MATTY Taylor’s double at Accrington Stanley illustrated why Oxford United were so delighted to see him return on a permanent deal this summer.
Moments after his fierce effort from the edge of the penalty area put the U’s 3-1 up, the 30-year-old showed a striker’s instinct to head home from close range.
The brace brought Taylor’s United tally to 19 goals in just 41 appearances – almost one every two games.
Read also: Matty Taylor hails James Henry after return to goalscoring form
If the Oxford-born forward finds the net against Crewe Alexandra on Saturday, only five players will have reached 20 goals quicker since the U’s joined the football league in 1962.
PAUL MOODY
Taylor’s early strike rate has been impressive, but Moody’s was on another planet.
The striker notched goals 20 and 21 for United in only his 28th appearance, a 2-2 Football League Trophy draw with Bristol Rovers in September 1994.
It was part of a run of 13 strikes in his first 13 games of 1994/95.
JOHN ALDRIDGE
Aldridge’s first 20 goals helped United clinch successive promotions to the top division.
After joining from Newport County near the end of 1983/84, the Irishman took 29 games to reach the milestone.
One of the most memorable matches of United’s glory days was the 5-2 home triumph over Leeds United in November 1984, which saw Aldridge net goals 19, 20 and 21 for United.
The visitors went 2-0 up in the first half, but after Gary Briggs and Billy Hamilton made it all-square, the Liverpool-born forward stole the show with a stunning hat-trick.
ROB DUFFY
Although not in the football league, Duffy’s tally of 20 goals in his first 31 games is still impressive.
The striker joined for the U’s first season in the Conference in 2006/07 and scored 21 times.
It was not enough to win promotion at the first attempt as United lost the play-off semi-final to Exeter City.
BILLY HAMILTON
The Northern Irish striker was another hero of United's glory years and reached 20 goals in his 39th game.
Hamilton formed a fearsome partnership with Aldridge in 1984/85, while his final strike came in the 3-0 win over Arsenal that kept the U's in Division One the next season.
DEAN SAUNDERS
Another to excel at the top level, Saunders reached 20 goals in 41 appearances.
The Welshman helped keep United in Division One after signing late in the 1986/87 season, notching six times.
Even in the relegation campaign of 1987/88 he still hit 21 goals, scoring his 20th for the club in a 2-2 draw at Portsmouth in January 1988.
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