Shawcross heads higher

Stoke City`s on-loan starlet Ryan Shawcross continued to boost his growing reputation after emerging as the top-performing defender in this week`s Actim Index, the official player ratings system of the Coca-Cola Championship.

The Manchester United youngster pulled in 47 points over the week, including 37 in a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace where he found the net for the fourth time in this season`s Championship. Whether we’ll be able to hang to him when his loan period ends at Christmas remains to be seen, but with the likes of Leon Cort coming into the squad, hopefully we’ll have plenty of cover should Shawcross not be allowed to continue at the Brit.

He maintains his place on the Actim Index in sixth position overall with 212 points and is the second ranked defender in the division so far. The Championship`s highest ranked defender, Watford`s Lloyd Doyley, is slightly ahead in fifth position.

City also currently have five players in the top 100 this term – striker Ricardo Fuller is the second highest-ranked player in 20th position.

The Actim Index is calculated using a unique mathematical formula that rates each player`s contribution be it goals, shots, passes, dribbles, tackles, crosses, saves, clearances, blocks, interceptions, assists, clean sheets, time on the pitch or number of points gained by the team with marks deducted for red and yellow cards.

The full list can be found at www.pa-sport.com/en/products/actim-statistics.html