Playmaker's EFL 72: #43 Devante Cole

We are now racing through into the mid-40's of players we think have had the best seasons throughout the EFL in the 2024 iteration of the 'Playmaker 72'

It's certainly been no easy task, but - just to clarify - our '72' is less a roll call of the best footballers in the EFL and more a tribute to those players who have enjoyed the most memorable seasons while racking up the most impressive stats.

Whatever the criteria, we're confident in our selections of the most outstanding players through the Championship, League One, and League Two and welcome any debate on the subject!

Up next we have a player who could well have been far higher on the list if he could keep up his prolific goal-scoring form. However, even with a goal drought this man is still one of League One's top strikers...

Number 43: Devante Cole (Barnsley)

Had Devante Cole's form at the start of the season continued he'd be far higher in the 72 – it really has been stark contrasts for the Barnsley striker this season.

The striker had the best possible start to the season when he opened his account with a hat-trick against Port Vale in Barnsley's 7-0 win on the first League One weekend of the season.

From that big victory on August 5th until the Tykes' 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers on February 3rd, Cole scored 17 goals and assisted three. That's more goal involvements than he managed last season (16 goals, 3 assists).

Then Cole went from mid-February to mid-April without a single goal contribution – a drought of 14 games that was only broken when the striker scored early in Barnsley's 3-2 to Portsmouth – a game that saw Pompey promoted.

Poacher's instinct from Devante Cole 🎯 pic.twitter.com/J67m1EL3g9

— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) April 17, 2024

But drought or no drought, Cole has been one of the most productive players in the third tier this season.

Just two players have scored more in League One than Cole's tally of 18 this season: Colby Bishop (21) and Alfie May (23).

Cole also ranks fourth in the division for combined goals and assists with 21 goal involvements with the aforementioned Bishop (24, 21G + 3A) and May (24, 23G +1A) as well as Derby's Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (23, 8G + 15A) the only players to have been more productive.

What distinguishes Devante Cole from the rest though is that none of the Barnsley player's goals have come from the penalty spot. Cole tops the League One penalty charts for the campaign with his 18 ahead of the nearest challenger May (17 non-penalty goals).

Should Cole get back into the habit of scoring goals once again from now until the end of the season then you would expect there to be plenty of suitors for the striker whose contract runs out this summer.

Playmaker's EFL 72...the countdown

44: Jacob Greaves 45: Paddy Lane

46: Herbie Kane 47: Dan James 48: Archie Collins 49: Karamoko Dembele

50: Haji Wright 51: Dan Crowley 52: Cameron Brannagan 53: Aaron Collins

54: Andy Cook 55: Connor Shaughnessy 56: Jannik Vestergaard

57: Willy Gnonto 58: Ellis Simms 59: Charlie Hughes 60: Fatawu Isshaku

61: Sam Hoskins 62: Paul Mullin 63: Chris Martin 64: Omari Hutchinson

65: Isaac Hutchinson 66: Sam Tickle 67: Ben Hinchcliffe 68: Michał Helik

69: Lewis Wing 70: Rob Apter 71: Kyle Walker-Peters 72: Alex Palmer