The Vanarama View: Player Insights Ahead Of Saturday

Title sponsors Vanarama have taken a deep dive into the data to pull out some key player insights ahead of Matchday 7...

The battle for the Golden Boot

There’s a three-way tussle shaping up for the right to be the division’s sharpest shooter with AFC Fylde’s Nick Haughton, Aldershot Town’s James Henry and Forest Green Rovers’ Christian Doidge tied on five goals.

However, it’s FGR’s all-time top scorer Doidge who is out on front according to the numbers. The 32-year-old has recorded a higher expected goals (xG) figure than anyone else in the league so far.

A value from 0-1 is given to every shot based on factors including distance and angle from goal. Doidge’s 13 shots this term have accrued an xG value of 4.29 – putting him ahead of everyone else, including Paul McCallum in second on 4.09.

It isn’t hard to see why when looking at Doidge’s shot map. Yellow markers show lower-value efforts and deep red markers show high-value opportunities. Doidge has hardly wasted a shot!

Barnet’s beating Hart-igan

Good things come to those who wait. So Barnet waited most of the summer before securing midfielder Anthony Hartigan’s return on a permanent basis.

The former Mansfield Town loanee cleaned up at the Bees’ end-of-season awards night, clinching four gongs including Players’ Player and Goal of the Season.

But it’s his passing that Hartigan is known for and this season he has completed more passes than anyone else with 496.

York City’s Dan Batty is close behind in second (480) with Gateshead maestro Regan Booty completing the top three (466). They are the only three players to have surpassed 400 complete passes.

The Fresh Prince of... The Shay

After spending much of last season on loan with York City, Will Smith traded one Yorkshire club for another this summer when he joined FC Halifax Town.

The 25-year-old, who has also turned out for Barnsley and Harrogate Town, has been a defensive colossus for his new side in the early weeks of the season.

No one has recorded more combined interceptions, aerial duels and defensive duels the the Leeds-born defender with 106.

Close behind on 104 are Woking’s Dan Moss and Halifax team-mate Adam Senior, while Forest Green’s Jamie Robson (103) is the only other player to exceed 100.

Inevitably, teams who have less of the ball record more defensive actions and Halifax are third-last for possession share with 42.22% so far. Forest Green, however, are last with just 37.01% despite their lofty position!

Net gains for Spitfires

There aren’t many better shot stoppers in the Vanarama National League than Eastleigh’s Joe McDonnell – and once again he’s proving his worth to the high-flying Spitfires.

In the same way expected goals assign value to shots taken, expected goals against give each shot a team concedes a value, too.

Based on that metric, McDonnell should have shipped 10.01 goals this season. Yet he has seen his net breached just six times – a difference of 4.01, the biggest positive swing of any National League keeper this season.

Gateshead’s Tiernan Brooks is in second place with a difference of 3.94. AFC Fylde loanee Ben Winterbottom is third on 3.47.

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