Haji on fire

Haji Wright has started the season on fire with six goals, five of them in the league. These goals have taken him to 37 goals in total (33 league, 4 cup). His 33 league goals have come in 66 starts plus 20 sub appearances, a very impressive ratio and a better goals per minute ratio than Viktor Gyokeres. A major mid-season injury last season meant he missed 20-odd games and although he didn’t deliver in the play-off games he still managed 12 league goals in 21 + 6 games. On that ratio he would have won the Championship Golden Boot if he’d been fit all season. This is a big season for Wright with the World Cup in his home country next year and his current scoring form won’t have gone unnoticed by US coach Mauricio Pochettino. Haji’s 33 league goals take him past such Sky Blue legends as David Speedie, Kevin Gallacher & Darren Huckerby in the club’s all-time scoring list.

Wright has now scored six goals in five consecutive games and is the first City player to achieve that feat since Matty Godden in 2020. Godden scored in the last four league fixtures of the Covid-affected 2019-20 season and when the 2020-21 season commenced he netted in the first two league games (Bristol City away and QPR at home). Although he failed to score in the League Cup tie at MK Dons which preceded the Bristol game he did net in six league games. 

Callum Wilson scored in five successive games during his incredible 2013-14 season. Only one of his five games in March 2014 ended in victory and one was the infamous 2-4 defeat at Gillingham when four penalties were awarded with Akinfenwa scored two for the Gills and Callum and Carl Baker scored from the spot for City.

The club record for the most consecutive scoring games is held by Clarrie Bourton, who else? In his record breaking 1931-32 season he netted in 11 successive games (10 league, 1 FA Cup) and in total scored 20 goals including five in a 6-1 victory over Bournemouth. He went on to net 50 goals that season, 49 in Division Three (South) and 1 FA Cup. The following season he went close to breaking his own record netting in nine successive matches.

It was sad to hear of the death of former City and Liverpool striker Bobby Graham a couple of weeks ago. Bobby, who hailed from Motherwell in Scotland, came through the ranks at Liverpool and as an 19-year-old scored on his debut in a European Cup game against KR Reykjavik in 1964. Two weeks later he scored a hat-trick on his league debut in a 5-1 win over Aston Villa. He didn’t win a regular spot in the Reds team until 1969-70 when he was an ever present and scored 21 goals. A broken leg the following season hindered his progress and he struggled to get back to his previous heights. In March 1972 Coventry paid £70,000 and he became the last signing of the Cantwell era making his debut for the Sky Blues at Elland Road in what would be Noel’s last game in charge. Bobby was a mobile, quick striker who was a very good finisher but in a poor City side chances were few and far behind. During Bob Dennison’s 12-game caretaker manager period Graham played very game, scoring two goals, both at Highfield Road, in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United and a 3-2 win over Sheffield United. The arrival of the Mercer/Milne management team that summer Bobby, after six games and a further goal, was deemed surplus to requirements with fellow Scot Colin Stein arriving and Brian Alderson being converted from a winger to a striker. A loan to Tranmere Rovers was followed by a permanent move to his home town club, Motherwell, in 1973 where he came back to haunt the Sky Blues in a Texaco Cup game, scoring the winning goal in a 3-2 second leg victory at Fir Park. Later Bobby played for Hamilton Academical and Queen of the South. RIP Bobby.