United manager Russ Wilcox says striker Sam Winnall has exceeded all expectations having already notched 18 league goals this season.
Winnall has been the stand-out striker for the Iron this term and a goal this weekend will mean he has scored in his last five games.His opener on Tuesday night against Bristol Rovers was one of real quality and is something that impressed the United manager.
Wilcox told The Iron Player: “It is a terrific goal record from Sam.
“We didn’t start the game against Bristol that well, but we did score against the run of play."
“It was a great ball into the box from Gary McSheffrey and a great header,” he continued.
“He is between the sticks and he has done really well because it is a difficult header.
“There was a lot of pace on the ball, but it was a terrific finish.”
When he joined the Iron on trial in the summer, having been released from his hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers, many were unsure what Winnall would bring to the club.
Winnall came on as a substitute for the Iron during their pre-season game at Frickley where he also scored after rounding the goalkeeper.
Now, many supporters just expect Sam to score and he has said he enjoys that feeling.
“I think he has outshone all expectations,” Wilcox said.
“He has got to keep that going and I think the most positive part from our point of view is that he is scoring on a regular basis,” Wilcox continued.
“He’s not got hat-trick’s or braces.
“Most of his goals have come in singles but on a regular basis.
"He has probably only gone one or two games without scoring and then he is back on song again.
He is doing really well. The only reason I brought him off against Bristol Rovers was because we needed to get hold of the ball a little bit more.
“I thought if we could drop Paul Hayes in behind Paddy Madden to see if we could build up play and it worked at times.”
He added: “That was one of the first things I looked at when we came off the pitch against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night.”
Meanwhile it is not just Winnall who is finding the back of the net on a regular basis.
Fellow striker Matt Godden, who went out on loan to Tamworth last week, has scored three times in his last two games.
He scored a late equaliser on his debut against Welling while he scored a brace during the 4-3 home loss to Chester.
Wilcox believes Godden’s recent goal scoring record is great for him, his current club and his parent club.
“It is great for both us and him because that was the reason why we felt it would be great if he went out on loan,” he said.
“I have loved his attitude and as soon as he got himself fit he wanted to get back out there.
“He has gone out on loan with no reserve games to his name and again he has scored a brace.
“We know what Matt is about and hopefully that’ll continue – then once the 28 days are up we’ll see where we are.
“He is a good goalscorer, things just haven’t quite happened here.”
He added: “The door is still open for him but the plan is for us to get him out there so he can get some games under his belt and he will then be able to score some more goals."