Leeds had ‘worst Premier League striker’ netting 0.03 goals per game

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Former Leeds star Andy Gray is the Premier League striker with the worst goal record over the last 30 years. Gray, who also had top-flight spells with Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, found scoring an incredible rare feat when he reached the top division of English football. 

Not to be confused with the former Everton and later Sky Sports pundit, Gray had a nomadic career that saw him feature most often in the Championship. His strike rate in the second-tier was relatively impressive, but he was one of those stars who always found the Premier League too big a leap. 

The now-45-year-old continued a family tradition by starting his career with Leeds. His father, Frank, had played for the Yorkshire outfit, while his uncle, Eddie, remains a legendary figure at Elland Road. Andy’s teenage son, Archie, was making great strides under Jesse Marsch before suffering an unfortunate injury in pre-season. 

But Gray would not quite have the career of those who had gone before him. He played in 22 top-flight games for the club without scoring. 

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The Harrogate-born attacker would go on to score just once in the Premier League. In fairness, he only had one season in the division in which he was a regular starter. That came in 2005-06, when Sunderland set the then-record for the lowest points tally with a measly 15. 

Gray’s only strike came in a 3-1 defeat by Charlton on the opening day of the campaign. His solitary Premier League goal in 51 appearances leaves him with a shocking goal-per-90 minutes record of 0.03. 

It makes Gray the least productive striker in top-flight history, topping a list of rather forgettable names. Second to Gray is another former Sunderland striker in Jozy Altidore, whose two goals in 70 appearances meant he failed to replicate his prolific MLS form and managed just 0.05 goals per-90.

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There is also Richard Cresswell, whose two Premier League goals in 67 games for Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester and Stoke sees him boast 0.07 goals per-90. Former Hull forward Craig Fagan fared slightly better, netting 0.09 goals per-90 for the Tigers, Birmingham and Derby – the latter of whom took the points record of Gray’s Sunderland when they managed just 11 in 2007-08. 

Gray, who is now an academy coach at Elland Road, might take some solace in a relatively prolific career in the second tier of English football. Enjoying spells with the likes of Bradford, Barnsley, Burnley, Sheffield United and Charlton before briefly returning to Leeds, he scored over 100 times and finally bagged for the Whites against Hull in September 2012. 

Son Archie is already enjoying a taste of Premier League football. The midfielder made the bench for Leeds aged just 15 last term, although is yet to make his senior debut despite featuring prominently during pre-season. 

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