By Graham Thomas
Anthony Pilkington is aiming to rediscover the goalscoring instinct of his childhood to fire Cardiff City towards the Premier League.
Pilkington scored one of the Bluebirds’ goals in their 4-1 Championship victory over Brighton on Saturday and was man-of-the-match as his side moved to within one place and four points of the play-off spots.
The converted winger has now scored three in his last five matches since manager Russell Slade asked him to shoulder the burden of being the team’s central striker – not a bad return, but rather scratchy compared to his days as a 12-year-old with Akzo Juniors in Lancashire.
“When I was a kid I set a record of 88 goals in 21 league matches for that club,” says the 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international.
“I think that still stands. I don’t think anyone’s beaten it, although I’d have to check with my parents.
“In one game, I actually scored 11 goals – but that was against a team who were bottom of the league.”
It was the kind of instinctive scoring ability that might normally lead to committed interest from professional clubs. But Manchester United, Preston North End and his home town club Blackburn Rovers all glanced and then remain unconvinced by Pilkington.
It was only when he started scoring for non-League Atherton Collieries that the man now carrying Cardiff’s main goal threat was signed by Stockport County.
They turned him into a winger and that is where Pilkington has mostly remained until Slade’s hunch that he could replace the departed Kenwyne Jones.
“The fact that when I was a young lad I played as a striker, and in non-League, means it’s all coming back to me. You have to be a bit more selfish.
“Trying to score goals, getting in on crosses – It’s a different role. You are battling more to win headers against centre-halves and I feel I’ve been doing that quite well.
“I haven’t really played through the middle a lot in my professional career. But I’m really enjoying it and I think I’ve done quite well.
“You look at teams who go up from the Championship and they have a goalscorer who can score 15 to 20 goals. When you look around this squad, that is probably what we have been missing this season.
“Maybe we also missed it last season, too. But hopefully, the changes we are now creating shows the goals will come.”
The four goals which put a dent in Brighton’s promotion surge was Cardiff’s biggest tally of the season. It could also be used as vindication of owner Vincent Tan’s tactical analysis that the team needed to shoot more regularly.
The Malaysian billionaire delivered his assessment in a flying visit to Wales last week, during which he was chauffeured to the training ground to speak to the players.
Far from bristling at the owner’s interference, Pilkington says the advice was taken in good spirit – as similar encouragement might have been received from any other fan.
“It was good to finally meet him. He came in and watched training and seemed really happy.
“He has tried to clear a lot of the club’s debt, which is brilliant, so we hope that can change the minds of the fans out there and everyone can get behind the team and the club. We can then push in the right direction.
“He’s a fan at the end of the day. That is what fans pay their money for. Like every other fan, he wants to see more shots and more goals.
“He’s the same as everyone else, except that he just happens to own the club. He has asked us to shoot a lot more. But the boys are professionals, we only shoot when there’s a chance to score.
“He hasn’t played the game, but it’s not rocket science. You have to shoot to score goals. He’s not a stupid man. You only have to look at his background to know that.”
Four points appears a small gap to close with 14 matches remaining and Pilkington is convinced the club can bridge it.
“The belief we can make the play-offs is really firm. There are four or five other teams around us who win a game and then lose a game.
“We are six matches unbeaten now and we feel we are right in amongst it.”