Jordan Rhodes has officially confirmed his retirement from professional football as he is set to become Blackburn Rovers’ new Loan Manager. The Scotsman ended his career with a staggering 247 goals in 678 games for club and country.
Though he was never quite able to establish himself in the Premier League, the 35-year-old scored prolifically in the Championship and, particularly, in League One.
However, the third tier has seen a number of outstanding goalscorers since it was rebranded in the 2004/05 season, meaning that Rhodes is not necessarily guaranteed a spot amongst the league’s elite.
With that said, here are League One’s top five goalscorers of all time.
5. Will Grigg
Will Grigg is a name that has been etched into footballing folklore due to his extremely catchy chant.
But, it is important to remember that this chant only came into existence in the first place because of his excellent goalscoring abilities on the pitch. The Northern Irish international is the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the third tier, having netted 116 times in 378 games.
He rose to prominence in League One with Walsall, though his first couple of seasons with the Saddlers were far from prolific.
After just eight goals in his first 57 appearances in the third tier, Grigg burst into life in the 2012/13 season. The Solihull-born man netted 19 times in 41 games.
Following a failed spell with Brentford during the subsequent campaign, the striker scored 20 goals for MK Dons in the 2014/15 campaign.
Next came his iconic spell with Wigan Athletic, in which he netted a remarkable 49 goals in 116 League One appearances.
Since leaving the Latics, Grigg has added a handful of goals to his third-tier tally, with his most prolific period being his second spell with the Dons.
4. Jordan Rhodes
Rhodes is undeniably an excellent striker, and it is perhaps a compliment that he is not ranked higher on this list.
The Oldham-born striker has the joint-best minutes-per-goal ratio of any striker in the top 25 scorers in League One history. But, he simply did not spend enough time in the third tier to warrant being ranked any higher, even if it was the league in which he scored most prolifically.
Almost the entirety of the strikers’ first spell with Huddersfield was spent in League One. Despite his youth, Rhodes netted regularly in all three of his campaigns in the third tier.
After scoring 19 times in his debut campaign in League One, Rhodes netted 16 goals the following campaign. However, it is the 2011/12 campaign which is particularly noteworthy. The Scottish international scored a staggering 35 goals in just 40 league games to almost single-handedly fire the Terriers to promotion.
The frontman also spent the twilight of his career scoring goals in the third tier. Although he was not the player that he once was in terms of physicality, Rhodes scored a very impressive 15 goals in just 29 league games for Blackpool in the 2023/24 season.
3. Jermaine Beckford
The man who shares the best minutes-per-goal ratio with Rhodes is Jermaine Beckford, who is also the oldest player on this list.
He impressed in non-league with Wealdstone as a youngster, leading to him being signed by Leeds United. In what were very dark times for the Whites, Beckford was a consistent spark of light.
The London-born man secured a spot in Leeds’ starting XI following a prolific spell with Scunthorpe and the Whites’ relegation to the third tier.
In the now 41-year-old’s first season as a regular starter at Elland Road, he scored a remarkable 20 goals in just 40 games. He followed this up by scoring 27 times in 34 games and 25 times in 42 games during the subsequent campaigns.
Half a decade later, Beckford had an impressive season with Preston North End, scoring more than once every other game over 23 games.
In the final full season of his career, the Jamaican international netted eight times in 15 games for Bury, taking his tally in the third tier to 101 goals.
2. Jonson Clarke-Harris
Jonson Clarke-Harris is the third-highest goalscorer in the history of the third tier, though he has the potential to take top spot on the list if he ever moves back to England.
The Leicester-born man was somewhat of a nomad in the early days of his career. He bounced between the Championship and League Two, trying to find his place in men’s football.
His renaissance began in January 2019 when he joined Bristol Rovers. Clarke-Harris scored 24 league goals in just 42 League One games for the Gas over the next 18 months, thus earning him a move back to Peterborough United.
It was at London Road where the now 31-year-old scored most of his 114 goals in the third tier. His first season under Darren Ferguson saw him find the back of the net an awe-inspiring 31 times in just 45 games.
After a season in the Championship, Clarke-Harris returned to League One and scored 26 more goals for the Posh.
Most recently, he netted seven times in 29 games for Rotherham United. The frontman now plays in Türkiye.
1. Billy Sharp
Topping this list is none other than the EFL legend, Billy Sharp. The 39-year-old has scored 105 goals in 178 League One appearances, and is the only player on this list who is currently playing in the third tier.
The veteran striker has enjoyed a couple of successful spells in League One. His first came with Scunthorpe United in the mid-2000s.
Sharp scored an outstanding 53 goals in just 82 league games for the Iron despite being relatively young.
Following this, he had an impressive stint in the Championship before dropping back into the third tier exactly one decade after he first tore it apart with Scunthorpe.
Sheffield United were the club that had the privilege of Sharp leading their line, and the Sheffield-born man scored 21, then 30 goals in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, respectively.
The veteran striker is back in League One this campaign after helping Doncaster Rovers to promotion last year. He has already added one goal to his third-tier tally, and he needs seven more to equal Paddy Madden, who sits fourth on the list of top goalscorers.
Sharp has won the League One golden boot a staggering three times, more than anyone else. His well-rounded game, consistency and longevity mean that he is more than deserving of being called the third tier’s best goalscorer of all time.
* All statistics are sourced via Transfermarkt.
