EFL League Two 2023/24: Why Matt Smith is a bright light for a struggling Salford City

Salford City might not be having the best of seasons so far — 15th in the league table after 18 match weeks into the season but their talismanic centre-forward Matt Smith could not have asked for a better start to the season. The 34-year-old is miles ahead of his teammates and is at the top of the goalscoring charts for League Two so far with 14 goals.

The below visualisation shows where the Salford City centre-forward ranks for some critical metrics compared with the other centre-forwards from League Two and other similar leagues in the 23/24 season.

After joining Salford City in January 2022, Matt Smith has risen to the challenge and, with a wealth of experience behind him, is pushing his team despite the poor start to the season. Smith has been the difference between his team securing all three points and losing all three points. Smith has scored in all but one of the games that Salford City have won this season. Eight out of his 14 goals have come when his team has secured all three points. 6 goals have come when his team has lost.

Matt Smith has already had a better season than last. He might only contribute a little outside his goals, but his goals are why Salford City are where they are. Otherwise, their position in the table could be even worse. Salford City will continue to rely on Matt Smith’s goals as they look to get some winning momentum as we approach the important part of the season.