Who will score the all important goals in this season’s Championship play-off matches that will take one of the teams to the Promised Land of the Premier League and all the glory and riches that go with it?

The games tend to be quite tight and the ability of someone to take a rare chance when it comes along could be absolutely vital.

'If goal-scorers are the crucial ingredient for success in these games that are so much of a lottery, then a final between Palace and Hull could be on the cards'


The first game sees Crystal Palace take on Bristol City. For Palace, Clinton Morrison is the only player into double figures this season, scoring 16 goals so far in 33 starts. Backing him up will be young Victor Moses who has bagged three in nine and loanee Scott Sinclair who has scored twice in his six games. Sixteen players in total have scored in league games for Palace.

At Bristol City, nobody has managed to break double figures with Darren Byfield leading the way with just eight goals. Having said that, City also have 16 players who have found the net in the league this season. Unsurprisingly, Palace have scored more goals in total than Bristol City, 58 to their opponents' 54.

The second game of the weekend sees Watford take on Hull City. For Watford two men have made it into double figures, but neither of them will feature. Leading scorer Darius Henderson with 12, is suspended following his sending-off at Blackpool last week, and Marlon King, with 11, has moved on to Wigan. Next top scorer is centre half Danny Shittu, which says a lot about their style of play! Fifteen players have scored for the Hornets.

Hull City have the exciting youngster Frazier Campbell on 15 league goals and the evergreen Dean Windass on 11. Fourteen players have found the net for The Tigers in the league. City have scored the most goals of all the contenders with 65 to Watford’s 62.

So what does all that tell us? Well, not a lot really. Maybe the telling facts are that in Clinton Morrison and Frazier Campbell, Palace and Hull have goal-scorers with a good record who could win the game for their sides. Bristol City and Watford may be a little short in that area. The Watford attack is likely to be led by Nathan Ellington and Tamas Priskin, who have five goals in 48 appearances between them.

Bristol City are likely to go with Dele Adebola and maybe former Swansea star Lee Trundle, who has started the last couple of games. Between them they have 11 in 53 appearances. That’s a little unfair on Adebola who has six in 16 starts.

Unscientific though this small piece of research is, I would say that if goal-scorers are the crucial ingredient for success in these games that are so much of a lottery, then a final between Palace and Hull could be on the cards. Of course, it could be down to keepers or defenders, or even penalty takers, but I’m not going to go into that now!

Good luck to everyone who is playing or watching. It’s going to be tense, but I have to say that Watford will win it. I can’t really justify that comment but as a Watford fan, I’ve just got to say it!