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Our 'Playmaker 72' is full of players who have enjoyed fantastic seasons, exceptional vintages if you will, but perhaps no player on the list has matured quite as well over the current campaign as our next entrant.
Before we introduce our latest top performer, we'd like to quickly point out that 'Playmaker's 72' is not necessarily aimed at ID'ing the best footballers across the EFL - instead, it focuses on those who have enjoyed the best campaigns across the Championship, League One and League Two this season.
It's been a bumper harvest this season for our Number 11: Cheltenham Town forward Alfie May.
Prior to this season, Alfie May’s most prolific return in an EFL season stood at nine goals in League Two: last term when the forward helped Cheltenham gain promotion from England’s fourth tier.
Although he scored 50 goals in 65 games for Hythe Town during his non-league days, there was no suggestion from May's time at Cheltenham, or previously at Doncaster, that he was a 20 goals a season man in the making. Until this season that is!
From the eighth tier of English football to League One, scoring against Manchester City on the way, it has been an incredible journey for a player who has scored 21 L1 goals for Cheltenham this season and established himself as one of the most lethal strikers in the third tier.
Although his form has gone through the roof from last November, May's progression from energetic team player to goalscorer extraordinaire has not come completely out-of-the-blue. The 28-year-old has been improving for a period of time and, in this context, it is worth mentioning his eye-catching display in Cheltenham's 3-1 defeat to City in the fourth round of the FA Cup last season.
May opened the scoring in that match with a predatory finish and subsequently had praise heaped on him by distinguished adversaries, such as Pep Guardiola and Phil Foden. Guardiola described the forward as “an exceptional player” whilst Foden admitted he went up to May at the end of the match to congratulate him on his performance.
A pacy forward who can put in a great shift out wide, May was perhaps a victim of his versatility earlier in his career - but Cheltenham manager Michael Duff has backed him up top this season.
"The gaffer (Duff) gives that trust and belief in me to hit the ball in the back of the net and it's important for me to do it. This has been the best season since I've been a professional footballer," May told Sky Sports in March.
"I believed in myself, but it was just a case of having a manager to believe in me and play me week in, week out like the gaffer does. On current form, I'm buzzing and every game can't come quick enough; I'm feeling confident in front of goal, having less touches and striking the ball well."
71| ALFIE MAY WITH A HAT-TRICK!!!!
— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) February 19, 2022
It's 5-4 and we're back in it again!!#ctfc pic.twitter.com/NycESJvyT1
A highlight that can't go unmentioned this season is May's 'poker' (four goal haul) in an incredible 5-5 draw against Wycombe that the striker later described as like a "basketball match".
In the process, May joined an exclusive quartet of players in 'The 92' to bag four goals in a league game this season, joining Man City's Gabriel Jesus, Oxford's Cameron Brannagan (amazingly, all four were penalties!) and Swindon Town's Harry McKirdy.
May has discussed the upturn in his performances and output, suggesting that now with a young family he has matured as a person, as well as a footballer.
“Maybe when I first started, it was the enjoyment of being a footballer, every day smiling, joking and training and just mucking around.
"It got to a point where I was doing it for myself. I had no children, was just enjoying that moment.
"My wife and kids, I do it for them every day now. I just want to try and be the best I can every day for them."
With extra power and speed from additional gym sessions, May is a leaner, meaner goal machine these days - and his manager is a big fan of his striker's new and improved work ethic.
"He came in a couple of years ago and we thought he was a good player, but I don't think he'd mind me saying he probably wasn't a great pro in terms of doing all the extras stuff in the gym, the bits that people don't see," Duff told the BBC in February.
"He's reaping his rewards for all his hard work now and he's been instrumental in what we've done in the last couple of years."
Delving around in May's stats this season tells the tale of a striker who is scoring different types of goals, a fair number of strikes coming courtesy of his left foot (5) and a couple coming from outside the box. It's also evident how accurate the forward's been in front of goal: only Morecambe's Cole Stockton (62) with more shots on target this term than May (60) in League One.
With 53 key passes to his name, May has also retained his ability to provide for his team-mates, an attribute that is further evidenced by his four L1 assists.
Polished, robust and full of character, this season has been a spectacular vintage for the free-scoring Robin - who is three goals short of Julian Alsop's all-time EFL goal record (39G) for Cheltenham.
Long May his scintillating form continue!
Check out the articles for all of those featured so far...
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NameAlfie Ben May Born/Age1993-07-02(30 -yrs-old) Nationality England PositionForward (Striker) | |
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