Goals, Trickery & Graft: Three Accrington players to look out for in Sunderland’s game tonight

Billy Kee

League One Games/Goals: 27/7

The 28-year-old striker is without doubt Stanley’s star player and has already banged in ten goals across all competitions, including the winner in the giant killing of The Championship’s Ipswich Town. His middle name is Rodney, which is also brilliant.

Whilst he’s saved his best form for his current club, Kee has long been known as a top lower league goalscorer. He got his first taste of league football on loan at the Wham Stadium as a teenager, but as a true ‘sniffer’ he scored into double figures for Burton Albion and Torquay United in the years that followed.

Into his second spell at Acrrington Stanley, Kee scored 25-goals last season as Accy won the League Two title under the tutelage of John Coleman. In fact since his return to Accrington, he’s also hit double figures for four seasons running.

Offrande Zanzala

League One Games/Goals: 24/4

The Congolese striker moved to Stanley on loan last season and did enough to convince the club to make the move permanent in the summer - and that decision has been more than justified.

The 22-year-old’s family moved to Austria back in 1999 and further on to England a few years later, where he was plucked from school football by Derby County due to his pace and raw ability.

Although he never managed to break into the Derby first team, he’s shown more than enough in his first real season of professional football, with his pace, power and trickery. He compliments star man Kee perfectly.

You can watch his score Stanley’s first goal in the video below.

Sean McConville

League One Games/Goals: 28/8

Signing a new contract in the summer of 2018, the winger said “happiness means more to me than money” - and if his form in 2018/19 is anything to go by he’s certainly proving it!

McConville admitted he was offered big money after an impressive season last term in League Two, but opted to stick with Stanley and - much like the club themselves - he’s adapted to League One with consummate ease.

Whilst Billy Kee and Zanzala tend to grab the headlines for hitting the back of the net, the likelihood is the end product was likely carved by the boot of Sean McConville, who has assisted over twenty goals for Accy in the last season and a half, whilst also putting away eight goals himself.

Watch his ridiculous 45-yard volley for proof of the 29-year-old winger’s ability below about a minute in.