Alan Forsyth finishes top marksman in England Premier League
Razor-sharp Scot Alan Forsyth is the leading regular season goalscorer in England’s top men’s hockey league, writes Nigel Duncan.
The Paisley-born striker, who is a key cog in Scotland’s senior men’s team, has netted 21 goals from 16 matches for his club Surbiton in the highly-competitive men’s Premier Division.
This follows a double in Surbiton’s 6-3 victory at Cannock on Sunday which confirms the world’s second oldest club in second place in the ten-strong table. Cannock finished bottom.
The Great Britain international’s total is made up of 19 goals from open play, one from a penalty corner and another from a penalty stroke.
Forsyth’s GB international team-mates Sam Ward, who plays for Holcombe, scored 15 goals (12 field goals and three penalty corners), the same total as Beeston’s Mark Gleghorne who scored two field goals and 13 from penalty corners
The in-form Scot, who is in his third season with Surbiton, is, however, more concerned about helping his club finish the season on a winning note in the play-offs than in personal triumph.
Forsyth, an ex-Kelburne player and a former Scotland Player of the Year, said:
“It has been an up down season after starting so well.
“The Christmas break possibly came at the wrong time for us as the second-half of the season has not been great.
“We’ve had a host of injuries and have had junior players having to step-up. They have done well but it is a big step from junior hockey to the men’s Premier Division.”
Forsyth, who has played in two Commonwealth Games for his country, looked back at the performance against Cannock and added: “We wanted to put on a good performance and to finish the regular season with a win to take us into the play-offs.”
Surbiton finished with 37 points to claim second place behind Holcombe who collected 44 points from their 18, regular-season games.
The 23-year-old, who started playing hockey aged five, said: “It’s been a real team effort and it has just worked out that I have been on the end of the play to put the ball in the goal.
“I don’t particularly have a favourite goal as they all count and they contribute to helping Surbiton collect points.”
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