Hot shot Jephcott heads scoring chart
LUKE Jephcott marked his 50th appearance for Plymouth Argyle by getting his 23rd goal – and the 16th this season – in the 2-2 draw with Accrington Stanley.
Yet another clinical finish inside the opposition penalty area moved the 21-year-old to the top of the League One goalscoring chart on his own.
His tally of 14 league goals has come in 18 starts and three substitute appearances, and leaves him one clear of Peterborough United’s Jonson Clarke-Harris.
It has been a remarkable rise for Jephcott, after spending the first half of last season on loan to Southern League Premier Division side Truro City, and shows no signs of slowing.
Ryan Lowe’s Pilgrims still have 21 more league games to play this term so there is every opportunity for Jephcott to break through the 20-goal barrier.
The last time that an Argyle player reached that total was striker Reuben Reid during the 2014/15 League Two campaign.
Jephcott is averaging a goal every 2.17 games, or every 136 per minutes of playing time.
His league tally of 14 this season is two better than Sunderland’s Charlie Wyke and three clear of John Marquis (Portsmouth), Joe Pigott (AFC Wimbledon) and Matty Taylor (Oxford United).
The Wales under-21 international signed a new contract with Argyle last summer, although the length of the deal was not revealed by the club. Now, he has emerged as one of the hottest young prospects in the EFL after his goalscoring exploits.
It looks as though Argyle will retain his services beyond the January transfer window, which was always the stated intention of manager Ryan Lowe.
But it is hard to see them keeping him into next season given how well he has performed, though the positive out of it would be that the Pilgrims could demand a sizeable fee for him.