"Goals win games, son."
Paul Cook used to say the simplest things and such was his manner and aura, his words would be portrayed as profound.
Early in pre-season in 2010 he called into our flat in Collooney on the outskirts of Sligo.
Myself, Alan Keane and Matt Blinkhorn got the keys to our new home for the season and the following day he moved in next door, knowing too well he would be fed and watered for the season ahead.
These visits weren’t an unusual occurrence, he usually came in looking for a meal, have a bit of craic and to watch the football but, on this day, he came in with a pen and a notepad and he came in to talk about goals.
He began to explain to the three of us that if we were to challenge for the title, we needed to score over 60 goals in the season ahead, and so began his thought process on how he could gather the personnel to achieve it.
He started to jot in the notepad and announced without a glimmer of hesitation that I would score 10 goals from wide left, Blinkhorn, as a target man would do the same along with Gary McCabe playing wide right.
"I’m 30 short, I need a striker capable of scoring 20 plus, do you think Padraig Amond is capable Doyler, and Joey N’do, has he still got enough in him to produce."
"Yes, and yes," knowing I’d played with both players at Shamrock Rovers previously.
"The rest of the squad are more than capable of getting the team above the 60 goal mark."
He picked up the phone to start recruiting and off he popped next door.
Since 2014 the champions, on average, typically score around 70 goals per season, while the runners-up often find the net about 60 times. This ten-goal difference might not seem significant at first glance, but it's often the difference between first and second place.
Simply put, scoring more than 60 goals generally secures the league title, highlighting, in the opinion of many, the indispensable role of a goal-scoring striker.
Fans across the globe crave that exceptional striker - the finisher, the opportunist, the player who can nick you a goal out of nowhere when your team is up against it.
To the fanbase, this player is not just a luxury; they are a necessity for any squad hoping to contend seriously for titles.
Interestingly, over the last decade, only three times have the champions fielded a striker who has won the Golden Boot in the League of Ireland.
An odd stat, but you do need to factor in Richie Towell, a midfielder who topped the scoring charts while leading Dundalk to the title in 2015.
In the last five years, covering Shamrock Rovers' famous four in a row and Dundalk's 2019 title win, not once did a striker from the title winning team win the Golden Boot.
This trend isn't exclusive to the League of Ireland. A glance across England's divisions reveals a similar pattern: champions rarely claim the Golden Boot.
However, these title-winning teams regularly feature a player who scores one goal every two games, or close enough, highlighting the pivotal role of efficient goal-scorers.
Graham Burke of Shamrock Rovers has been that player for the champions in seasons past.
Stephen Bradley will be hoping he finds his scoring boots again but will be happy with Aaron Greene’s impressive form so far this season.
Recognising the value of a reliable striker, Ruaidhrí Higgins made acquiring Pat Hoban a priority for Derry City.
Hoban has finished the league as top scorer twice, while lifting the title with Dundalk.
With Hoban currently leading the scoring charts with nine goals in 11 games, Derry sit just three points off the top, quietly going about their business.
The challenge for Higgins is to ensure Hoban remains fit and in form throughout the season.
Yet, football in recent years has evolved. The traditional reliance on strikers for goals is waning.
Today, prolific goal-scorers often emerge from deeper playing positions. Modern football greats like Mo Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo, and emerging talents like Vinicius Jr and Bukayo Saka have all excelled in scoring from deeper, wider positions on the pitch.
Even in the League of Ireland, last season, players like Jack Moylan and Chris Forrester rivalled traditional strikers like Hoban and Jonathan Afolabi with their goal-scoring returns.
For teams like Shelbourne, continuing their competitive run might hinge on players like Will Jarvis hitting close to the one goal every two games mark, rather than relying solely on forwards like Sean Boyd or John Martin.
It pains me to admit that strikers may not hold the same paramount importance they once did.
Yet, the evolving game demonstrates that goals can spring from nearly any attacking position on the pitch, converging on a critical point: possessing a player who can consistently score - at a rate of nearly one goal every two games - is still crucial for any team aspiring to claim top honours.
The way the patterns of how a game is played is changing, but the thrill of watching a striker defy odds and expectations to score when it matters most remains one of the sport's most enjoyable aspects.
After our dinner guest signed N'Do and Amond, we finished third in 2010 with the highest goals scored in the league, 61, and went on the win the FAI Cup and the EA Sports Cup.
However, we lost Amond in August when he moved to Pacos De Ferreira after scoring 17 goals by August.
Maybe we would have won the treble if we held on to our prolific striker.
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