By Middlesbrough FC

Chuba Akpom moved into an illustrious group of players to score 20 league goals in a season for Boro on Saturday, while his tally helped take the Riverside within touching distance of another milestone moment. 

The striker was already in an elite band to have netted 20 in a season for Boro in all competitions going into the weekend’s fixture following his brace against Queens Park Rangers in our last home outing. 

And another two goals against Reading cemented his place in Boro folklore, becoming the first player to achieve the 20-goal feat in the league for the Teessiders since Bernie Slaven 33 years ago - no small achievement considering the calibre of strikers that have pulled on a red shirt in between. 

There are 18 players in the 20-club for Boro so far; Jack Brearley, George Elliott, Walter Tinsley, Andy Wilson, James McClelland, Billy Pease, George Camsell, Ralph Birkett, Micky Fenton, Alex McCrae, Brian Clough, Alan Peacock, Jim Irvine, Arthur Horsfield, John O’Rourke, John Hickton, and Bernie and Chuba.

Aaron Ramsey also grabbed a double on Saturday, his first goals for Boro, while Marcus Forss added a fifth from the penalty spot - making it our biggest league win since the 8-1 thrashing of Manchester City on the final day of the 2007/08 season, and biggest in any competition since the 5-0 FA Cup victory over Peterborough in 2019.

The five goals leave Boro on the brink of history, with the total number of competitive goals scored by us at the Riverside now standing at 999. Next Tuesday’s match against Stoke City will offer chance for a Boro player to write their name in history with the 1,000th goal since the stadium opened its doors in 1995.



Chuba’s goalscoring exploits have propelled him into the upper echelons of the Riverside’s top goalscorers, his tally now at 18. He stands joint twelfth with the stadium’s first-ever goalscorer, Craig Hignett, as well as Stewart Downing. Mark Viduka tops the list with 32.