Dundee United striker Lawrence Shankland’s latest hat-trick saw the record books get dusted off at Tannadice.
The Scotland international’s treble in the 4-1 win over Partick Thistle on Saturday were goals numbers 22, 23 and 24 for the Tangerines.
Shankland has already moved ahead of some notable totals achieved by star names of the past.
Former Tannadice captain Jon Daly found the net 22 times in 2011-12, while popular Swedish marksman Kjell Olofsson grabbed 23 goals in 97-98.
Shankland’s new target is the 28 achieved by clinical finisher Iain Ferguson in 1986-87, the season the Tangerines reached the Uefa Cup final.
With 15 league matches and the William Hill Scottish Cup still to come – United face Hibs at Tannadice on Sunday – there is plenty of opportunity for the former Ayr frontman to pass Ferguson’s mark.
United’s all-time best scoring tally in a single season belongs to legendary forward Johnny Coyle, who scored no fewer than 43 times in season 1955-56.
Coyle then had a decent go at beating his own record the following year but could “only” manage 38.
Remarkably, Shankland’s scoring rate at club level was greater last season when he was at Ayr than this one.
After 24 appearances in all competitions for the Honest Men – the same number as now for United – the striker had bagged 28 goals and would finish the campaign with 34.
