STAT ATTACK: There’s no place like home

After seeing off Stafford Rangers at Croft Park today Spartans have certainly been enjoying some home comforts this season. A look at the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League "home" form table shows that only league leaders Skelmersdale United have a better record on their home patch this season. With Croft Park hosting sixteen league games this season Spartans have come out on top in eleven of them, drawing three and losing just twice. Incredibly thirty six of Spartans forty eight points have been gained at home. Here is the top ten of the league's home table:

1 Skelmersdale United P 14 W13 D 1 L 0 GD +26 P 40
2 Blyth Spartans P 16 W 11 D 3 L 2 GD +16 P 36
3 King's Lynn Town P 16 W 9 D 4 L 3 GD +16 P 31
4 Worksop Town P 15 W 10 D 0 L 5 GD +14 P 30
5 Ashton United P 13 W 9 D 2 L 2 GD +16 P 29
6 Chorley P 12 W 8 D 3 L 1 GD +17 P 27
7 Rushall Olympic P 14 W 7 D 6 L 1 GD +9 P 27
8 Matlock Town P 13 W 7 D 5 L 1 GD +9 P 26
9 Frickley Athletic P 16 W 6 D 6 L 4 GD +5 P 24
10 FC Utd of Mcr P 12 W 7 D 2 L 3 GD+15 P 23

Indeed the last side to leave Northumberland with all three points were Kings Lynn Town in late October. The Linnets were deserved winners on the day taking the points with a comfortable 3-1 win, only Matlock Town can match that feat this season with their 2-1 win on the last day of August. That means Spartans are currently on an eight game unbeaten run at Croft Park, incredibly winning six of those fixtures. The run includes the following games:

29 October: Frickley Athletic 2-0
5 November: Droylsden 3-0
23 November: Rushall Olympic 3-2
7 December: Marine 2-2
21 December: Stamford AFC 2-1
28 December: Barwell 2-1
1 January 2014: Stocksbridge Park Steels 3-0
11 January 2014: Stafford Rangers 6-2

If you look at the averages there has certainly been plenty of entertainment for the Green Army to enjoy at Croft Park this term. An incredible sixty two goals in sixty games have been witnessed during home games. That's an average of 3.88 goals per game. Spartans average a goal every thirty seven minutes during our home games, scoring thirty nine goals at home with the opposition notching twenty three times, an average of 1.4 goals per game.

One player in the Spartans squad certainly feels right at home at Croft Park this season. Striker Dan Maguire leads the goalscoring charts with eighteen goals and his recent record is remarkable to say the least. Following today's game with Rangers Maguire is on a run of ten goals in his last six Croft Park appearances. That equates to a seasonal record at home of fifteen goals in eighteen games for the former Seaton Delaval front man. In fact since becoming a first team regular with a brace against Ashton United in February Maguire has nineteen goals in just twenty five games at Croft Park. His recent run is:

23 November: Rushall Olympic 3-2 One goal
7 December: Marine 2-2 One goal
21 December: Stamford AFC 2-1 Two goals
28 December: Barwell 2-1 Two goals
1 January 2014: Stocksbridge Park Steels 3-0 One goal
11 January 2014: Stafford Rangers 6-2 Three goals