Awoniyi is fifth Super Eagles star to net 10 goals on Premier League debut
Ends season as Nigeria and Forest's top scorer
Taiwo Awoniyi scored for the fourth straight game in Nothingham Forest’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday to take his total tally to
10 in 27 games and become the fifth Nigerian player to hit double figure in front of goal in their Premier League debut.
The 25 year old scored six of his 10 goals in his final four games of the season and has now joined Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, Odion Ighalo
and Emmanuel Dennis as Nigerian stars who has netted at least 10 goals in their first season in the competition.
Yak, as Aiyegbeni was fondly called in his playing days netted 16 goals in 37 games in the 2003/2004 to become the first Nigerian player to paint the
competition with goals in his first season.
Odemwingie scored 15 times in 32 appearances for West Bromwich Albion in the 2010/2011 season. Ighalo followed suit five seasons later (2015/2016), netting
15 goals in 37 matches.
Dennis scored two goals in 19 games for Nothingham Forest this term after taking the Premier League by storm in his debut season, scoring 10 times in 33 games for Watford.
Meanwhile, Awoniyi has scored opened scoring in eight Premier League games after putting Forest in front against Crystal Palace. The last player to open the scoring more times in a single season for a newly promoted club was Andrew Johnson with Crystal Palace in 2004-05 (9).
The 25 year old is also the top scoring Nigerian in the competition this season with his 10 goals, succeding Dennis who also netted 10 times last season for Watford.
Awoniyi is also Forest’s top scorer this season, netting two more than Brennan Johnson who scored eight times in 38 games.
