This season Prostate Cancer UK is the official charity of The
Football League. To celebrate, we've asked bloggers from each of
the 72 clubs to count down their top five strikers to have worn the
No9 shirt, in recognition of the fact that prostate cancer
affects one in nine men.
King Harrad: life in the league suited Shaun Harrad. Photos courtesy of Action Images
Here blogger Luca Gallone, of burtonfootballnut.wordpress.com,
selects Burton's five best No9s… and one to forget!
5. Christian Moore
(2000-03)
Dubbed 'Sir Christian' by the Brewers faithful, goal poacher
supreme Moore was instrumental in Albion's first league title in 50
years. His 19 goals helped Albion steam-roller their way into the
Conference as Northern League champions in the 2001-02 campaign. He
possessed the canny knack of being in the right place at the right
time. Following the Brewers' promotion, the fans' favourite lasted
a couple of seasons at Conference level before moving on. The
signing remains one of Nigel Clough's most astute and significant
of his decade-long reign as manager.
4. Shaun Harrad (2005-11)
Acquired by Nigel Clough in 2005 as a promising 20-year-old,
Harrad frequently showed glimpses of his potential, although not
many could have foreseen the degree of success he would ultimately
go on to have. A solid, if unspectacular, player in the Conference,
he racked up 17 goals in each of the Brewers' final two seasons at
that level. However, the striker blossomed in the Football League
and emerged as Albion's star man with a stunning 22-goal haul
during the club's 2009-10 debut League Two campaign.
3. Daryl Clare (2006-08)
Non-League eyebrows were raised when one of the Conference's most
feared goalscorers of all time chose Burton over several bigger,
better-established suitors. Clare more than lived up to
expectations and was an instant hit, notching 18 goals in his
opening season as a Brewer. What followed was a 23-goal campaign in
which Clare, thanks to his exquisite finishing and predatory
goalscoring instinct, reached heights possibly never before seen in
a Brewers side.
2. Stan Round (1963-67)
In an Albion career spanning four years, Round can boast both
second place in Albion's all-time goalscoring chart and a
goals-to-games ratio second to none. A stunning 149 goals in 199
appearances gives him an average of 0.75 goals per game.
1. Richie Barker
(1960-67)
Despite taking to the field for the Brewers more than 50 years
ago, strikers have come and gone, but none have been unable to
match the scoring record of Richie Barker. With 159 goals, he is
cemented firmly in Albion folklore as a true goal-scoring hero.
And the worst…
Jake Edwards (2007-08)
Signed by Nigel Clough purely as a big man figure to compliment
star striker Daryl Clare, Edwards did anything but in a torrid
season-long stint at the Pirelli Stadium. Painfully slow and less
than clinical in front of goal, he could muster only a paltry
return of four goals in 30 appearances. Not the sort of scoring
record you'd associate with a No9. Certainly the worst in my
limited time following the Brewers!
Follow Luca on Twitter @LucaBAFC