For the first four seasons of the A-League, the Reds averaged just over 30 goals for a 21 game season. It wasn't a great average but there were players around like Veart, Rech and Qu who could bang in goals when required.
Even during the third and fourth seasons new blood in Bruce Djite and Nathan Burns came through and sparked some goalmouth action. However, last season it all came crashing to a halt with only 24 goals in a 27 game season.
Cristiano, Owusu and Monterosso were just unable to gain any kind of momentum in the forward half. When your leading scorer is a five foot tall midfielder in Lucas Pantelis who scored a whopping five goals, you know you are in trouble.
So, what do you do when goal scoring has become a task that Hercules would find difficult to accomplish? Getting one of the more consistent strikers in the A-League, Sergio van Dijk was a good start. The addition of attacking midfield gun, Marcos Flores has opened up a world of scoring options that were sadly wasted last season.
Matthew Leckie. I think he has benefited from the experience of last season but also the help he is getting around him. I think I said most of it last week but again, he is a deadset gun. There are also goals available from midfield with Pantelis, Dodd and Barbiero sure to be amongst the goalfest by seasons end.
Another young gun, Iain Ramsay also looks to be able to provide a spark off the bench and score the occasional goal when required, like he did against Sydney.
Seventeen goals and only nine games into the season. The feeling watching Reds games now is one of optimism that we do not have to rely on Eugene Galekovic to pull off save after save to keep us in the game. Thankfully he is still doing it anyway, only this season on a less regular basis.
Let the good times roll and the net keep bulging lads.
