Ebanks-Blake Set For 20 Goals

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is on course to become the first Plymouth Argyle striker in nearly 20 years to score 20 goals in one season.

The 21-year old frontman has so far notched up 9 goals from 24 league and cup games and with at least another 26 league and cup games still to play there’s every chance that Ebanks-Blake will reach the milestone of 20 goals for this season.

The legendary Tommy Tynan was the last striker to hit the 20-goal mark when he notched up an incredible 26 goals in the 1988-89 season in Division Two, in what is now called the Championship.

Indeed Tynan was very prolific for Argyle in Division Two in the mid-to-late eighties scoring 20 goals in season 1986-87, 19 goals in 1987-98, 26 in 1988-89 and 18 in 1989-90, all in the second tier of English football.

Can Ebanks-Blake become the next striker to hit 20 goals in one season?

Former Argyle manager Ian Holloway signed Ebanks-Blake from Manchester United in July 2006, paying a transfer fee of £200,000 that could rise to £300,000 depending on appearances.

While at Old Trafford Sylvan was limited to just two first-team games in the League Cup scoring one goal, however his progress was halted when he broke his leg during the 2004-2005 season. In January 2006 the powerful striker moved on-loan to Belgium club Royal Antwerp scoring 4 goals from 9 games.

Last season Ebanks-Blake had a slow but steady start to his Argyle career, in what was his first season as a first-team player in England. Towards the end of the season he got to grips with the demands of the Championship and scored 4 goals in the last 5 games of the season to take his tally to 10 goals in his debut season, an encouraging start.

Argyle’s number nine has carried on his goal scoring form for this season, scoring 8 goals in the league and 1 goal in the Carling Cup to become one of the Championship’s leading scorers.

Ebanks-Blake is still learning his trade and by no means the finished article but it would an incredible feat if he can score 20 goals this season and write himself a chapter in Argyle’s history book.