Sheffield United Top Scorers of All Time

As one of the oldest clubs in England, Sheffield United is one of those great English clubs which today plays in Premier League. As the title suggests, in this article we want to take a look at this club's top scorers and introduce you the Sheffield United top scorers of all time. But before doing just that, let’s take a brief look at Sheffield United’s history.

Sheffield United Football Club was formed in 1889 in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire in the North of England. Their nickname is ‘The Blades’ which links to the steel industry that the city of Sheffield is well known for. Sheffield United play their home games at Bramall Lane, which has a capacity of 32,702 and is the oldest professional stadium in the world.

The club formation came from the ‘

Cricket Club’, because the cricket club wanted to keep the players together over the winter period, so they played football instead. Sheffield United’s closest rivals are Sheffield Wednesday and when they play each other it is known as the ‘Steel City Derby’, once again linking back to Sheffield’s history of mass-producing steel cutlery.

The second established football club in Sheffield, Sheffield United FC, was the first English football club with “United” in its name. The reason for the name was that many parts joined to form a club. They have won the British top league once and the FA Cup four times.

The 1890s was the best decade for the club. The won the Division One once (1897-98) and was twice the runners-up. Ten years after its establishment, Sheffield won their first FA Cup. Since when the club has won the Cup three more times (1902, 1915 and 1925).

They became a member of the Football League in 1892. They were elected to the second of the two tiers, but after placing second they were elected into the top-tier for the next season. They would stay in the first division for many decades until relegation in 1934.

Sheffield United was one of the teams participated in the first edition of the Premier League in the 1992-93 season. They managed to remain there just for two seasons before being relegated.

Sheffield United highest goal scorers ever

Now’s the time to find out who are the

Sheffield United top scorers of all time

. We should note that in this article we’ve only counted the goals that Sheffield United players have scored in the top tier on English football, so these are either netted in First Division or Premier League. Let’s see who are the highest goal scorers in Sheffield United of all time. Stay tuned!

Gill Reece – 107 Matches, 29 Goals

Number 10 in our list of Sheffield United top scorers of all time, Gill Reece was a Welsh professional footballer. "Defined as a very fast player, quick and strong" by previous Wales boss Mike Smith, he played over 300 games during spells with Cardiff City, Sheffield United and other teams in the Football League and played 29 matches for Wales.

Reece was born in Cardiff and before being given an apprenticeship at the Cardiff City, he represented Wales at the schoolboy stage. It was his perfect displays for Newport County that made the Sheffield United Club pay 10,000 pounds to sign him in April of 1965. It was at that time when he won his first cap for Wales National Team against England.

He quickly settled with the blades and helped them to finish ninth in the First Division during his first season, but the next year he sustained a horribly broken leg which held him out almost a year. Given this, he managed to play for the club more than 200 times, marking himself a fan favorite in the club. He has managed to score 29 goals in 107 matches he played for the club in English top tier, thus becoming one of the Top scorers in Sheffield United of all time. In September 1972, along with teammate Dave Powell, he transferred to his home club Cardiff City in an exchange deal for Alan Warboys.

You might also like: 

Alan Birchenall – 107 Matches, 31 Goals

One of the

Sheffield United top scorers of all time

, Alan Birchenall is a former English footballer who played for around 5 years at Sheffield United. When he was four, his parents relocated from East Ham to Nottinghamshire, where he played for Thorneywood Boys in the local junior leagues, where Sheffield United discovered him. A talented attacking midfielder, recruited by then boss John Harris, Birchenall began playing with the Blades youth and reserve squad and became a successful goal scorer. He played his first league match a year after in a game versus Stoke City in September 1964.

Birchenall, quickly reinforced himself in the first squad of the Blades, alluring himself to the supporters by scoring two goals versus closest rivals Sheffield Wednesday in just his second match in a 2-0 win at Hillsborough. He quickly established a powerful relationship with fellow striker Mick Jones, someone he had partnered with as a Nottinghamshire schoolboy, scoring 9 goals during his first 12 First Division matches.

Although with the club trying to collect money, both Birchenall and Jones were sold in 1967, with Birchenall being moved to Chelsea. He departed Bramall Lane playing over 120 club matches, scoring 37 goals. He is the first Sheffield player ever to be substituted in a League game, which happened against Fulham in September 1965. With 31 goals in 107 First Division matches, Birchenall is amongst

Sheffield United top goal scorers ever

.

Alf Ringstead – 99 Matches, 31 Goals

Number 8 in the list of Sheffield United top scorers of all time is Alan Ringstead. Born on 14 October 1927, he was a professional footballer who played most of his football career for Sheffield United for around 10 years.

Alf joined Northwich Victoria in the Cheshire League in 1950, and managed to scored eleven goals after no more than a couple of matches, it was during his spell with Northwich Victoria that Sheffield United discovered him. He was observed by Sheffield scouts in a match at Buxton, and they decided to sign him a few hours after the match was over.

In November of 1950, with a double transfer, together with fellow winger Derek Hawksworth, he was recruited by Sheffield United boss Teddy Davison for a gross expenditure of 15,000 pounds, however, Hawksworth joined the team two weeks later.

He was a strong ball master, but it was his anticipation about being in the right position at the right moment that let him score so many goals. During his 10 years spell at Sheffield United, he scored 31 goals in 99 matches he played at the first division and is the number 8 in the list of Sheffield United highest goal scorers of all time.

Colin Collindridge – 93 Matches, 34 Goals

One of the Sheffield United top scorers of all time, he is also one of the loyal Sheffield United players who played for the club between 1938 to 1950. In 1938, Collindridge was a player of Barough Green, where he was discovered by Sheffield United. The club signed him on amateur terms in December of 1938, then professionally in January 1939.

Originally used in the reserves, Collindridge who is one of the all-time top goal scorers in Sheffield United history didn't actually make his first-team start before October 1939, when World War II started and professional football in England was suspended. Played frequently with United in the Wartime Leagues, he also played for Lincoln City, Notts County, Chesterfield and Oldham Athletic as a guest player during the war.

As one of the

Sheffield United highest goal scorers ever

, Collindridge was recognized as Sheffield United's first team player by the end of the war, and in August 1946 he eventually made his Football League debut in a 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool. Originally positioned as an outside left, during this time in the club, Collindridge was gradually asked to play as a center forward, despite this not being his choice. He managed to score 34 goals in 93 First Division matches for the club.

You might also like: 

Brian Deane – 109 Matches, 40 Goals

Number 6 in the list of Sheffield United top scorers of all time, we have Brian Deane, who played for the club between 1988 to 1993 and 1997 to 1998. He started his career at Doncaster Rovers before moving to Sheffield United at the end of 1987-88 season for a fee of 25,000 pounds.

In an 8–1 friendly win versus Skegness Town, he first played for

. In the first match of the season versus Reading, his scored first league goal for the club, but his hero reputation didn't really come until 17 September, when he and Tony Agana scored hat-tricks in a 6-1 win over Chester City. His goals enabled the Blades secure promotion that season as Third Division runners-up, and followed after a year later with a second consecutive promotion that saw the team move to the First Division after being away for 14.

Deane netted 13 goals in 1990-91 as the Sheffield United survived their first season back in the Top Tier. The next season he managed to score 12 goals to assist the club finish 9th in the league - their best finish for 17 years - and easily qualify for a position in the revamped FA Premier League.

One of the

highest goal scorers in Sheffield United of all time

, he scored the first goal for Sheffield United in the FA Premier League history versus Manchester United after just five minutes on 15 August 1992. Deane has scored 40 goals in 109 matches for the club in English top tiers and is one of the top scorers in Sheffield United of all time.

Jimmy Hagan – 158 Matches, 41 Goals

One of the

top scorers of all time, Jimmy Hagan played for 20 years between 1938 and 1958 for the club. Jimmy was a prolific goalscorer as a two-footed inside forward with such an impressive range of tricks. His professional career was disrupted by the Second World War, but he persists a hero among the supporters of Sheffield United with his appearances at Bramall Lane for almost 20 years.

With a weekly salary of £ 7 plus a first-team appearance bonus of £ 1, Hagan signed with the Sheffield United, playing his first match two days later in a 2-1 win over Swansea Town in the Second Division on November 5 of 1938. His first goal came in a 3-1 win over West Ham United 21 days later at Bramall Lane. In the last match of the 1938-39 season, he scored his first hat-trick for the club, with the club needing to win to achieve promotion rather than local rivals Sheffield Wednesday, who were one point ahead. With a 6-1 victory, the promotion was gained, with Hagan scoring a goal.

During his 20 year career at the club, he scored 41 top tier goals in 158 matches for the club and is surely one of the

Sheffield United highest goal scorers of all time

.

Stay tuned to see more Sheffield United top scorers of all time in our list.

Bill Dearden – 135 Matches, 47 Goals

Number 4 in our list of

Sheffield United top scorers of all time

is Bill Dearden, who played for around 7 years for the club in the 1970s and is now the chief scout for Sheffield United. His 15 goals for Chester in 1969–70 season brought him to the eye of larger teams, which persuaded Sheffield United to spend £10,000 in his move in August of 1970. He was an instant hit in Bramall Lane when he scored 14 goals in 1970-71 season to help John Harris' team win a 2nd-place promotion in the second tier with just three points below Leicester City.

His attacking relationship with Alan Woodward was very effective in the first division, with Dearden finishing strong in 1971–72 season with 16 goals while United finishing 10th in the league. In 1972–73 season, he again scored top with 20 goals. Under Ken Furphy's management, United went on to finish 13th in 1973-74, before initiating a title bid in 1974-75 that finished with a sixth-place finish, closing the quest just 4 points below champions Derby County.

His knee problems soon started to impact his performances in the first team, and United fell to relegation in 1975–76 season under new manager Jimmy Sirrel, standing last. In his six years in Sheffield, Bill Dearden netted 72 goals in 211 league and cup games, however, 47 of those goals were scored in 135 First Division matches and he is without a doubt one of the Sheffield United top goal scorers ever.

Get ready as we are moving to the top three of

All-time top goal scorers in Sheffield United history

list.

You might also like: 

Derek Pace – 115 Matches, 53 Goals

As one of the top three players in our list of Sheffield United top scorers of all time, Derek Pace is one of the club legends who played for the team between 1957 and 1964. Having played for Aston Villa, Pace was signed on 26 December 1957 by Joe Mercer, head coach of Sheffield United for a fee of £12,000. He continued to succeed as a striker at Sheffield United. He played his first match for United on the day he signed for them – scoring at Bramall Lane on December 26, 1957, after only eight minutes, versus Blackburn Rovers.

He changed his playing role to center-forward at Sheffield United and experienced increasing success. Pace was a fantastic ball header and several of the goals he scored with headers were amazing. He was able to shoot with both feet as well and had exceptional anticipation and control.

Having scored 53 goals in 115 First Division matches for the club, Derek Pace is truly one of the highest goal scorers in Sheffield United of all time.

Mick Jones – 149 Matches, 63 Goals

The second Sheffield United top goal scorer ever, Mick Jones was truly one of the best strikers in Sheffield United’s history during his short spell with the club between 1963 to 1967. In the Dinnington Miners' Welfare, Jones was discovered by the Sheffield United scouts playing the local football league, and in 1962 he became an apprentice at Sheffield United.

He progressed from the youth teams to the top, before playing his first game at Old Trafford on 20 April 1963 in a 1–1 draw versus Manchester United. He netted his first 2 league goals over the next game, a 3-1 win on his 18th birthday at Maine Road versus Manchester City. In 1965, he played his first match for England against West Germany.

In 149 games for Sheffield United, Jones netted 63 goals and won two caps for England and then joined Leeds United for a fee of 100,000 pounds in September 1967, causing the Sheffield United head coach, John Harris, to say "this would be the greatest mistake the club would have ever made". With 63 goals in 149 First Division matches for the club, he is amongst

Top scorers in Sheffield United of all time

.

Alan Woodward – 328 Matches, 91 goals

Sheffield United’s legend, one of the most loyal footballer the Blades ever had and also one of the Sheffield United highest goal scorers of all time is Alan Woodward, who played for 16 years between 1962 and 1978 for the club. Woodward or Woody, as he was known amongst club fans, can be best remembered for his strong shots.

He also was a dead-ball expert, particularly effective with corners, and on several occasions, he scored straight from them. Donning the No.7 shirt; possessing speed, strength and skill, he was a local player who, it is sometimes claimed, avoided international attention because of his temper.

His first match in the League was in Anfield on October 7, 1964, and his first goal was versus Leeds United on Elland Road on October 31, 1964. He netted 4 goals including a penalty in a 7-0 home triumph over Ipswich Town on November 27, 1971. He left Sheffield United at the start of the 1978–79 season to play for Tusla Roughnecks. His last goal was a penalty versus River Plate of Argentina.

Alan Woodward scored 91 goals in 328 First Division matches for the club and there is no denying that he is the All-time top goal scorer in Sheffield United history.

Read More:

Follow

 for