Strikers will always be judged on one single measure: the number of goals that they score. In the history of Scunthorpe United, there is one name synonymous with goals: Steve Cammack. As The Iron’s all-time record goalscorer, Cammack found the back of the net an astonishing 121 times, with 110 of those coming in league appearances for Scunthorpe.
Who is Cammack?
There may be some out there who are a little too young to remember, but Cammack was a striker for The Iron for 2 spells. His first stint with Scunthorpe was from 1979 – 1981 and saw him netting 27 goals during 87 league appearances. After a brief spell at Lincoln City in 1981, Cammack returned to Scunthorpe for the 1982/1983 season, and this is the time for which he is most remembered.
With Cammack upfront, Scunthorpe was looking for promotion this season, and they set about it right from the off: with only one loss in the first 16 games, The Iron showed why they were serious contenders. It was Cammack’s hat trick that contributed to the 5-1 thrashing of Northampton and sent Scunthorpe to the top of Division Four. While November saw then manager, John Duncan, being awarded manager of the month for Division Four, it wasn’t just Cammack’s month, it was his season. Having transformed into a goal-scoring machine, Cammack found himself being awarded the Golden Boot.
So what was Cammack’s secret?
Over 100 goals for one club is no mean feat, and as Cammack says himself, nowadays players don’t tend to stick around long enough to score so many for one single club. What did Cammack have though that sees him cemented into history as The Iron’s top goalscorer?
Although proud of his achievements, Cammack is keen to mention that this was a team effort. A striker’s role is to be slightly selfish: when they have the ball, it’s not about passing: it’s about taking every possible opportunity to shoot. The more shots, the more goals. Cammack’s take on his goal tally is that he was surrounded by a great team: a team that knew how each other played, and a team that created chances for Cammack to convert, and a manager who knew how Cammack played.
Cammack’s brief spell with Lincoln City in 1981 shows there is truth in his words. While nowhere near a failure, Cammack certainly didn’t find the back of the net for Lincoln in the same way that he did for The Iron. With Cammack being shifted from his familiar position, by a manager who just didn’t get him, it is perhaps unsurprising that Cammack didn’t see the same success while at City.
A Sportsbet bet builder on Cammack being beaten
With Cammack’s record standing for 37 years already, what odds would you get on a Sportsbet bet builder of it falling any time in the soon, or at all? With Cammack comfortably ahead of the second top scorer, Andy Flounder on 100 goals, there certainly doesn’t seem to be any threat of him being toppled.
The man himself is understandably proud of his record, but at the same time would love to see it beaten. Cammack remains fond of his time with The Iron, and in his view, if they had a player that could beat his record, it means that they would have a player who can score goals and win games.
For now, though, there is no sign of such a player emerging, and if they did then the way of modern football would see them quickly snapped up by bigger teams with the money to secure talent. This doesn’t mean that Scunthorpe will never experience the success that the fans are so desperate for them to achieve. What it does mean is that Cammack’s legendary status as a goal machine is likely safe for at least another 37 years, if not longer.
