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.
Pilgrim's progress: Tommy Tynan had two fruitful spells with Argyle. Photo courtesy of Action Images
Here blogger Jon Holmes, from teamtalk.com/blogs/jon-holmes,
selects Plymouth's five best No9s… and one to forget!
5. Mickey Evans (1991-97 and
2001-06)
Evans netted 81 times in 432 appearances in all competitions - not
exactly prolific, but he makes it into this top five for three
reasons: Pilgrims fans adore him as he's a local lad; his hold-up
prowess was a key factor in three promotion seasons; and his header
at home to QPR in 2004 sealed the old Division Two title, the last
time the club won any silverware.
4. Paul Mariner
(1973-76)
Mariner's stints as Argyle head coach and manager in 2009-10 may
have been dire, but memories of his nimble footwork, excellent
aerial ability and deadeye shot alongside another great, Billy
Rafferty, burn brightly for many in the Green Army. After 61 goals
in 155 Argyle appearances, Ipswich boss Bobby Robson signed Mariner
for £220,000. He went on to win 35 England caps.
3. Maurice Tadman
(1947-55)
Argyle's highest league finish is fourth in the second tier. It is
a feat achieved twice - first in 1931-32, the era of all-time top
scorer Sammy Black (a winger rather than a No9), and again in
1952-53, when Tadman led the attack. Robust but skilful, Tadman was
a true gent, celebrating goals (he scored 112 in total for the
Pilgrims) with a simple handshake for whoever provided the
assist.
2. Wilf Carter
(1957-64)
Carter smashed in 32 league goals in his first campaign in a green
shirt and in the following season netted 25 as the Pilgrims won
Division Three. Blessed with a ferocious and accurate shot, he was
the club's top scorer for six successive seasons and once bagged
five in a 6-4 win over Charlton. Only seven players have claimed a
century of goals for the Greens, and Carter has the best
goals-per-game ratio of any of them.
1. Tommy Tynan (1983-85 and
1986-90)
Argyle could have signed John Aldridge as well as Tynan from
Newport, but opted only for the latter. An opportunity missed? In
any case, Tynan was never a man to squander chances. In his first
season, the swashbuckling Scouser helped the club reach the FA Cup
semis; in his second, he was joint-top scorer across all four
divisions. Tynan signed for Rotherham but soon returned and kept
hitting the net consistently - not just poacher's efforts but often
spectacular strikes too. He left Home Park for Torquay, having hit
145 Greens goals in total.
And the worst...
Steven MacLean
(2008-11)
There are probably worse strikers in terms of ability in Argyle's
history, but the sight of misfiring club-record signing MacLean in
the No9 jersey during some truly dark days at Home Park became
increasingly depressing. The Scot never looked worth the money and
his long, lucrative contract made him a severe drain on club
resources during administration. In his final season, he was
stripped of the shirt and given No32 instead.
Follow Jon on Twitter @jonboy79