August 2005, the eve of the brand new football season.
Scunthorpe United are about to embark on another tilt at division two football, in what is now known as Football League One, following promotion as runner-ups in the newly christened Football League Two in May. Expectations are tentative, last time they were promoted to this level, they went straight back down again after just one season. However, this team seemed to be much better equipped than the one that earned promotion through the play-offs in 1999 except in one key area, the strike force.
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| Tommy Johnson |
Star striker Paul Hayes chose to leave the club in the summer, leaving the Iron in a desperate search to find a suitable striker to pair with warhorse Steve Torpey to lead the attack. There was a trio of rookies, Iron youth striker Andy Parton, Michael Rankine and young Irishman Andy Keogh who had completed a permanent move after a successful loan spell from Leeds United but none were seen as long term answers. The first potential solution to the problem was a rather unsatisfactory one with the signing of veteran striker Tommy Johnson, there was no denying the pedigree of the former Celtic man, but his age made fitness a key issue and so this proved with the Iron going into the first game of the season at Brentford with the inexperienced Parton partnering Torpey, with Johnson not fit enough to start.
Hardly ideal preparation, and a potential strike force of Torpey and Johnson (combined age of almost 70) didn't really strike any fear into the hearts of opponents or hope into the hearts of the fans hoping to see their team survive at this level, this time around. There was however, a glimmer of hope for fans, all summer, boss Brian Laws had been working diligently to bring a young striker to the club, he saw as ideal, a potential 20 goal a season man. Initially knocked back by the failure of a loan bid, he came back again with a cash offer, accepted by the club but not by the player, at this stage it looked like the deal was dead in the water but Laws to his credit did not give up and this perseverance saw him finally get his man before the Iron's fourth League One fixture at Nottingham Forest. The man was 19 year old Billy Sharp from Sheffield United, who had first caught the eye on trial for the Iron, the previous pre season. There was a buzz about the young man, prolific for the reserves at United and in a loan spell at Rushden and Diamonds and it didn't take long for Billy to prove exactly why he was so highly rated and why Laws had banged down then Blades boss Neil Warnock's door until he got his man.
With Tommy Johnson again unfit to start, Billy was thrust into the starting line up alongside Torpey at Forest, Scunthorpe matched the highly fancied Forest in the first half and got more into the game in the second, with Billy having a constructive yet quiet debut at this point, 65 minutes in, Steve Torpey had easily the best chance of the game but had his effort saved. Sharp however ensured he grabbed all the limelight with an exquisite turn, with his back to goal to rifle into the far corner of the net for the only goal of the game. The sight of Sharp wheeling away in delight heading for the bench and the man who placed his faith in him, the manager, is one I won't forget as much as the goal itself is emblazoned in my memory. A win for the Iron on their first ever league visit to the City Ground and a new hero for the Glanford Park faithful to idolise. This goal was just a taste of things to come as an amazing campaign for Billy and the Iron, saw the young Yorkshireman end his debut football league season as joint leading goalscorer with 23 goals and the Iron achieve safety comfortably with 60 points and a 12th place finish. A position strongly cemented by the sensational Sharp and his teenage partner in crime Andy Keogh.
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| Billy celebrates his debut goal with Brian Laws |
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| Keogh and Sharp-partners in goals ! |
The twin teenage terrors of Sharp and Keogh were only really thrown together in desperation rather than any sort of masterminded plan, Veteran Torpey had got injured in the league cup and was ruled out for a minimum 2 months with Laws turning to the young Irishman to form a partnership with Sharp for the next game against Southend. Neither scored but what a master-stroke this proved to be with the youngsters gelling almost instantly, and ensuring that the league's oldest strikeforce had now been turned into the league's youngest and most exciting.
There are too many highlights of Sharp and Keogh's partnership to mention but the way they linked up at Hartlepool and Huddersfield creating goals for each other, with an almost telepathic understanding, was a real sign of what was to come from an Iron point of view. They earned rave reviews wherever they went but it was Sharp who stole most of the headlines for his goal scoring prowess. If you gave him a chance he gobbled it up in the blink of an eye, every inch the potent finisher and an absolute firm terrace favourite. He loved playing for Scunthorpe and we loved watching him, at times it was an absolute pleasure to witness what was surely one of the greatest strike forces in the club's history blossom together. Sharp actually had a 6 week spell out towards the end of the season with an ankle injury but still finished joint top scorer after returning for the last few games once safety had been assured, including a stoppage time goal against Blackpool and the late goal at Oldham that ensured him parity at the top of the scoring charts. It was a fitting reward for an outstanding first season, and with the Iron assured of another season with his and Keogh's services another good campaign was in the offing.
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| Billy and Andy celebrate another goal ! |
I don't think anyone could quite have foreseen the Iron lifting the League One title with some aplomb the following season but when you have a striker like Sharp on your books, anything is possible, quick and with an eye for goal there was absolutely no stopping Billy in his second Iron season. Even though it took until September for the club to register their first win, Billy was racking up the goals once again, with 8 by the time United rocked up at the City Ground again, the scene of last season's 'Billy mania'. The performance this time was even more emphatic recording a 4-0 victory in front of the Sky cameras and laying down a real marker of intent for the season. It took until the 94th minute for Sharp to get on the score sheet and add some real gloss to the occasion but if goals are to be had, you absolutely know he will be there. Notable great performances and goals from Sharp came at Bradford, where he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with Iron fans, and Carlisle, where Billy scored his 50th career goal and Scunthorpe raced to the League One summit. Changes were afoot in the new year with a new manager, club physio Nigel Adkins replacing Laws, and a new strike partner for Sharp in the form of Jermaine Beckford as Keogh departed in the January transfer window for Wolves.
Neither change impacted on Sharp's season, as Beckford proved to be an excellent foil for Sharp, with the pair's goal laden partnership guiding the Iron to the League One title. Promotion was eventually sealed with 3 games to spare by (what else?) a Sharp double at Glanford Park against Huddersfield. The 2006/07 season wrote Billy Sharp into club folklore and ensured his legend status forever, a joint top scorer title in 05/06, Billy eclipsed this with 30 league goals, easily earning the Golden Boot outright and the adoration of the Glanford Park faithful, with his 32 goal haul in all competitions, outstripping the long standing club record held by the legendary Barrie Thomas. His 30 league goals were not only easily the highest in League One but the actual highest in all 4 divisions, eclipsing Premier League top scorer Didier Drogba, and a feat which earned him Soccer AM's coveted 'Golden Shoe', given for most goals to game ratio, and adding to Billy's burgeoning mantelpiece of awards and cementing his reputation as one of the top marksmen in the country.
Like all good things, Billy's time at Glanford Park came to an end in the summer of 2007, with a huge queue of suitors lining up for the talented, proven young striker, as a Sheffield boy only one club was ever going to win the race and Billy returned to Bramall Lane, sadly it still didn't work out for Billy at Sheffield United but his exploits with Scunthorpe will never be forgotten.
It eventually took £100,000 pounds and a lot of reassurances to lure Billy to Glanford Park, he was sold back for a cool 2 million pounds but after 56 goals and writing himself into the hearts of many, as well as the club history books, it meant for Scunthorpe fans, the signing of Billy Sharp was priceless.Top player
Top guy
Salute to Billy Sharp
My Scunthorpe United Legend.
Kindly written by Nicola Kilmore aka @Footychick25 on Twitter
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