ERLING Haaland’s goals-per-game ratio in the Premier League this season was jaw-dropping – but the Norwegian viking’s stats don’t compare to the West Cork League’s most prolific striker, Barry O’Driscoll (Hawthorn).
While Manchester City machine Haaland ended the campaign with a record 36 goals in 35 games (1.03 goals per game), Drinagh Rangers sharpshooter O’Driscoll boasts a better goals-per-game ratio of 1.24, having racked up 21 goals in 17 league games to fire his club to their third Premier Division title in a row.
Erling Haaland knows who the top striker this past season was.O’Driscoll finished the season with 29 goals, just short of the 30-goal barrier, and the ultra-consistent striker was the top scorer in the West Cork League yet again.
As well as his 21 league goals (nearly half of Drinagh’s league total of 46), there were four more in the Beamish Cup, two in the Parkway Cup and one each in the Micheál Cronin and Premier Division cups.
Since O’Driscoll started featuring regularly with Drinagh in the 2008/09 season (he has been involved with the team since the 06/07 campaign), the 34-year-old from Hawthorn in Drimoleague has consistently banged in the goals for Drinagh. O’Driscoll’s best season (2016/17) saw him finish with 37 goals. Other years saw him end with 36 goals, 32, 31, and 30. Add in many more seasons in the mid to high 20s and it’s easy to understand why he is one of the best forwards the league has seen.
Hot on his heels in the WCL scoring charts this past season was Beara United’s Ben O’Sullivan who scored 22 goals, including 21 in the Championship as Beara won promotion to the Premier Division for next season. Third place in the golden boot race was talented Bunratty United striker Conor Brosnan who scored 17 goals in WCL competitions last season, including a goal in their Beamish Cup final loss to Dunmanway Town at Turner’s Cross, as well as 12 in the Premier Division.
Two Sullane players, Daniel Kelly (16 goals) and Michael Desmond (14), finished fourth and joint fifth respectively in the scoring charts, as they led their club’s charge to the Championship league and cup crowns; Sullane were prolific in the league and racked up 61 goals in 18 games, the best record across the two divisions.
Clonakilty Soccer Club’s Joe Edmead (14 goals, alongside Michael Desmond), Robbie Lucey of Togher Celtic (13), Dunmanway Town cup-winning captain Johnny Kelly (12), Baltimore hot-shot Dan Mac Eoin (12), Castletown Celtic’s Jack O’Callaghan (12), Aultagh Celtic’s Colm O’Neill (11) and Dunmanway Town teen Eoin Buckley (10) all finished the season in double figures.
The above stats are available on the FAI Connect app.
