There’s a long way to go in the race to become the Welsh Premier’s top scorer for 2019, but Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Eliot Evans has already got his nose in front of his rivals with three goals in the opening two games of the season.
Evans bagged his first of the season in the Archers’ 2-1 opening-day win against Newtown and added two more last week in the 4-1 victory against Aberystwyth Town at Park Avenue.
Just a goal behind Evans are two of the league’s previous top marksmen, TNS’ Greg Draper who bagged the award last year and the prolific Chris Venables of Bala Town, who won the crown three years running as a player for Aberystwyth from 2014-16.
Now in it’s 27th season, the Welsh Premier has had 15 different top scorers… with Andy Moran’s 27 goals for Rhyl in 2003-04 perhaps being the most controversial after he tested positive for using the banned substance nandrolone. Moran attributed contaminated food supplements for the positive drugs test, but nonetheless his haul for the Lilywhites was still a commendable achievement.
Back in the early days when the Welsh Premier league season ran for 38 or 40 games, through to 1997-98, there were some truly notable goal-scoring feats with Porthmadog’s David Taylor smacking in 43 goals in 38 appearances to top the European scoring chart in 1994 and Barry Town’s Tony Bird hitting 42 in 1997, with Eifion Williams netting 40 the following season for the same club.
Since those heady days, after which the league fluctuated between a 34 or 32-game season until 2009-10, there has only been one really standout performance… Marc Lloyd Williams’ 47 goals for Bangor City in 2001-02.
That mark, achieved in only 34 appearances, is a record for a single season in the Welsh Premier and is highly unlikely to ever be beaten, with the same being said of Lloyd Williams’ all-time tally of 319 goals, which makes him the league’s record scorer.
Following on from Lloyd Williams, Rhys Griffiths has had the longest run as the league’s top marksman, taking the award from 2006-12, first as a Port Talbot player then for Llanelli.
Since the Welsh Premier became a 12-club league in 2010-11 no player has netted 30 league goals in a season but the most impressive showing has come from Venables, not even an out-and-out front man, who won three Golden Boots and hit 28 goals in 2015.
Cardiff Met’s Evans has a long way to go before he lives up to Venables’ achievements, but more goals against Caernarfon on Sunday will be sure to see him thinking about joining the illustrious ranks of those who have finished the season as the league’s top marksman… but Venables himself might have something to say about that.
Welsh Premier League top scorers
1993 Steve Woods (Ebbw Vale) 29
1994: Dave Taylor (Porthmadog) 43
1995: Frank Mottram (Bangor City) 31
1996: Ken McKenna (Conwy United) 38
1997: Tony Bird (Barry Town) 42
1998: Eifion Williams (Barry Town) 40
1999: Eifion Williams (Barry Town) 28
2000: Chris Summers (Cwmbran Town) 28
2001: Graham Evans (Caersws) 25
2002: Marc Lloyd Williams (Bangor City) 47
2003: Graham Evans (Caersws) 24
2004: Andy Moran (Rhyl) 27
2005: Marc Lloyd Williams (TNS) 31
2006: Rhys Griffiths (Port Talbot) 28
2007: Rhys Griffiths (Llanelli) 30
2008: Rhys Griffiths (Llanelli) 40
2009: Rhys Griffiths (Llanelli) 31
2010: Rhys Griffiths (Llanelli) 30
2011: Rhys Griffith (Llanelli) 25
2012: Rhys Griffiths (Llanelli) 24
2013: Michael Wilde (TNS) 25
2014: Chris Venables (Aberystwyth Town) 24
2015: Chris Venables (Aberystwyth Town) 28
2016: Chris Venables (Aberystwyth Town) 20
2017: Jason Oswell (Newtown) 22
2018: Greg Draper (TNS) 22
