It’s just past the half way mark in the season and the race for the Championship top goal scorer honour looks like it is going to go down to the wire. It is a good time to take a look at the statistics of the top candidates and explore any stand-out betting opportunities. Newly-appointed Captain Ross McCormack leads the way with 17 goals for Leeds United but the Scot has had the longest drought out of the top 5 contenders – his last goal came on 29th December. He has bagged 10 goals at home, 7 away and has scored just 1 penalty. 12 of his strikes have come in the second half and he has been first goal scorer on 6 occasions.

However, Leeds have now lost their last four games in a row and the other contenders are closing in on McCormack. Leading the way in the first goal scorer stakes is Danny Ings of Burnley who has struck first on 9 occasions out of a total of 15 goals. He has scored 10 at home and has just one penalty to his name. For FGS bets, look no further than the Burnley man. The best bet for last goal scorer is Charlie Austin of QPR who has scored last 7 times out of a total of 11 goals.

Leicester City’s David Nugent is level with Danny Ings on 15 goals but has scored an incredible 8 goals from the penalty spot. 11 of his 15 goals have been scored in the second half with 10 being scored at home. Leicester have been awarded more penalties than any other team in the league with a total of 11 and the Foxes have won their last 6 games in a row to lead the Championship by 5 clear points. Half of Chris Martin’s 12 goals for Derby County have been scored in the first 15 minutes of the second half and half of Sam Vokes’ 12 goals for Burnley have been scored in the last 15 minutes of the first half.

Based on minute per goals scored then the current top four are the most likely contenders for top goal scorer, but if we take current form into account then Jordan Rhodes and Danny Ings look the most likely to catch the Leeds man. David Nugent is still in the mix and Leicester are leading the way in the league table, but the striker has relied on an unusually high amount of spot kicks to boost his total this season. Burnley have been consistent all season and have just three defeats to their name. If they can continue without suffering a dip in form then Danny Ings looks like a good bet for top scorer at 11/2 with Bet365. The Burnley man is also worth considering for first time goal scorer and anytime goal scorer bets. Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes could also catch McCormack but at 3/1 he is a less attractive option than Ings.