same lack of organisation and aerial ability stopping us scoring as well (direct freekicks aside)?

[Scott]

I'm amazed by the stats for Rutherford, I'm struggling to remember 6 assists throughout his entire career at Barrow let alone this season!

Baker is a good player and when he first came to us he played at his best alongside Andy Ferrell in midfield.
He is a goal threat which is probably why Bayliss has pushed him further forwards, but we really need to be playing two upfront and letting Baker push on from midfield to support the forwards rather than play as a second forward. Bayliss simplified things when he first took over and switched to a 4-42 rather than Phil Wilson's 4-3-3/4-5-1, time to do the same again Dave.

Our defenders haven't been scoring from set plays because our delivery on them has been terrible 100% of the time. Baker, Rutherford, McConville and Hessey I've seen attempting them this season and I can't honestly recall one that posed a threat to the other team. They are either overhit, too close to the keeper or struggle to clear the first man. Also we're not the tallest team so this doesn't help, but when defending and attacking set plays we look unsure of what to do.

[Hadrian]

Rutherford has had anonymous games but regularly causes threats to opposing teams and works hard tracking back to support others. He's the only player who consistently gets the ball into the box.

He can do nothing right for some on the pop side but he'd usually be one of the first five names on the team sheet for me.

[conquistador]

He's the only player who consistently gets the ball into the box.

Which just goes to show how bad the rest are/were.
We are sadly lacking a winger on either flank who can get a decent cross into the box. Mackreth was the last one who could do that