ONLY five players in York City’s history have now scored more goals during a calendar year than Jon Parkin with six weeks still left to play in 2017.

Parkin’s brace during last weekend’s 3-2 triumph at Alfreton nudged his tally up to 28 before mid-November, which puts him nine behind all-time record holder James Cowie, who netted 37 times back in 1929.

The majority of those efforts came when Scotsman Cowie plundered an incredible 56 goals in as many matches during the Minstermen’s final Midland League campaign before gaining admission into the Football League, where he could not replicate his sensational marksmanship.

Reg Baines (36 in 1932), Richard Brodie (35 in 2009) and Arthur Bottom (33 in 1955) also currently lie ahead of Parkin with Maurice Dando (31 in 1934), who was recruited by City from Bristol Rovers, next in the Barnsley-born behemoth’s sights.

As a measure of Parkin’s potency over the last 11 months, club legends Keith Walwyn, Paul Aimson, Paul Barnes, Alf Patrick, Norman Wilkinson, John Byrne and Jimmy Seal are all below him on the all-time list.

The modest master marksman, not long since a regular Championship campaigner, would be the first to point out his exploits have come at a considerably lower level than many of his predecessors in the number nine shirt but, as he prepares to turn 36 on December 30, Parkin’s heroics have come at a time in life when most forwards are expected to be past their prime.

In contrast, of the quintet ahead of him, Cowie, Baines and Bottom all celebrated their 25th birthdays during their most-prolific 12 months, while Brodie became 22 and Dando 29.

Parkin now has five confirmed fixtures left to play to catch those ahead of him and, potentially, a further three with the possibility of FA Trophy progress and replays.

Our list of every City player to have scored 20 or more goals in a single year, complied below, also throws up some significant statistics, concerning the club’s proud history and its finest forwards.

The legendary Walwyn, for instance, is the only player to have achieved the feat four times and, along with Bottom and Barnes, completed a hat-trick of successive years hitting the magical 20-goal landmark.

Perhaps surprisingly, all-time leading scorer Wilkinson only appears on the list once, with his selflessness over a dozen years of loyal service often allowing the likes of Bottom, Billy Fenton, Terry Farmer, Jimmy Weir, Peter Wragg and Aimson to grab the glory.

If anyone was in any doubt, though, as to whether 1955 was the finest time to be alive as a City fan, this leaderboard should possibly end any kind of debate.

Not only did the Happy Wanderers’ team of that year famously reach the FA Cup semi-finals, knocking out top-flight giants Blackpool and Tottenham – Stanley Matthews, Alf Ramsey et al – along the way, they also did it in style with a record three players Bottom (33), Fenton (23) and Wilkinson (21) passing the goalscoring benchmark.

York City’s all-time list of players to have scored more than 20 goals in a calendar year: 1 Jimmy Cowie 37 (1929); 2 Reg Baines 36 (1932); 3 Richard Brodie 35 (2009); 4 Arthur Bottom 33 (1955); 5 Maurice Dando 31 (1934); 6 JON PARKIN 28 (2017); 7 Billy Fenton 27 (1952), Paul Aimson 27 (1965), Keith Walwyn 27 (1983), Paul Barnes 27 (1994); 11 Arthur Bottom 26 (1956); 12 Alf Patrick 25 (1948), John Byrne 25 (1983), Keith Walwyn 25 (1986), Paul Barnes 25 (1993), Clayton Donaldson 25 (2006); 17 Jimmy Cowie 24 (1928), Alf Patrick 24 (1947), Keith Walwyn 24 (1982); 20 Richard Merritt 23 (1927), Billy Fenton 23 (1955), Kevin McMahon 23 (1971); 23 Paul Aimson 22 (1970), Paul Aimson 22 (1971), Paul Barnes 22 (1995); 26 Tommy Fenoughty 21 (1930), Norman Wilkinson 21 (1955), Jimmy Weir 21 (1961), Peter Wragg 21 (1961), Phil Boyer 21 (1970), Jimmy Seal 21 (1974), Keith Walwyn 21 (1984); 33 Billy Fenton 20 (1953), Arthur Bottom 20 (1957), Terry Farmer 20 (1958), Richard Brodie 20 (2008).

Parkin has extended his lead, meanwhile at the top of The Press Player of the Year standings.

His efforts at Alfreton earned him The Press man-of-the-match accolade and three points towards the contest, meaning he moved five clear of nearest rival Josh Law.

Parkin went on to receive the most man-of-the-match votes from our Twitter poll, collecting the two bonus points on offer in the Player of the Month competition that he also now heads.

The other Press points at Alfreton were awarded to Aidan Connolly (two) and Adriano Moke (one) as our second and third-highest rated performers respectively.

The Press Player of the Year standings: Parkin 18, Law 13, Newton 11, Connolly 10, Parslow 10, Worsnop 10, Almond 9, Whittle 9, Bencherif 6, Heslop 6, Morgan-Smith 6, Moke 3, Rankine 3, Rowe 3, Ferguson 2, Smith 1.

The Press Player of the Month standings for November: Parkin 5, Parslow 3, Connolly 2, Rowe 2, Bencherif 1, Martin 1, Moke 1, Newton 1.

Goals: Parkin 13, Newton 4, Heslop 3, Morgan-Smith 3, Almond 2, Connolly 2, Parslow 2, Rankine 2, Felix 1, Ferguson 1, Law 1, Own Goal 1, Rowe 1.

Assists: Almond 7, Newton 5, Parslow 5, Morgan-Smith 4, Parkin 3, Whittle 3, Connolly 2, Martin 2, Felix 1, Heslop 1, Moke 1, Peacock-Farrell 1, Worsnop 1.

Bad boys: Bencherif, Heslop both one red card, two yellow; Newton three yellow; Wharton, Worsnop both two yellow; Ferguson one red; Gray, Rowe, Smith, Whittle all one yellow.