Barnet are the hotshots of League Two

7:47am Thursday 15th May 2008

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If you don't shoot, you won't score.

Barnet manager Paul Fairclough has no need to drum this old adage into the heads of his players.

The Bees were among the hotshots of League Two last season.

Only promoted Peterborough United had more efforts on goal.

And almost half of Barnet's shots were on target, according to Football League statistics.

The free-shooting Bees had 598 pops at goal during all league and cup competitions, with 298 on target and 300 off the mark.

Peterborough, who also finished the division's top scorers on 84 strikes, had the most efforts on goal, by far, registering a massive 712.

However, champions MK Dons only finished fifth in the "hotshot" table, with 576. Both Rotherham and Chesterfield were also above them in the shooting stakes.

League Two wooden spoon recipients Wrexham not surprisingly also finished bottom in this table too, mustering just 423 shots.

Barnet scored 56 goals from their 46 league games, which was about the average.

Some might conclude that the Bees' high number of shots on target suggests they may have been unlucky not to have scored more. They hit the woodwork 17 times, whereas the MK Dons hit it just eight times. There is sometimes a thin line between success and failure.

Though Adam Birchall finished Barnet's top scorer with 15 goals, winger Jason Puncheon had the most number of shots (116). However, Birchall was not far behind on 106. Puncheon also hit the woodwork seven times, more than any other player in League Two, while Birchall did not strike it at all. Both players were in the top 12 of the division's "hotshots".