Leicester man can catch Lambert from Southampton for Golden Boot
Published:Rickie Lambert may be five goals clear at the top of the Championship scoring charts, but David Nugent may offer some value at 14/1 to reel in the Southampton striker over the duration of the campaign.
Lambert has scored four goals in his last two Championship outings, including a hat-trick at Watford, to move to 20 for the league campaign with 12 fixtures still remaining.
No player has managed more than the 25 goals in a single season since the Championship took on its current guise in 2004, but Lambert will feel that he is well placed to better the tally of Sylvain Ebanks-Blake in 2009.
Lambert therefore looks a decent price at 1/3 to win the Championship Golden Boot, but this price does not offer much value.
Meanwhile, he has been known to endure the odd barren streak this season, going six Southampton games without a goal towards the end of 2011 and a couple of runs of three fixtures since.
Therefore, the remainder of the strikers in the Championship cannot be written off, with Leeds’ Ross McCormack and Jay Rodriguez at Burnley his current nearest pursuers.
However, it may be 13-goal Nugent that proves the greatest threat.
Leicester were widely tipped to be Championship front-runners ahead of the season, but have largely flattered to deceive to date.
But four wins in five games in all competitions suggests they are preparing a late charge and Nugent is the man that will lead the frontline.
He and Jermaine Beckford have begun to forge an understanding of late, with Nugent scoring four goals in his last four games in all competitions to show that he is finding his form at the perfect part of the season.
Punters should be warned though that goals scored in the play-offs do not count towards the Golden Boot, only those over the regular 46-game campaign.
