The next five contains a set of yesteryear players who never enjoyed the trophy-laden careers of some of the best to ever play the game.
10. Hughie Gallacher - 246 goals
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| One of the greatest ever to play at the Tyneside |
One of the most prolific Scottish strikers of all-time, Gallacher spent most of his formative days in Scotland with the Scottish league before joining Newcastle United in 1925. At Tyneside, the young Gallacher quickly became a fan-favourite after ending 1925-26 season as the top scorer of the club despite arriving at St James Park midway through the season.
The centre forward was the pivotal figure the following season as the Magpies won their fourth and, till date, last First Division title. Gallacher spent three more seasons at Tyneside before moving further down to join West London side, Chelsea. Despite the lack of success with the Blues the striker still managed to 72 league goals.
Ill discipline and poor vein of form saw Gallacher getting transferred to Derby County. In two seasons with the Rams, the striker came close to winning their first-ever league title but saw the campaign ending with Sheffield Wednesday holding the prestigious trophy. Seasons with Notts County and Grimsby Town soon followed before returning to the Tyneside to join Gateshead. Gallacher ended his career in 1939 following the onset of the Second World War.
Despite playing the early years of his career in Scotland, Hughie Gallacher scored an impressive 246 goals in 355 league appearances. He is the most prolific goalscorer in the history of Newcastle United and is widely considered to be one of the greatest ever strikers to play for the Magpies. He sadly died in 1957 at the age of 54.
9. Joe Bradford - 248 goals
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| One of the greatest ever to play for Birmingham City |
Another great Midlands striker, Joe Bradford spent his entire professional career with Birmingham City. Bradford started his career in 1920 with the Blues despite having done trials at Derby and Villa.
It proved to be the right decision as Birmingham returned to the First Division after winning the Second Division.
The striker took over the goalscoring responsibilities from an ageing Harry Hampton the next season as he finished joint topscorer. Bradford finished as the club's top scorer in twelve of his fifteen seasons at the club. The Peggs Green-born striker spent fifteen seasons with the Blues before moving to Bristol City in 1935 and ending his career with the Robins the next year.
During his sixteen years as a professional, Joe Bradford scored an incredible 248 top division goals in 410 appearances. He is the leading goalscorer in Birmingham City's history.
8. Nat Lofthouse - 255 goals
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| Bolton's finest |
Arguably the greatest ever player to play for Bolton Wanderers, Nat Lofthouse started his professional career with Trotters just after the Second World War in 1946. Right from the first day till his final day, Nat Lofthouse led the Bolton attack. The striker finished as the clubs' leading goalscorer in twelve of the fifteen seasons he played with the club. He remains one of England's most prolific goalscorers ever after scoring an impressive 30 goals in 33 matches.
Despite his goalscoring heroics, Bolton never managed to win a league title with the club almost always finishing in the bottom half of the table. Nat Lofthouse retired from the game in 1960 following an ankle injury.
In his fifteen seasons, Nat Lofthouse scored 255 goals in 452 top-flight appearances. He is the leading goal scorer in the history of Bolton Wanderers. The striker sadly passed away in 2011, aged 85.
6. Charlie Buchan - 257 goals
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| One of Sunderland's greatest ever players |
A World War hero, a prolific striker and a journalist Charlie Buchan has been involved with football during his entire lifetime. Buchan started his career with Woolwich Arsenal but made his professional debut with Sunderland in 1911. The striker had two spells at Rover Park on either side of the First World War.
During his first spell, Buchan was the leading scorer of the club in two of the four seasons prior to the First World War as Sunderland won their fifth First Division title. Buchan remained the top scorer for the next five seasons before moving to Arsenal in 1925. Buchan was way past his prime at Arsenal and looked a pale shadow of the prolific striker he used to be at Sunderland. He spent three seasons at Highbury before retiring in 1928.
Charlie Buchan scored an incredible 257 top-flight goals in 482 appearances and won a single First Division title with Sunderland. The striker sadly passed away in 1960 at the age of 68.
6. David Jack - 257 goals
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| One of the key players that helped Arsenal win their First ever League title |
The first player to break the world record transfer fee twice, David Jack started his career in Portsmouth in 1919 before breaking the world transfer record to sign for Bolton in 1920. David Jack formed a formidable partnership with Joe Smith, scoring more than 300 goals between them in eight seasons.
Jack joined Arsenal at the end of the 1927-28 season, breaking the world-record fee for the first time as he became the first player in history to cost over £10000. With Herbert Chapman at the helm, David Jack prospered at Highbury as the Gunners won their first three First Division titles. Jack finally retired in 1934 after winning three First Division titles with the Gunners.
David Jack scored an impressive 257 goals in 476 top-flight appearances.
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