Hawks among the top entertainers
Only two clubs boast a higher goals-per-game ratio ...
It’s official - if it’s goals you want, Havant & Waterlooville are one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the top six tiers of English football.
Their 10 National League South matches in 2020/21 have produced an average of 3.5 goals per game.
Only two teams have a higher goals per game average but, unlike Hawks, both of those - Leeds United and Hemel Hempstead - have a negative goal difference and have lost more league games than they’ve won.
Wealdstone are also averaging 3.5 goals per game in their National League campaign.
Leeds’ 17 Premier League games have produced 63 goals at an average of 3.7 per game.
Though they have scored 30 times, they have conceded 33 - only second-from-bottom West Bromwich Albion (39) have shipped more.
Leeds’ last five league games have provided 24 goals, at an average of 4.8.
Hemel’s 15 NL South games have seen 50 goals scored, at an average of 3.57. But with 29 conceded they have the joint-worst defensive record in the division along with Braintree.
Hemel have been trounced 4-1 on three occasions, but did win 4-3 at Braintree and also won 3-2 at Hawks despite playing with 10 men for most of the evening.
Hawks’ highest-scoring encounter was a 4-2 home win over Hungerford in their last outing on January 2 - the club’s sole league fixture since December 12.
They have also beaten Dulwich and Chelmsford 3-1 on their 3G pitch, as well as losing to Hemel 3-2.
There have been an average of 3.71 goals in the seven league games at Westleigh Park this season, but sadly fans have only been allowed in to see two of those matches - and one was a 0-0 draw with Slough!
Wealdstone’s Grosvenor Road has been the place for goals in 2020/21, with seven National League games providing 32 of them and seven more in an FA Trophy tie.
A 5-2 loss to Stockport was followed by a 4-3 win against Wrexham before the Stones came from 0-2 down to draw 3-3 with Sutton. In the FA Trophy, Wealdstone also came from 0-3 down to Eastleigh to win 4-3!
Other clubs in the top six tiers with a high goals per game average are Exeter City (3.47), Burton Albion (3.43), Oldham (3.3), Gloucester City (3.2) and Torquay (3.2).
At the other extreme, Dagenham & Redbridge’s 14 National League games have only produced 25 goals, at an average of 1.7.
Second lowest in the National League’s GPG list is Altrincham, who visit Hawks this coming Saturday in the last 32 of the FA Trophy.
Their 18 league games have produced just 41 goals, at an average of 2.2 per game.
Last season Hawks’ 34 NL South games provided 101 goals at an average of 2.9.
Chelmsford (average 3.26) and Dorking (3.25) were the most entertaining teams in the division.
Altrincham’s National League match at home to Kings Lynn Town tonight has been postponed due to Covid issues with the visitors.
It is one of five out of the scheduled seven games in the top tier of non-league football today to be postponed due to the pandemic.
Altrincham are certainly not behind in their fixtures. Indeed, they have played more matches - 18 - than anyone else in the three divisions of the National League.
Hawks are one of a handful of clubs, along with Darlington, Welling and Dover, to have played the fewest - just 10 in the 15 weeks since the 2020/21 National League season kicked off. Hawks striker Tommy Wright has been voted the National League
South’s player of the month for December.
He scored five goals in four games during the month, including a hat-trick in a 3-1 home league win against Chelmsford. Wright also netted in the 3-0 victory at Ebbsfleet and the 3-2 FA Trophy success at lower division Bracknell.
Ex-Hawk Jason Prior, now at Dorking, had won the November award for his eight goals in the month.