Strap's Stats!
Readings Leagues Scoring Record Since Time Began!
Right, after really being a doom and gloom merchant last time, as it's the season of goodwill etc etc, I thought I'd rid us our current worries of lack of goals by looking at our complete league record. This may surprise you, but dear old RFC is actually quite a freescoring club, and I don't mean just down at Utopia either! As you'll see below, we have only scored less than a goal game throughout a season on 4 occasions, twice in the old southern league and twice in the old Div 3 south, the last time being in 1922-23! More importantly, we have only been relegated once on those 4 occasions. Indeed, our career average is a healthy 1.55 goals per game.
Putting this into today's perspective, the current Royals "only" need to score another 50 goals from the remaining 23 league fixtures this season to match the "average" of their forebears!! Quick reality check is needed here I fear!! Let's look at the last 5 years we've spent in new Div 1/old Div 2. Our record here is more modest, and dare I say it more attainable this year! Our goals per game is 1.24, 1.00, 1.26, 1.17 and 1.26, giving an average of 1.19. In absolute terms, this means "our" Royals need to score 34 more goals this season from 23 games to maintain the recent average. I think even Carl, Trevor and the lads can meet this target, can't they???
Season League Games Goals Final Position Goals per game 1894-95 SL1 16 33 5th of 9 2.06 1895-96 SL1 18 45 4th of 10 2.50 1896-97 SL1 20 31 7th of 11 1.55 1897-98 SL1 22 39 5th of 12 1.77 1898-99 SL1 24 31 5th of 13 1.29 1899-00 SL1 28 41 4th of 15 1.46 1900-01 SL1 28 24 9th of 15 0.86 1901-02 SL1 30 57 5th of 16 1.90 1902-03 SL1 30 72 2nd of 16 2.40 1903-04 SL1 34 48 6th of 18 1.41 1904-05 SL1 34 57 2nd of 18 1.68 1905-06 SL1 34 53 10th of 18 1.56 1906-07 SL1 38 57 12th of 20 1.50 1907-08 SL1 38 55 12th of 20 1.45 1908-09 SL1 40 60 8th of 21 1.50 1909-10 SL1 42 38 22nd of 22 0.90 1910-11 SL2 22 55 1st of 12 2.50 1911-12 SL1 38 43 11th of 20 1.13 1912-13 SL1 38 59 8th of 20 1.55 1913-14 SL1 38 42 4th of 20 1.11 1914-15 SL1 38 69 2nd of 20 1.82 1919-20 SL1 42 51 7th of 22 1.21 1920-21 D3 42 42 20th of 22 1.00 1921-22 D3s 42 40 13th of 22 0.95 1922-23 D3s 42 36 19th of 22 0.86 1923-24 D3s 42 51 18th of 22 1.21 1924-25 D3s 42 51 15th of 22 1.21 1925-26 D3s 42 77 1st of 22 1.83 1926-27 D2 42 64 14th of 22 1.52 1927-28 D2 42 53 18th of 22 1.26 1928-29 D2 42 63 15th of 22 1.50 1929-30 D2 42 54 19th of 22 1.29 1930-31 D2 42 72 21st of 22 1.71 1931-32 D3s 42 97 2nd of 22 2.31 1932-33 D3s 42 103 4th of 22 2.45 1933-34 D3s 42 82 3rd of 22 1.95 1934-35 D3s 42 89 2nd of 22 2.12 1935-36 D3s 42 87 3rd of 22 2.07 1936-37 D3s 42 76 5th of 22 1.81 1937-38 D3s 42 71 6th of 22 1.69 1938-39 D3s 42 69 5th of 22 1.64 1946-47 D3s 42 83 9th of 22 1.98 1947-48 D3s 42 56 10th of 22 1.33 1948-49 D3s 42 77 2nd of 22 1.83 1949-50 D3s 42 70 10th of 22 1.67 1950-51 D3s 46 88 3rd of 24 1.91 1951-52 D3s 46 112 2nd of 24 2.43 1952-53 D3s 46 69 11th of 24 1.50 1953-54 D3s 46 86 8th of 24 1.87 1954-55 D3s 46 65 18th of 24 1.41 1955-56 D3s 46 70 17th of 24 1.52 1956-57 D3s 46 80 13th of 24 1.74 1957-58 D3s 46 80 5th of 24 1.74 1958-59 D3 46 78 6th of 24 1.70 1959-60 D3 46 84 11th of 24 1.83 1960-61 D3 46 72 18th of 24 1.57 1961-62 D3 46 77 7th of 24 1.67 1962-63 D3 46 74 20th of 24 1.61 1963-64 D3 46 79 6th of 24 1.72 1964-65 D3 46 70 13th of 24 1.52 1965-66 D3 46 70 8th of 24 1.52 1966-67 D3 46 76 4th of 24 1.65 1967-68 D3 46 70 5th of 24 1.52 1968-69 D3 46 67 14th of 24 1.46 1969-70 D3 46 87 8th of 24 1.89 1970-71 D3 46 48 21st of 24 1.04 1971-72 D4 46 56 16th of 24 1.22 1972-73 D4 46 51 7th of 24 1.11 1973-74 D4 46 58 6th of 24 1.26 1974-75 D4 46 63 7th of 24 1.37 1975-76 D4 46 70 3rd of 24 1.52 1976-77 D3 46 49 21st of 24 1.07 1977-78 D4 46 55 8th of 24 1.20 1978-79 D4 46 76 1st of 24 1.65 1979-80 D3 46 66 7th of 24 1.43 1980-81 D3 46 62 10th of 24 1.35 1981-82 D3 46 67 12th of 24 1.46 1982-83 D3 46 64 21st of 24 1.39 1983-84 D4 46 84 3rd of 24 1.83 1984-85 D3 46 68 9th of 24 1.48 1985-86 D3 46 67 1st of 24 1.46 1986-87 D2 42 52 13th of 22 1.24 1987-88 D2 44 44 22nd of 23 1.00 1988-89 D3 46 68 18th of 24 1.48 1989-90 D3 46 57 10th of 24 1.24 1990-91 D3 46 53 15th of 24 1.15 1991-92 D3 46 59 12th of 24 1.28 1992-93 D2 46 66 8th of 24 1.43 1993-94 D2 46 81 1st of 24 1.76 1994-95 D1 46 58 2nd of 24 1.26 1995-96 D1 46 54 19th of 24 1.17 1996-97 D1 46 58 18th of 24 1.26To be fair, these figures are absolutely meaningless!!! Take a look at our first stint in old Div 2. In our relegation year, 1930-31, we actually scored 71 goals, by far and away our best ever performance at this level, and still went down! Also, check out our record from 1960 to 1968. We were remarkably consistent, scoring between 70 and 79 goals each season, but our final positions fluctuated from a high of 4th to a low of 20th in those 8 years!
Best time to have been watching RFC though must have been the thirties, from 1931 to 1936 they scored 97, 103, 82, 89 and 87, for an average of 2.18 goals per game! Wouldn't mind a slice of that today!
To finish on a sombre note, it's worth pointing out that our promotions generally occur when we've scored around 1.7 goals per game, and our relegations generally occur when the ration drops to around 1.05. Hope that hasn't depressed too many of you, and if Terry and the lads are tuned in, hope it gives you some food for thought!!
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year. See you all at EP for WBA and Loftus road for QPR. Here's hoping for a hatful of goals and 6 points! If someone had told me at the start of the season that I'd be wetting myself for the return of the Meaks, I'd have died laughing! Funny things stats!
Final point, if you spot any glaring errors or corrections, please let me know.
Strap