Jamie Maclaren etched his name in the history books, and he is already on the cusp of another record.
Maclaren stands alone in the Isuzu UTE A-League after the Melbourne City forward became the first player in the history of the league to score in nine consecutive games.
The Socceroos forward scored twice in a 3-1 win over Wellington Phoenix on Monday, taking his season tally to 12 goals in nine matches.
Maclaren is only 10 goals shy of the Isuzu UTE A-League’s all-time record – 142, held by former Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory and Western United star Besart Berisha.
As Maclaren continues his charge towards more history in City’s showdown with defending champions Western United at AAMI Park on Saturday night, KEEPUP looks at the numbers behind his A-League Men career, courtesy of Opta.
There’s no stopping lethal J-MAC
Maclaren, the reigning Golden Boot winner scores when he wants.
Western United, Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory, Wellington Phoenix, Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC have already fallen victim to City’s talisman this season.
No club have been spared by Maclaren since the Australia international returned Down Under from Blackburn Rovers in 2013.
Since making his debut in the A-Leagues – via Perth Glory – Maclaren has scored 132 goals from 186 matches. No player has managed more in that period. While his shot conversion rate (20.4%) is the fourth highest of any of the top-10 goalscorers in that time.
A product of Sunbury United and Green Gully in the Victorian state leagues, Maclaren has scored 0.71 goals per game while in the Isuzu UTE A-League – the most of any player in the competition.
By comparison, Besart Berisha scored 0.60 goals per game from his 236 league appearances in Australia.
Maclaren’s one goal every 111 minutes and 30 seconds is the second most frequent of any player to play at least 600 minutes in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Maclaren stands alone in more ways than one
He already has four Golden Boot awards in his cabinet, which happens to include a 2020-21 Championship and a pair of Premierships.
You can bet on Maclaren adding a fifth Golden Boot to his collection, with Maclaren’s 12-goal haul six more than his nearest challenger – Central Coast Mariners star Jason Cummings.
There have only been three instances of a player scoring more than 12 goals in any nine-game stretch of their career in the history of the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Maclaren is responsible for two of them, including the record.
In between March 2, 2021 and April 17, 2021, Maclaren scored 14 goals in nine games. And from April 5, 2021 to May 16, 2021, he found the back of the net on 13 occasions.
Former Sydney FC star Bobo also enjoyed a 13-goal haul amid a nine-match streak in 2017-18.
