Some players spend the majority of their football careers in the National League. While many thrive in front of goal, there are a small band of players who have failed to find the back of the net despite featuring heavily in the fifth tier.
Here are the players who have made the most appearances in the National League without scoring a goal:
Nana Ofori-Twumasi (173 games without a goal for three clubs)
The Ghana-born former England u-20 international wins the prize for the player with the most National League appearances without a goal, having featured in 173 games in the fifth tier.
The veteran right-back has played for Maidstone United, Maidenhead United and Dover Athletic in the National League. He is currently at the latter, but at 33 years of age, time is running out for the former Chelsea academy graduate to break his duck.
Godfrey Poku (172 games without a goal for five clubs)
The former Luton Town youth player has made just one fewer appearance in the fifth tier than Ofori-Twumasi without finding a goal.
While the other players on this list can be forgiven for not scoring, as they are defenders, Poku has played in midfield his whole career, even playing as an attacking midfielder, without finding the net.
At the time of writing, Poku is currently at Margate. However, he started his National League career with Luton in 2010 and has also represented Southport, Alfreton Town, Telford and Woking in the fifth tier.
Incredibly, there is also only one assist registered for the midfielder in his 172 fifth-tier appearances.
Josh Casey (165 games without a goal for Woking)
The 32-year-old left-back started his career with Aldershot Town. However, all 165 appearances in the National League have come with their current employer, Woking, whom he joined in 2018.
The veteran full-back also played on the left side of midfield for Woking. However, the more advanced position didn’t help him score the first goal of his professional career.
Jake Caprice (165 games without a goal for four clubs)
The full-back started his football career in the youth ranks at Crystal Palace. However, it didn’t quite work out for him with the Eagles, so he moved on to various clubs lower down the football pyramid.
The right-back has featured for four clubs in the National League, including Tamworth, Lincoln City, Woking and Leyton Orient. Although he hasn’t scored, he has at least produced 17 assists in the fifth tier.
Dan Spence (112 games without a goal for five clubs)
Spence is another veteran full-back who started his career at a higher level, as he came through the youth ranks at Reading before making various switches, including to the Glenn Hoddles Academy in Spain.
He debuted in the fifth tier of English football in season 2009/10 with Salisbury City before also featuring for Mansfield Town, Hayes and Yeading, Eastleigh and most recently Sutton United.
Considering Spence last featured for the latter in season 2017/18, it seems unlikely he will ever score a goal in the National League. He did at least produce seven assists.
Jack Senior (104 games without a goal for two clubs)
The current Doncaster left-back made 104 appearances in the fifth tier for two clubs, Harrogate Town and Halifax Town.
Senior made just four appearances for the former, with most of his appearances coming at Halifax Town. His attacking production in the National League consists of just one assist in season 2021/22.
In the summer of 2023, Senior moved to League Two Doncaster, so he may never feature on a National League scoresheet.
Ryheem Sheckleford (103 games without a goal for two clubs)
The 26-year-old started out at Fulham, but his National League appearances have been for Maidenhead United and Chesterfield. The versatile star has failed to even produce an assist, with his only attacking returns for Fulham in the u21 Premier League.
He still has plenty of time left in his career to break his goalscoring duck in the fifth tier of English football, though.
Chris Arthur (100 games without a goal for two clubs)
The 33-year-old Enfield left-back/left-sided midfielder featured in the fifth tier for Woking and Aldershot Town, where he made a century of appearances without scoring a goal.
He has produced nine assists in the National League, which is arguably not a terrible return for a player whose strengths obviously don’t lie in the attacking third.
The only goal of Arthur’s career came during a 29-game spell in League Two with AFC Wimbledon.
Rene Steer (94 games without a goal for Maidenhead United)
The now-retired full-back started his career at the Arsenal academy before moving down the English football leagues. His career eventually led to Maidenhead United, where he made all 94 of his National League appearances without finding the target.
Steer produced three assists during his football career, which all came in the fifth tier of the game.
Dan Moss (91 games without a goal in two clubs)
The right-back spent time in the Millwall and Burnley youth ranks before joining Woking in the summer of July 2022. However, during a loan spell, he made his National League debut for Yeovil Town in season 2021/22.
Moss has so far not only failed to find the back of the net, but he has not even produced an assist in the English fifth tier.
Will any of the players on our list break their National League goal duck any time soon?