Scoring Streaks Part III: Premier League

In 2017, we wrote about the Irish players who have scored in the most consecutive international games, and the most consecutive appearances, with Jimmy Dunne scoring in five consecutive appearances and Robbie Keane and Fionan Fagan sharing the record of scoring in four consecutive games.

Following Shane Long's second goal in consecutive games against Wolves at the weekend, the first Irish player to manage the feat since Long himself scored against Aston Villa and Manchester City in May 2016, we wondered who holds the record for most goals scored by an Irish player in consecutive Premier League games?

Eddie McGoldrick was the first Irish player to score in two consecutive games in the Premier League. The winger scored in Crystal Palace's second and third games in the newly formed top tier in August 1992 against Oldham and Tottenham Hotspur. Before the end of the season, Ian Power, Paul McGrath, Kevin Moran, Roy Keane, John Sheridan, and Denis Irwin would all match the achievement.

An Irish player would not score in three consecutive Premier League games until 1999, when, as with many Irish goalscoring records, it was achieved by Robbie Keane. Following his move from Wolves to Coventry in August 1999, he went on to score against Arsenal in December 1999, followed by strikes against Chelsea and Wimbledon in January 2000

This record would stand until March 2003 when Damien Duff scored in five consecutive games for Blackburn Rovers, against Birmingham, Arsenal, Newcastle, Fulham, and Charlton. During this run, Duff also scored for Ireland against Georgia.

Keane has matched this achievement on three separate occassions for Tottenham, in 2004 against Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Fulham, and Portsmouth. Three years later, Keane repeated the run by scoring against Bolton, Reading, Wigan, Arsenal and Middlesbrough. He was sent off against Bolton, and missed the following games against West Ham and Watford, before returning to score against Reading. This run also included a strike against Manchester City in a cup replay. The following October, Keane would again scored in five successive league games against Bolton, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Blackburn.

Only one other player has scored in more than three consecutive games - Kevin Doyle scored in four games in a row for Reading during the 2006/07 season against Tottenham, Charlton, Fulham, and Bolton. Doyle also scored for Ireland against San Marino in the final international at the old Lansdowne Road during this run.

Can Shane Long continue his run against Newcastle this weekend?

Further Reading
Scoring Streaks Part I: Consecutive Games
Scoring Streaks Part II: Consecutive Appearances

First goalscorer

James McClean's goal against West Ham ended an unwanted streak for Irish players in the Premier League - before the Derry winger found the back of the net from close range, no Irish player had scored in the top division in England in the 2016/17 season.

This was also the first time none of the Boys in Green had found the back of the net in a Premier League game in August since 2010-11, when fans of the Irish team had to wait until the second of October for Jonathan Walters to end the run without a goal when he scored the winner for Stoke against former club Blackburn Rovers.

Season	First Goalscorer	Date
2006-2007	Kevin Doyle	23rd August 2006
2007-2008	Stephen Hunt	18th August 2007
2008-2009	Caleb Folan	16th August 2008
2009-2010	Stephen Ireland	15th August 2009
2010-2011	Jonathan Walters	2nd October 2010
2011-2012	Stephen Ward	13th August 2011
2012-2013	Damien Duff	18th August 2012
2013-2014	Seamus Coleman	17th August 2013
2014-2015	Aiden McGeady	16th August 2014
2015-2016	Damien Delaney	8th August 2015
2016-2017	James McClean	17th September 2016

Irish Scorers weekend of 25th April 2015

25 April 2015 Sky Bet League 1 Rochdale 2-3 Milton Keynes Dons Samir Carruthers(16) Sky Bet League 2 Hartlepool United 2-1 Exeter City Graham Cummins(17) Southend United 1-0 Luton Town Michael Timlin(81) Scottish Premiership St Mirren 4-1 Kilmarnock Kieran Sadlier(33) Scottish League One Stenhousemuir 2-2 Brechin City Andy Jackson(12) Sky Bet Championship Cardiff City 3-2 Blackpool Joe Mason(19) Eoin Doyle(31, penalty) Eoin Doyle(76, penalty) Ipswich Town 2-1 Nottingham Forest Daryl Murphy(22) Millwall 3-3 Derby County Jeff Hendrick(85) Reading 0-2 Brentford Alan Judge(7)

27 April 2015 Barclays Premier League Everton 3-0 Manchester United James McCarthy(5)

Irish scorers weekend of 1st November 2014

1 November 2014 Sky Bet Championship Blackpool 0-2 Ipswich Town Daryl Murphy(61) Sky Bet League 2 Dagenham and Redbridge 1-2 Shrewsbury Town Liam Lawrence(90, penalty) Cypriot Premier League Ethnikos Achnas0-4APOEL Cillian Sheridan(7) Cillian Sheridan(55)