The Last 10 League One Golden Boot Winners: Where Are They Now?

The League One Golden Boot is an accolade that often provides a player’s breakthrough in football.

The third division has seen some familiar faces steal the headlines in recent years. From the likes of Ivan Toney to Billy Sharp, a lot of these players showed early glimpses of their goalscoring prowess when tearing up League One.

With proof of just how crucial an accomplished striker can be to a team's promotion aspirations, here are the last 10 League One Golden Boot winners.

2023/24 – Alfie May (Charlton)

Alfie May has become quite the League One veteran. As of today, the 31-year-old has a staggering 86 goals in the six seasons he has spent in League One, across four clubs.

🥇Most League One goals fr. 22/23 (inc. P/Os):

32⚽️: ⚡️ALFIE MAY⚡️
31⚽️: Jonson Clarke-Harris
30⚽️: Colby Bishop
26⚽️: Conor Chaplin, Devante Cole, Dion Charles#cafc @alfiemay pic.twitter.com/nMMIzKXBMN

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) November 13, 2023

That particular season, May racked up 23 goals for Charlton Athletic to win the Golden Boot after two prior campaigns of coming marginally close with Cheltenham.

The headliner’s excellence earned himself a summer move over to newly relegated Birmingham City in 2024, to aid their quest of clawing back Championship football. Alfie May has since scored 13 goals for the Blues, helping them to top the table and reach an EFL Trophy final.

2022/23 – Jonson Clarke-Harris (Peterborough) & Conor Chaplin (Ipswich)

Jonson Clarke-Harris bringing his Golden Boot achievement back to Peterborough foreshadows a familiar theme on this list.

In 2022/23, the Jamaican talisman had to share the honour – Ipswich Town’s Conor Chaplin matched Clarke-Harris’ 26 goals to place one hand on the award. With no outright winner, these two former Coventry teammates thoroughly deserved their top-scorer statuses.

63' - First #SkyBlues change:

➡️ Jonson Clarke-Harris
⬅️ Conor Chaplin

[0-1] #PUSB

— Coventry City (@Coventry_City) December 8, 2018

After Ipswich gained promotion in 2023, with use of Chaplin’s scoring habits, their story has become much of a fairytale. The Tractor Boys earned themselves a second successive promotion last season to find themselves playing against Premier League Goliaths – where Conor Chaplin still plays his football.

Jonson Clarke-Harris and Peterborough failed to follow Ipswich’s path up to the Championship that season after a dramatic turn of events in the playoffs. The 30-year-old now plays for Rotherham United in League One following a move away from his beloved Posh last summer.

2021/22 – Will Keane (Wigan)

The 2021/22 Golden Boot race was one to remember. Six different players broke the 20-goal threshold, making it a thrilling contest from start to finish.

Wigan Athletic’s Will Keane topped the charts after finding the net on 26 occasions. To add to his elation, the Latics ended the season at the summit of League One, stepping foot in the Championship once again.

Following Wigan’s immediate relegation the year after, Keane ventured across the North West to Preston North End. The former Manchester United youngster has since scored 16 Championship goals for North End in two seasons

2020/21 – Jonson Clarke Harris (Peterborough)

It is not déjà vu, Jonson Clarke-Harris is once again on this list. Not many players can say they have won multiple Golden Boot awards – although, with Clarke-Harris’ goalscoring expertise, it is no surprise.

With the highest number on this list so far, the Jamaican reached 31 goals in 2020/21 to accompany Peterborough’s automatic promotion spectacle.

🏆 The 2020/21 @SkyBetLeagueOne Golden Boot winner....@ClarkeHarris 👏#pufc https://t.co/URhz5v8zPw

— Peterborough United (@theposh) May 9, 2021

The marksman hasn’t quite had the same impact at Rotherham this season with only eight goals to his name. After leaving a notorious scoring legacy behind at the Posh, it was always going to be difficult for Clarke-Harris to replicate this elsewhere.

2019/20 – Ivan Toney (Peterborough)

The Posh certainly know how to find a gem. Ivan Toney had League One in a chokehold during his time with Peterborough. He was an unstoppable presence – one that scored forty goals in the third division across the two years spent there.

In the 19/20 season, the starlet bagged 24 goals before the season was cut short from the global pandemic – all at the age of 23-years-old. The Northamptonian was destined to reach the top.

Toney’s career has been no secret following his years at Peterborough. Signing for Brentford in the summer of 2020, he leapfrogged the Championship in just one season; Toney won the playoffs with the Bees and broke the goalscoring record in the second division.

Amidst betting scandals and Premier League stardom, Ivan Toney has managed to earn six England caps and a move to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli – where he became the second highest paid English footballer.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 | Ivan Toney (28) to Al Ahli, here we go! £40m package, reports @FabrizioRomano. 🟢⚪️

He is off to Saudi Arabia. 🇸🇦✈️ pic.twitter.com/UjTFaGkqix

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) August 30, 2024

2018/19 – James Collins (Luton)

Luton Town shocked the entirety of League One in the 2018/19 season. The Hatters achieved promotion to the Championship at the first time of asking, winning the league with an outstanding 94 points. James Collins was a fundamental reason for this success, scoring 25 goals to bolster Luton’s promotion pageant.

Collins’ Luton journey concluded prior to their incredible Premier League story. However, the 34-year-old has had a successful career across English football in the meantime, playing for Cardiff, Derby and now Lincoln City.

2017/18 – Jack Marriott (Peterborough)

Another graduate of Peterborough’s school of strikers, Jack Marriott lit up League One in the blue of Posh. He scored 27 goals in his first stint at the club, leaving for Championship prospects with a Golden Boot to his name.

Marriott signed for Derby County in 2018, following the Rams’ welcoming of manager Frank Lampard. The striker impressed in his first season – notably for his relentless performance in the playoff semi-final against Leeds.

Since then, the 30-year-old has made a return back to the Posh and played for clubs such as Sheffield Wednesday, Fleetwood and Wrexham – where he plays to this day.

2016/17 – Billy Sharp (Sheffield United)

Billy Sharp is not just an icon of Sheffield; he is an icon of League One. He had already won this award twice before with Scunthorpe between 2006 and 2007 - ten years on, Sharp had to make it three. The Sheffielder fuelled the Blades promotion charge by scoring 30 goals in 2016/17.

A 39-year-old Billy Sharp now finds himself in League Two back at his old stomping ground Doncaster Rovers. This came about after another two promotions with Sheffield United, a top-half Premier League finish, becoming the Championship’s all-time top scorer and a season away in the MLS with LA Galaxy. A monumental career.

💥 BILLY SHARP!

🏆 496 games.
⚽️ 220 goals.

🔊 Most Senior English League goals this century.#Sharpshooter pic.twitter.com/mcGCS8U4Vl

— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) January 1, 2019

2015/16 – Will Grigg (Wigan)

Will Grigg was most definitely on fire that season. Despite a range of competition, Grigg topped the League One leaderboard for the most goals in 2015/16, aiding Wigan’s title win with his 25 contributions.

Subsequently, the striker earned himself an international call-up for the 2016 Euros with Northern Ireland.

Since that season, the 33-year-old experienced an extra three seasons with the Latics, until he broke the League One transfer record in 2019 when signing with Sunderland for a reported fee of £3 million. Grigg has now taken his goalscoring initiative to League Two Chesterfield.

2014/15 – Joe Garner (Preston)

Another prime example of how obtaining a goal-hungry striker can amplify promotion hopes, Joe Garner won the Golden Boot in 2014/15. Garner and Preston North End secured their place in the Championship that season with assistance of his 25-goal tally.

Garner has had a lengthy career since. Now playing for Oldham Athletic in the National League, the 36-year-old has played for sides such as Rangers, Ipswich, APOEL in Cyprus, and many more. However, that year with Preston is still the striker’s best season to date.