It was a long, eventful, and sometimes arduous season for many. But the National League campaign has finally finished, with the final kick of a ball going to Bromley captain Byron Webster. He swept home the winning spot kick in a shootout against Solihull Moors at Wembley in the promotion final to take his side to the Football League for the first time.
Here, talkSPORT BET reflects on the National League’s top scorers in recent seasons to give you an insight into the fascinating world of non-league football.
Who was the Top Scorer in the National League 2023/24?
Paul McCallum won the award as National League top scorer for the 2023/24 season with an impressive haul of 31 goals in 38 appearances in total for Eastleigh.
Although the club finished 13th in the table, McCallum was a bright spot in an otherwise ordinary season for the Spitfires. The Englishman has bounced around from team to team in the lower leagues for the likes of Barnet, Solihull Moors, Chesterfield, Dagenham & Redbridge, and Leyton Orient before finding a landing spot that seems to have worked for him at Silverlake Stadium.
Barnet’s Nicke Kabamba won the runner-up prize with 25 goals last season, helping Barnet finish second in the division. However, the North London side fell short in their playoff semi-final to Solihull Moors.
Recent National League Golden Boot Winners
How does Paul McCallum’s goal rate compare to previous National League top scorer award winners? In addition to providing the best football odds, talkSPORT BET has compiled a handy table for you to explore the 10 seasons before the 2023/24 campaign to find out who the sharpest shooters are at the highest level of non-league football, excluding playoff goals.
| Season | Player | Club | Nationality | Goals |
| 2013/14 | Andre Gray | Luton Town | Jamaican/English | 30 |
| 2014/15 | John Akinde | Barnet | English/Nigerian | 31 |
| 2015/16 | Dan Holman | Woking and Cheltenham Town | English | 30 |
| 2016/17 | Ricky Miller | Dover Athletic | English | 40 |
| 2017/18 | Andy Cook | Tranmere Rovers | English | 26 |
| 2018/19 | Danny Rowe | Fylde | English | 27 |
| 2019/20 | Scott Quigley | Barrow | English | 20 |
| 2020/21 | Michael Cheek | Bromley | English | 23 |
| 2021/22 | Paul Mullin | Wrexham | English/Welsh | 26 |
| 2022/23 | Macauley Langstaff | Notts County | English | 41 |
As you can see, Macauley Langstaff’s total in the 2022/23 season is the best in recent memory. His stunning season resulted in 41 goals for Notts County, which fired the side from Meadow Lane back into League Two.
Curiously, not a single name or club has featured twice in this list in the last 11 seasons (including the 2023/24 campaign), perhaps proving that an abundance of goals either fires many sides up to League Two or a player is quickly snatched from a higher division club if they impress at non-league level.
If you fancy those who’ve moved to clubs up the football ladder to continue impressing, you can check out the League Two and League One odds at talkSPORT BET.
Who is the All-Time Leading Goalscorer in the National League?
Bromley attacker Michael Cheek is the all-time leading goalscorer in the National League. He has netted 151 times for Bromley, Ebbsfleet, Braintree, and Dagenham & Redbridge, hitting double figures consistently since he first entered the league in 2015/16.
However, all being well, Cheek will no longer feature in the National League next season as Bromley achieved promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history in 2023/24.
This might allow Paul McCallum and James Norwood, who sit in second and third place on this list, to overtake him, as they sit 30 goals and 31 goals behind him, respectively. Eastleigh and Oldham Athletic, the clubs these players are contracted to, remain in the National League, but can they keep hold of their star strikers?
Which National League Team Has Scored the Most Goals This Season?
Chesterfield, the eventual division champions, was by far and away the highest-goal-scoring team in the National League this season. The Spireites romped home to win the league by 12 points and did so in scintillating fashion, netting 106 times. The goals tally was 15 better than the next best scorers in the division: Barnet.
When a team scores this much, you automatically expect their striker to be the league’s top scorer. As we’ve discussed, this wasn’t the case, as Paul McCallum ended up bagging 6 more goals than Chesterfield’s Northern Irish international Will Grigg, who notched 25 for himself.
As always, talkSPORT BET will present its odds for the new National League season, so keep an eye on our dedicated page for odds to be published.
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