IT might not rival Frank Sinatra for best-ever comeback, but Richard Brodie is certainly getting under the opposition’s skin following his York City homecoming.

The Gateshead-born striker has failed to find the net in his last two matches after marking the first five starts of his return to Bootham Crescent with a goal per game.

His importance to the team has still been evident, though, during the last week.

At Torquay, the 29-year-old marksman narrowly missed out on extending his scoring spree to a sixth successive match when his edge-of-the-box howitzer came back off a post with Aidan Connolly netting from the rebound with an effort that was wrongly disallowed.

His abrasive style of play also led to Jeff Hughes’ early second-half red card, when his team were struggling to compete with high-flying visitors.

There are plenty of examples throughout the Minstermen’s 94-year history that bear out the age-old adage that you should never go back – just ask the likes of former favourites Viv Busby, Marco Gabbiadini, Jonathan Greening, Jon McCarthy and Lee Bullock, whose second City stints didn’t, ultimately, go to plan.

It might be a little premature to evaluate the success of Brodie’s latest spell, but the club’s 11th-highest, all-time leading marksman now has our top-five Lazarus-like City aces in his sights.

At the summit of any analysis of Minstermen comeback kings must be Brian Pollard, who played a key role in two of the club’s most revered sides.

The fast and direct winger, who won five England youth caps when a youngster on the Bootham Crescent books, made 34 appearances and scored five goals during the historic 1973/74 season – still the only campaign in which the club have won promotion to the second tier of the English game.

He subsequently terrorised the likes of Bobby Moore as he made 40 appearances at the rarefied level.

In 1976/77, he was also top scorer and Clubman of the Year before being sold to Graham Taylor’s Watford for a then club record £33,000.

A spell at Mansfield followed before Pollard returned to his spiritual home in September 1981 and soon made his presence felt again as the leading marksman with 19 goals the following season.

It was as a provider of ammunition for the likes of Keith Walwyn and John Byrne, though, that saw Pollard play an integral role in another legendary season as Denis Smith’s 1983/84 entertainers became the first team in the country to ever reach 100 points.

Having defied one old cliché, though, it was a case of all good things must come to an end for Pollard when, just a couple of weeks before his 30th birthday, he was surprisingly left out of the celebratory final home game against Bury by Smith, before being subsequently released and seeing out the rest of his playing days at Chesterfield, Hartlepool and North Ferriby.

Just behind Pollard, meanwhile, is 1960s and 70s’ late great Paul Aimson, who also featured in two promotion campaigns.

The Macclesfield-born forward initially joined the Minstermen from Manchester City and, after scoring on his debut at Rochdale, went on to rattle in 30 league and cup goals as the club clinched promotion from the old fourth division under Tom Lockie in 1964/65.

After City went straight back down, Aimson switched to Bury in a £10,000 deal but, via other stints at Bradford and Huddersfield, came back to Bootham three years later for £8,000.

Beating his previous best season’s goal tally at the club by one, including a famous last-minute header against first division Southampton, Aimson was again a key figure in the Tom Johnston side that went up from division four in 1970/71.

Going on to establish himself as the club’s fourth-leading marksman of all time with 113 goals – Walwyn would subsequently jump over him – Aimson joined Bournemouth in March 1973 and also later played for Colchester.

Reg Baines places third on our list having uniquely enjoyed three separate successful stints as a City ace.

The local lad first outlined his talents during the club’s Midland League days when he plundered seven goals in 19 outings as a teenager during the mid-1920s.

Following periods with Scarborough and Selby, Baines was back in City colours as a Football League player in 1931, grabbing 29 league goals in each of the first two seasons following his return – a club record that was only beaten 19 years later by Billy Fenton.

He then left for Sheffield United for a fee of £500 and was part of a promotion campaign with Doncaster before being lured back to his first love in the summer of 1937 and going on to hit a hat-trick in the memorable 3-2 FA Cup fourth round triumph over West Brom.

The old-fashioned bustling forward was transferred to Barnsley and joined Halifax just before World War Two broke out, which probably denied him the opportunity of a possible third homecoming.

With 93 goals from 140 senior outings, though, he remains eighth on the all-time top scorers’ list.

One of Baines’ old pals Peter Spooner comes in fourth on our returning heroes’ leaderboard.

Arriving from Bradford Park Avenue in 1931, like Baines, the talented outside-left would go on to command a £500 fee from the Blades two years later.

But he pulled the club’s number 11 shirt on again for the run to the 1937/38 FA Cup quarter-finals, with goals to inspire triumphs over Coventry and Middlesbrough.

He also came close to being the match winner in a 0-0 last-eight draw against Huddersfield when his header was cleared off the line.

His City stats show 48 goals from 212 outings, prior to his departure for Gateshead just before the War.

Dave Dunmore, meanwhile, ranks fifth, having made his Football League debut for the club aged 18 after being spotted playing for local amateurs Cliftonville.

By 1953/54, the powerfully-built forward was attracting the attention of several leading clubs with his explosive finishing exemplified best by a hat-trick against Mansfield.

Tottenham would eventually shell out £10,500 for his services – money that would help build the Happy Wanderers team that reached the FA Cup semi-finals and knocked out Dunmore’s new club the following season.

More than a decade in London saw Dunmore also represent West Ham and Leyton Orient, where he is still remembered fondly for helping the Brisbane Road club win promotion to the old first division.

Dunmore went on to turn out for his first team again in 1965/66 and, although he could not prevent the promoted club from going back down to the League’s basement tier, he impressed individually with a haul of ten goals only bettered by Aimson.

He went on to hang up his boots at Scarborough.

Have we missed somebody out, or do you disagree with our top five?

If so, please email dave.flett@thepress.co.uk with your views.