We’re up to the last third of the Hyundai A-League regular season and it’s fittingly called ‘The Chase’ as some of the competition’s best sharp-shooters try to do just that in the race for the golden boot.
Sydney FC marquee Bobo has surged out to a big lead at the top of the standings, giving the chasing pack plenty of work to do over the last nine rounds.
Will anyone be able to catch the Sky Blues star? Let’s take a look at the competition’s leading goalscorers after Round 18.
18 goals: Bobo (Sydney FC)
Bobo bagged a brace in the Sky Blues’ Big Blue win to set a record for most goals in a single season for Sydney FC.
The Brazilian has moved past Marc Janko’s previous best tally of 16 for the club.
His next focus will be getting to 23, the record for most goals in a regular season set by Melbourne City frontman Bruno Fornaroli.
14 goals: Ross McCormack (Melbourne City)
The Scotsman is Bobo’s closest challenger and has set the Hyundai A-League alight with some of his goals, especially from free-kicks.
Unfortunately for City and Hyundai A-League fans, McCormack has moved back to the UK with his injury-replacement deal now over.
There is still a chance he could return before the end of the campaign and if he does he’ll fancy his chances of chasing down Bobo.
8 goals: Adrian Mierzejewski (Sydney FC), Besart Berisha (Melbourne Victory), Andrija Kaluderovic (Wellington Phoenix), Andrew Nabbout (Newcastle Jets)
There’s a huge slew of players with eight for the campaign and needing to hit top gear immediately to get close to Bobo.
Fellow Sydney FC attacker Mierzejewski has consistently delivered this season, the Polish international notching six goals since Round 10.
Berisha – the Hyundai A-League greatest-ever scorer – grabbed his eighth of the campaign last time out and you get the sense could be ready for a big finish to the season.
Phoenix’s Serbian striker Kaluderovic has gone cold after a fantastic start to the season, while the Jets’ Andrew Nabbout has done superbly in the absence of Roy O’Donovan, shouldering his side’s goal-scoring burden with aplomb, grabbing his eighth of the season against City last Thursday.
7 goals: Roy O’Donovan (Newcastle Jets), Kosta Barbarouses (Melbourne Victory), Dario Vidosic (Melbourne City), Oriol Riera (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Vidosic’s move from Wellington to Melbourne City hasn’t slowed his scoring down, with the attacking midfielder notching an impressive return so far, including the equaliser in the draw with the Jets last time out.
Speaking of the Hunter club and O’Donovan would have been a lot closer to the top if it had not been for his groin injury suffered earlier in the campaign. With a return not too far away, could he make a late-season surge.
A penalty in the loss to Perth last weekend has moved the Wanderers’ Spanish striker into the top 10, joining Victory’s Kiwi winger Kosta Barbarouses who’s enjoying a rich vein of form over the last month, including a brace against the Wanderers in Round 16.
