As Robbie Dale coolly but clinically dispatched his fifty first minute penalty against Kings Lynn Town on Saturday he achieved a little bit of history.
The winger’s spot kick was his 136th goal for Blyth Spartans and that was enough to put him in third position outright in the club’s all-time goalscorers list. A week prior to the goal against the Linnets Dale has scored against Halesowen Town in the FA Trophy to move into joint third with George Pyke but made that position his own on Saturday.
Now the man who was brought to the club from Ryton and Crawcrook Albion by Harry Dunn in 2004 has only club legends Steve Pyle (197 goals) and Brian Slane (242 goals) ahead of him on the list.
It was way back on the 15th March 2005 when Dale first hit the net for Spartans and what an occasion it proved to be as he smashed a hat-trick past Wakefield and Emley at Croft Park in the then Unibond Premier League. It was to be the first of six trebles for the club with the latest coming in September at Belper Town. His other hat-tricks came against Radcliffe Borough, North Ferriby United, Worcester City and Whitby Town.
It is the latter who seem to be Dale’s favoured opposition as he has plundered ten goals past the Turnbull Ground outfit. After them the winger has a liking for Witton Albion with six goals scored against the Cheshire based club and it is the Albion who provide the opposition on Saturday at Croft Park.
Dale’s penalty against Kings Lynn Town on Saturday was his fourteenth goal of the current season and that is his best tally since the 2008/09 campaign. One more goal this season would see him notch his best goalscoring tally for the club since the remarkable 2005/06 treble winning season when he scored an outstanding thirty seven goals.
Unsurprisingly the manager who oversaw the most goals scored by Dale was Harry Dunn. Games under his management saw the winger hit 81 goals at an average of a goal every 2.58 games. That average is only bettered by Dale under the management of Tommy Cassidy where his eight goals in twenty appearances meant an average of a goal every 2.50 games. Under current manager Tom Wade his record reads thirty goals in eighty three games at an average of a goal every 2.77 games.
Of his 136 goals 112 have come in league competitions whether that be in the Northern Premier League or the Conference North. Thirteen goals have been scored in the FA Cup and Dale hit a notable landmark with the penalty in this season’s First Round against Altrincham as this was his first goal in the “proper” rounds of the competition.
As with many players Dale has found goals easier to come across at his home ground. Croft Park has seen eighty(59%) of his goals scored with fifty six of them coming on away grounds.
The full statistics behind Dale’s record are:
Season breakdown
2004/05 – 4 goals
2005/06 – 37 goals
2006/07 – 12 goals
2007/08 – 14 goals
2008/09 – 14 goals
2009/10 – 10 goals
2010/11 – 5 goals
2011/12 – 3 goals
2012/13 – 10 goals
2013/14 – 13 goals
2014/15 – 14 goals
Favoured opposition:
10 – Whitby Town
6 – Witton Albion
5 – North Ferriby United, Wakefield and Emley, Worksop Town
4 – Alfreton Town, Gainsborough Trinity, Radcliffe Borough, Worcester City, Stocksbridge Park Steels, Belper Town, Stafford Rangers, Hinckley United
3 – AFC Telford United, Solihull Moors, Gateshead, Prescot Cables, Matlock Town, Ossett Town, Burscough, Hucknall Town
2 – Frickley Athletic, Runcorn FC Halton, Redditch United, Barrow, Altrincham, Leigh RMI, Droylsden, Leek Town, Harrogate Town, Vauxhall Motors, Skelmersdale United, Kings Lynn Town
1 – Moor Green, Marine, Chasetown, West Allotment Celtic, Bradford Park Avenue, Guiseley, Bedlington Terriers, Kettering Town, Boston United, North Shields, Stalybridge Celtic, Sheffield FC, Farsley Celtic, Gloucester City, Heaton Stannigton, Southport, Darlington, Grantham Town, Eastwood Town, Ilkeston, Ashton United, Halesowen Town, Ossett Albion, Barwell, Mickleover Sports
Goals scored per manager
Harry Dunn: 81 goals in 209 games (2.58 gls/game)
Mick Tait: 15 goals in 82 games (5.47 gls/game)
Tommy Cassidy: 8 goals in 20 games (2.50 gls/game)
Paddy Atkinson: 2 goals in 23 games (11.50 gls/game)
Tom Wade: 30 goals in 83 games (2.77 gls/game)
Single goals. braces. hat-tricks recordHat-tricks – 6
Braces – 17
Single goals – 84
Spartans top five all-time top scorers
Brian Slane – 242
Steve Pyle – 197
Robbie Dale – 136
George Pyke – 135
Tony McFadden – 123