A regular scoring striker in League One can be the difference between success and failure in English football’s third tier.
Prolific front men are hard to come by in the third tier as they can often be swooped away by lower-half Championship teams in need of a source of goals.
And for some players, making the step up from League Two is difficult with defences being harder to break down as the quality increases.
Aaron Collins was the top scorer for Bristol Rovers last season having gone on scoreless streaks before finding his form, scoring 16 league goals in total, including a brace to get the club promoted on the final day.
He will be in competition to lead the line along with summer signing John Marquis, signed on a free transfer after leaving Lincoln City. Marquis knows where the net is and has had many campaigns where he has entered double figures at this level.
But does he or Collins stand a chance of winning the Golden Boot for this season? Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Ipswich Town have strengthened their front lines whilst recently relegated Peterborough United have always had a striker that they can rely on to score them the goals in former Gas man Jonson Clarke-Harris.
There’s also Matt Taylor of Oxford United to contend with given he scored the goals that had given them their highest finish before a shock move across the city to rivals Bristol City.
Clubs still have time to recruit that prolific number nine with a month to go in the window but usually the striker’s that finish top scorer are the ones who have started the season.
Below is who the experts think will finish with the Golden Boot in their trophy cabinet at the end of this season.
And for some players, making the step up from League Two is difficult with defences being harder to break down as the quality increases.