How much of a future does this Scunthorpe United striker have?

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Paddy Madden is a 26-year-old Irish striker who led League One side Scunthorpe United to an impressive seventh place finish this season. The fact that they almost ventured into the play-offs was remarkable, considering in 2014-2015 they had nearly been relegated. Madden scored 20 goals in the league, finishing joint-fifth with Coventry City phenomenon Adam Armstrong. He is a terrific player, and it is not hard to imagine him leading Scunthorpe to the Championship next year.

Patrick Madden began his footballing career at hometown club Bohemians, breaking into the first team at age 18 in 2008. After an impressive 2011 season (including a stretch where he scored nine goals in five matches), he earned a move to Football League One side Carlisle United. He had a sub-par first season there, scoring only 2 goals in 32 appearances, and this resulted in him being sent out on loan to fellow League One side Yeovil Town in October of the 2012-2013 season.

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There, Madden flourished, scoring four goals in his first two games (prompting Yeovil to make his loan permanent), winning the League One golden boot with 23 goals, and scoring in the League One play-off final against Brentford in which Yeovil won promotion to the Championship. This great season even earned him a cap for Ireland! However, in the Championship, Madden struggled, going scoreless in nine appearances, and was swiftly placed on the transfer list. Scunthorpe United reacted quickly, and in January of 2014, he became a player for the Iron, who were at that point playing in League Two.

During that campaign, he picked up five goals and three assists in the league, and this was enough to see them promoted to League One. Madden had performed well on that level before, and that has certainly held true for the last two seasons, as he has now scored a whopping 40 goals for Scunthorpe, playing in all 92 league matches.

Madden has always possessed the ability to score lots of goals in a short amount of time. He has proven on more than one occasion that he is capable of turning seasons around and putting in a great deal of eye-popping performances. He has a decent turn of pace, and combined a good first touch, makeing him deadly on counter-attacks.

Additionally, he is a threat from set pieces and is always willing to unleash long-range strikes; two factors that are sure to keep opposing keepers on their toes. Madden has always been someone who can lead from the front with good passing ability and also a man who can play on the wings if needed. Overall, he is just a very solid striker who is capable of brilliance that’s perfectly suited for a League One style of play.

I have to say, Madden doesn’t have too many of these. One weakness that I believe is fairly apparent is his inconsistent finishing. He has a tendency to miss sitters and easy tap-ins, although there are as many fantastic goals he’s scored as there are bad misses.

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Furthermore, Madden is also average at best in the air, which is surprising considering his decent stature of 183 cm, and he also struggles at times to contribute defensively. The Irishman has been known in the past to have trouble holding on to the ball, but I think it’s fair to say he’s improved on that quite a bit. Does Paddy Madden have weaknesses in his set of abilities? Yes, but is he just one step away from becoming a Championship-quality striker? I think so.

What Scunthorpe has here is a player with bags of ability that certainly has the potential to lead them to the Championship next year. If he achieves an equivalently brilliant campaign next time around, I think it’s very possible we could see Scunthorpe promoted. With the emergence of Hakeen Adelakun as a talented crosser of the ball and the pending signature of left back Jim O’Brien, I think Madden can count on getting just as much service up front this year, if not more. If he and fellow striker Tom Hopper can keep working together as well as they did at the end of last season, big things are ahead for Scunthorpe. No matter where they finish next year, it’s a safe bet that Madden will be a key player.

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Featured Image: All rights reserved by Dan Westwell