Top 20 League Goalscorers

Most footballers in Ireland would jump at the chance of playing for Shamrock Rovers; even as far back as 1949, when Paddy Ambrose signed for the Hoops, the club had the reputation of being the king pins of Irish football. Yet Ambrose was the most reluctant of all to commit for the Milltown club when the then coach Paddy Coad made known his strong desire to have him as part of his team at Shamrock Rovers.

The story is well-known now though that Ambrose, a keen follower of hurling who also had a burning passion for pigeon racing, later became a household name across the country as he served continuously in the famous green and white hoops throughout the hey days of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Injury finally brought a halt to his great run during the mid 1960’s but even at that he continued to serve the club right up to the early 1970’s.

As a key performer in the front line, which then consisted of five players, two outside and two inside forwards and a centre forward, Ambrose won honour after honour in league and cup competitions and also played for the Republic of Ireland. Paddy Coad, a man who should require no introduction to any follower of Shamrock Rovers, is the club’s top goal scorer in the FAI Cup competition but it is Ambrose who sits five goals ahead of the Waterford-born legend in the Top League Goal scorers table. Where might Bob Fullam have stood had he not departed from the club twice during his playing days? Fullam had a season at Leeds and then in the late 1920’s travelled with several other players to try and carve out a career in the United States but returned to Milltown a year later.

The list of the all-time goal scorers contains heroes from different eras with Gary Twigg having moved into the top ten after just three seasons playing for the Hoops. Realistically, Twigg could catapult himself well into the top ten this season (2012) if he reproduced his form over the last three seasons that saw him finish the 2009 and 2010 seasons as the top goal scorer in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. Now, that would be some achievement!

Top League Goalscorers:

* Note - total for Gary Twigg as of end of 2011 season.