This season, Prostate Cancer UK is the official charity of the Football League. To celebrate, each week footballer-turned-journalist Adrian Clarke - who played for Arsenal, Rotherham, Southend, Carlisle and Stevenage - is rounding up the best performances by No9s in the Football League, in recognition of the fact that prostate cancer affects one in nine men. In week 10 (Saturday 20 October), he heralds a No9 providing a chink of light in the Ipswich gloom, a striker who's full of (coffee) beans and a man who's becoming a regular fixture on this website...

Jay-star: Emmanuel-Thomas netted for Ipswich against Hull. Photo courtesy of Action Images

 

Championship star No9
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas –  Ipswich Town

Why?
It’s been a miserable season so far for the Tractor Boys, but their gloom was briefly lifted at the KC Stadium on Saturday when No9 Jay Emmanuel-Thomas produced a brilliant goal to open the scoring. Cutting in from the left wing, the powerful midfielder jinked his way past two Hull defenders with a mesmeric piece of skill, swerved past another Tigers man and unleashed a left-footed strike that found the far corner of the net. It was his first goal in 13 games, but, true to form, Paul Jewell’s men went on to throw away their lead, and the 2-1 loss leaves them second from bottom in the Championship.

Did you know?
Emmanuel-Thomas is big pals with chart-topping rapper Chipmunk from their days together in the Arsenal youth academy – and the singer wants his old chum to rap on one of his singles.

Goals were thin on the ground in last week’s Championship, so three strikes from No9s accounted for 11 per cent of the total

League One star No9
Izale McLeod – Portsmouth

Why?
Portsmouth are in red-hot form right now and the same can be said of their talismanic No9, who again sent the Fratton Park faithful home in fine spirits. McLeod set up the first goal against Shrewsbury with a headed flick-on for Wes Thomas, before taking centre stage himself. The rapid striker’s first goal was a peach, as he ran on to a through ball before lobbing the keeper. Then, after the visitors had pulled a goal back, McLeod wrapped up a 3-1 victory in the final minute with a low left-footed shot from a tight angle. The 28-year-old has now scored six goals in his past five matches.

Did you know?
Former MK Don man Izale and his wife Laura own and manage a popular coffee shop in Milton Keynes called Coffee Boutique.

No9s continued to do the business in League One again last week, claiming a respectable 13 per cent of the 30 goals scored

League Two star No9
Rene Howe – Torquay United

Why?
Winning the Best No9s weekly award for a record third time this season marks Howe out from the rest, but that wasn’t the only milestone Torquay’s hotshot set on Saturday. Equalling a club record set by Sammy Collins in 1954, Howe’s strike against Bristol Rovers made it seven successive matches on the scoresheet – and what a goal it was. Using the full force of his muscular frame, Howe left a Rovers defender on the deck thanks to the cleanest of shoulder charges, before bending a right-footed beauty into the far top corner. A classy goal from a No9 in the form of his life. 

Did you know?
Before joining Torquay Howe was deemed overweight by several interested parties. He has shed a whopping 20lb since joining the Gulls.

It wasn’t a great weekend for No9s in League Two, with just AFC Wimbledon’s Byron Harrison and Rotherham’s Alex Revell adding to Howe’s strike. They produced seven per cent of the goals scored.

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