Top Goalscorers Each Year In The FA Cup Over The Past 10 Seasons

Highlights

• The FA Cup allows players from any level to write their names into history, making it a memorable and inclusive competition.
• Lower-league players have the opportunity to win the FA Cup Golden Boot and compete against the best in the country.
• The top goalscorers in recent FA Cup seasons have included players from non-league teams and Premier League giants, showcasing the competition’s unpredictability – including Wrexham’s Paul Mullin.

The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world. Created in the 1871/1872 season, it is steeped in history. From Wembley to the Millennium Stadium, the final of the FA Cup is one of the most memorable days on the footballing calendar.

As the goals flow from the qualifying rounds to the final, players have the opportunity to write their names into history, regardless of the level they typically play at. That’s part of the beauty of the FA Cup; teams from any level can eventually play one another. Several non-league teams have played Premier League giants at home, as they put on a worldwide show for one of the world’s biggest teams.

As the fairytale stories start, it can eventually lead to individual glory in the form of the FA Cup Golden Boot. It is not often considered an important award for the country’s best players, as they focus on the team award that awaits them at Wembley. However, for lower-league players, it presents the opportunity of winning an award against the very best. Due to this, GIVEMESPORT have decided to produce this article which features every top goalscorer in the FA Cup from the 2013/2014 season to the 2022/2023 season.

2013/2014 – Sam Clucas, Joe Garner & Britt Assombalonga

In the 2013/2014 season, there was a three-way tie between Sam Clucas, Joe Garner and Britt Assombalonga. Most notably, Preston’s Joe Garner scored a hat-trick in their third-round replay against Ipswich, although they eventually lost to Nottingham Forest in the fourth round. Peterborough were surprisingly eliminated in the third round by non-league Kidderminster, but striker Assombalonga still managed to score five goals, including a hat-trick at home to Tranmere in the second round. Last, but not least, Clucas scored four goals during Mansfield’s 8-1 win away to St Albans in the first round. They were knocked out of the competition the match later, but it showcased a remarkable goalscoring feat.

2014/2015 – Saido Berahino, Jon Stead & Paul Gallagher

Bradford were the feel-good story during the 2014/2015 FA Cup. They stunned Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where Stead scored. They were eventually knocked out in the quarter-finals by Reading in a replay, with Stead scoring five goals throughout. West Brom also reached the quarter-finals, with Saido Berahino’s four goals in their 7-0 win against Gateshead helping them win in the third round. Finally, Preston were knocked out in the fifth round by heavyweights Man United, but – on the way – Gallagher scored five goals, including two during their impressive 3-1 win away to Sheffield United.

2015/2016 – Matej Vydra

A year after reaching the semi-finals, Reading reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a string of impressive performances. Matej Vydra was at the heart of their success early on. In a third round replay against Huddersfield, he scored a hat-trick, after scoring once in the original fixture. He scored once during Reading’s 4-0 win against Walsall in the next round, before not scoring again in the competition. However, it was still enough to see him win the Golden Boot, which provided a morale boost to him and the team after they finished 17th in the Championship.

2016/2017 – Heung-Min Son & Adam Morgan

In the 2016/2017 season, there was a stark comparison between the two players who were rewarded the Golden Boot. Adam Morgan of Curzon Ashton was knocked out in the second round, whilst Tottenham’sHeung-Min Son reached the semi-finals at Wembley. Yet they both score six. Curzon Ashton equalled their best-ever run in the competition to reach the second round. In the second round, they led Wimbledon 3-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Morgan, but their opponents scored four in the final 10 minutes to remarkably win. Son was at the heart of Tottenham’s FA Cup run, scoring a hat-trick in the quarter-finals against Millwall, before being knocked out by Chelsea in the semi-finals.

2017/2018 – Will Grigg

Wigan were promoted from League One during the 2017/2018 season, but their performances in the FA Cup took centre stage. After eventually getting past Crawley and Flyde in the first and second rounds, they stunned Bournemouth in the third round in a replay. Grigg then scored twice in the fourth round as they stunned West Ham in the north, whilst the striker then scored the biggest goal of them all as the Attics stunned Man City 1-0 on a cold Monday night. They eventually lost to Southampton in the quarter-finals, but their – and Grigg’s – performances won the hearts of neutrals.

2018/2019 – Gabriel Jesus & Padraig Amond

Tied in five goals, Jesus and Amond have very different seasons, but they did meet one another in the FA Cup. In the fifth round, Man City beat Newport 4-1 away from home; Amond scored to give the home fans a small slice of celebration. The Newport striker scored in every round of the cup, including a strike in their fourth-round replay against Middlesbrough to set up the match against Pep Guardiola’s men. Meanwhile, Man City won the FA Cup, beating Watford 6-0 in the final, where Jesus scored twice. They went on to win the Premier League as well, with Jesus at the heart of their success.

2019/2020 – Harry McKirdy

Harry McKirdy only scored five goals in the FA Cup during the 2019/2020 season, but it was enough to win the Golden Boot outright. Carlisle were knocked out in the third round by Cardiff City, producing a chaotic match in the process. McKirdy scored twice during their 4-3 loss at home, which came after scoring in the original fixture away in Wales. He played a part in the club reaching the third round with two strikes in the first round away to Dulwich Hamlet, highlighting his efficiency in front of the goal. It papered over a disappointing season for them, where they finished 18th in League Two.

2020/2021 – Tom Nichols, Kelechi Iheanacho, Gary Madine, Tammy Abraham& Alfie May

In the 2020/2021 season, there was a remarkable five-way tie for the Golden Boot – and it would be hard to analyse every player’s performance in detail. All five scored four goals, with Tammy Abraham and Kelechi Iheanacho going the furthest. Chelsea lost in the final to Leicester, but his hat-trick in the fourth round against Luton and winner away to Barnsley in the next round helped them get there. Iheanacho claimed the honours at Wembley, helping the Foxes win with goals throughout the tournament. Meanwhile, Madine, Nichols and May all left the competition in the fourth round, despite their goalscoring talent in previous rounds.

2021/2022 – Riyad Mahrez & Jayden Stockley

Just like the 2020/2021 season, it was another low scoring in the 2021/2022 season. Riyad Mahrez and Jayden Stockley tied level on just four goals. Algerian Mahrez scored in the fourth, fifth and quarter-final rounds to help Man City reach Wembley, but they were knocked out by Wembley by Liverpool in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, scored four goals in the opening two matches, finding the back of the net twice against Havant & Waterlooville and Gateshead. They eventually lost to Norwich in the third round, yet it was still enough for Stockley to win the Golden Boot.

2022/2023 – Paul Mullin

Last, but not least, Paul Mullin is a Hollywood name at Wrexham, partially thanks to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s involvement. In the 2022/2023 season, Wrexham reached the fourth round of the cup, eventually losing to Championship Sheffield United in a replay, which led to an angry interview from opposition player Billy Sharp. However, Mullin scored in every round as the non-league side impressed fans around the world. He scored the winning goal away to Coventry in the third round, as part of a dramatic 4-3 win, whilst he scored a hat-trick in the round before to set up the match. Mullin acted as a crucial player for the club, although he did miss a crucial penalty in their match against Sheffield Utd.