Although the National League has a reputation for being tough, it can also be highly entertaining, with goals galore in some games. Here are the games that have produced the most goals in National League history:
Wrexham 7-5 Barnet (8th October 2022)
The highest-scoring game in National League history came at the Racecourse Ground, as eventual champions Wrexham recorded a thrilling 7-5 win over Barnet.
Unsurprisingly, several players bagged themselves braces, including Wrexham’s Paul Mullin, Aaron Hayden, and Barnet duo Nicke Kabamba and Idris Kanu.
Thomas O’Connor and Luke Young scored the home team’s other goals, while Harry Pritchard also got on the scoresheet for the visitors.
Wrexham 6-5 Dover Athletic (March 26th 2022)
Before Wrexham’s incredible encounter with Barnet, the Welsh team had beaten Dover Athletic 6-5 in another thrilling encounter in the previous season, once again at the Racecourse Ground.
The chaotic encounter saw Dover’s Michael Gyasi bag himself a hat-trick despite being on the losing team at the end, with George Wilkinson and Alfie Pavey also scoring for the visitors.
The home team’s duo Jordan Davies and Ollie Palmer also scored two goals each, with striker Paul Mullin bagging an almost inevitable goal for the home team and Jamie Jones finding the net.
Dagenham and Redbridge 7-3 Barnet (April 15th 2022)
Once again, Barnet was involved in another high-scoring game, this time on the wrong end of a 7-3 defeat at Dagenham and Redbridge’s Victoria Road.
Daggers striker Junior Morais was on fire in the match’s early stages, scoring a hat-trick in the first 26 minutes, effectively ending the game as a contest. Fellow striker Paul McCallum scored twice, with Matt McCallum and Myles Weston finding the net for the home team.
Visiting striker Daniel Powell also scored a double in the space of two second-half minutes, but in truth, the result was in no doubt at that point.
The season saw Dagenham and Redbridge miss out on the play-offs, while Barnet finished a lowly 18th place in the table.
Forest Green 5-5 Torquay United (1st January 2017)
Despite this game taking place on New Year’s Day 2017, you could say that this was a late Christmas present to fans of both teams at the New Lawn, as the two teams produced a fantastic 5-5 draw.
Christian Doidge and Kanu Marsh-Brown scored a brace for the home team, while Dan Sparkes grabbed a double for the away team.
The result contributed to Forest Green finishing third place in the table and winning promotion via the play-offs at the end of the campaign. Rovers’ success as the league’s top goalscorers played a big part in their promotion.
Torquay United 3-7 Bromley (19th September 2015)
Torquay United seems to have a habit of being involved in high-scoring encounters. Before the Gulls’ 5-5 draw at Forest Green, the Devon outfit suffered a 7-3 defeat against Bromley in September 2015.
Despite a Tyrone Marsh double, they lost, with rival striker Moses Emmanuel playing a crucial role in the win, as the forward scored three times by the 30th minute.
Chester 8-2 Aldershot (8th March 2016)
Chester enjoyed a memorable performance as the Blues saw off Aldershot 8-2 at the Deva Stadium. The top performer for the home side was James Alabi, who scored four times in an excellent display. Striker Ross Hannah also scored a brace for Chester.
Both teams ended the 2015/16 campaign in the National League’s midtable.
Wealdstone 2-7 Hartlepool (17th April 2021)
The result may not have been surprising, as Wealdstone finished the campaign with the worst defence in the National League.
The visitors’ star players were forward Richie Bennett, who scored a hat-trick, and winger Rhys Oakes, who also found the net on two occasions.
The score was 7-0 by 81 minutes, with Wealdstone getting goals back through Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Ryan Gondoh.
Grimsby Town 7-2 Mansfield Town (1st January 2011)
The Mariners enjoyed a superb day at the office, hammering Mansfield 7-2 at Blundell Park. A new goalscoring hero emerged for Grimsby, as right-back Peter Bore scored a memorable hat-trick.
A more regular player on the scoresheet, forward Alan Connell, scored a brace for the home team. Michael Coulson and Darran Kempson also got on the scoresheet, with Rob Duffy and Louis Briscoe scoring the visitor’s goals.
Halifax Town 3-6 Braintree Town (14th November 2015)
The game at the Shay certainly didn’t lack in entertainment or goals. Braintree forward Michael Cheek was lethal in front of goal, scoring a 49-minute hat-trick. Sammie Szmodics, Kenny Davis and Alan Woodyard also scored for the visitors.
A first-half brace from Shaun Tuton for the home team meant very little, as did Jordan Burrow’s early strike.
Luton Town 6-3 Histon FC (13th April 2010)
The 2009/10 season was a case of close, but not close enough for Luton when it came to promotion. They finished second place in the table and failed to gain promotion back to the EFL by losing in the play-offs.
The Hatters finished the campaign as the National League’s top scorers, so scoring six goals against one of the division’s strugglers wasn’t massively surprising.
Striker Tom Craddock was on form, as he scored a hat-trick, with Jake Howells also scoring a brace. Town’s other goal came from veteran former QPR star Kevin Gallen.
Histon’s goals from Dan Sparkes, Nathaniel Knight-Percival and Glen Southam meant very little when it came to the result. The fact that the visitors scored three goals was a slight surprise, as they had the third-worst attacking record in the fifth tier in season 2009/10.
Do you remember any of the games from our list?