Pelle Up There With The Best Ever Goalscoring Starts To A Saints career
Thursday, 23rd Oct 2014 13:23

Graziano Pelle's explosive start to the season has seen his goals per game tally up there with the best ever Post war starts to a season to a Saints player career with the club.

Graziano's six goal salvo in his first eight Premier league games has only been bettered by one player since the second World War, that honour falls to Colin Clarke who hit 7 goals in his first 8 games for the club in season 1986/87, however Pelle might yet equal that record if the Dubious Goals Committee award him Sunderland's second own goal on Saturday.

Only three other debutant Saints post war have equalled Pelle's six goals start in their first 8 games , Charlie Wayman in 1947/48, Jimmy Shields in 1956/57 and Charlie Livesey in 1958/59, butall three of those totals were outside the top flight.

However if Pelle beats Clarke's total after 9 games in that 86/87 season it will mean that Saints fans will have been treated to another goal feast, after his initial 7 goal burst Clarke netted a hat trick in his 9th game, a 4-1 win over Newcastle.

Those who compare Pelle to his predecessor Rickie Lambert will be pleased to know that SRL's first 8 League games for the club yielded only 4 goals and 3 of them were penalties, indeed Rickie was usually a slow starter to the season for Saints, his 4 goals including 1 penalty in 2012/13 equalled his previous best start the year before again with 1 penalty included in the total.

Best ever post war start to a season ever was the 9 goals in 8 games by Ron Davies in 1967/68 although of course this was Big Ron's second season at the Dell.

Even if we include all players in the equation Pelle's season still stands up there with the best, apart from Clarke & Davies only two other Saints have hit more than 6 in the opening 8 games post war, those being George O'Brien with 7 in 65/66 to give us a great start to our promotion season to the top flight for the first time and Kevin Keegan in 81/82 with 7.

Graziano Pelle has already given an indication that he could soon be considered one of the most prolific scorers for the club, certainly he has had a start that would suggest that he could go on to be spoken of in the same hushed tones as some of those great names mentioned.

Photo: Action Images

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