(Image: Brian Jones)
Greg Draper may be finding it hard to get a start for The New Saints, but that hasn’t affected his goal-scoring prowess…
He came off the bench for The New Saints last night to complete the rout for Scott Ruscoe’s side, scoring in the 80th minute to move ahead of Liam Thomas and Steven Tames as top goalscorer in the Welsh Premier League.
The BBC has worked out that Greg Draper averages a goal every 39 minutes. This comes from 695 minutes of football played.
Compare this to Bala Town’s Steven Tames who is averaging 111 minutes per goal, having played 1186 minutes more of football than Draper.
Liam Thomas who is also on 17 goals this season, averages 138 minutes per goal. He has played 2340 minutes this season. This means Greg Draper has played 1645 minutes less than the Old Gold forward but has scored a goal more.
Coming out of the league, Draper’s record compared to English Premier League forwards Mohamed Salih and Sergio Aguero, Greg Draper still has a higher minute per goal record than the Argentine and the Egyptian. Salah has scored 134 minutes per goal in 2286 minutes of action, whilst Aguero has 99 minutes per goal in 1678 minutes.
Greg Draper’s goals per minute ratio versus top scorers in Europe’s top five leagues
(Image: Brian Jones)
Greg Draper – 18
New Saints
39 per goal
695 played
Kylian Mbappé – 22
PSG
72 per goal
1592 played
Lionel Messi – 25
Barcelona
75 per goal
1887 played
Luka Jovic – 15
Frankfurt
94 minutes per goal
1406 minutes played
Sergio Agüero – 17
Man City
99 per goal
1678 played
Cristiano Ronaldo
Juventus
113 per goal
2149 played
The Kiwi-forward has had to take a backseat role with The New Saints, having been named as a substitute on numerous occasions by Scott Ruscoe. But that hasn’t stopped Draper from showcasing his ability.
He is on course for a second consecutive boot in the Welsh Premier League. He could be considered in the same ilk as forward Rhys Griffiths who won SEVEN back-to-back Golden Boots in the Welsh Premier League.
Draper is just four goals off of his tally of 22 goals last season, having played considerably less. There are also seven more league games for him to score in, which would see him beat his own tally.
Having been at The New Saints since 2011, the League Top Scorer was something that alluded him but after winning it last season, there is nothing that can stop Draper, not even being played in a bit part role.
This season Draper has started just six Welsh Premier League games for the reigning Champions. He has been substituted on a total of 17 times, whilst being an unused substitute twice.
Scott Ruscoe knows what he’s getting when he brings Draper on. He’s getting a striker that is the most clinical forward in this League. Against any defence in the league, he is able to break them down and take his chance when presented to him.
One example is when he scored a brace, having come on as a substitute in the 65th minute against title contenders Barry Town United at the start of the season. He also scored a brace against Newtown in the New Saints first game of Phase Two, having only come on in the 67th minute.
(Featured Image: Brian Jones)
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