Salford City’s new signing Dan Udoh has made a dream start to life at the club and has contributed with six crucial goal involvements across his four starts so far. Here is a breakdown of the player and his statistics.
Udoh has certainly enjoyed his start at the Peninsula Stadium, scoring two goals and assisting four in just four games.
The striker is averaging 1.5 G/A every game for the Ammies, making him one of the most prolific players in League Two. Why is this?
Well, the Nigerian has spent most of his recent career plying his trade in League One, and dropped down a division when he transferred from Wycombe Wanderers to Salford on deadline day. Before then, he made 181 appearances for the Shrews and found the back of the net 38 times.
In just four league games for Salford, he has already proven why he was a consistent starter for a League One side.
Salford manager Karl Robinson has played Udoh alongside another centre forward in all his appearances so far. This improves Udoh’s game; he becomes more involved in Salford’s attacking build-up, as his sole job now is not just to score goals.
He drops in and plays as a hold-up striker. In Salford’s 3-2 win against Swindon Town, Udoh’s two assists came from the striker dropping in.
Dan Udoh’s first 3 games for Salford:
⚽️ 2 goals
🤝 4 assists (most in the league)
🙌 3 wins pic.twitter.com/Gh7DvZfVto— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) September 22, 2025
As he drops in, it gives Salford’s wingers more space in the attacking third to create runs and paths for the ball to be played in. Udoh receives it on the half-turn and draws out the two opposing centre-backs. This gives the wingers width for a through ball to be played into. Kadeem Harris did exactly this: a half turn from Udoh and a lovely weighted pass into Harris’ feet resulted in a goal.
So far, Udoh has consistently outperformed his 1.39 expected goals by scoring twice.
Expected goals (xG) is a way to measure the probability of a shot becoming a goal. Not all shots are equal in terms of quality and conversion rate; one might be a two-yard tap-in, while another might be a long-range effort.
XG measures the quality of each shot before the player shoots, including the shot angle, the distance from goal, whether it was with the head, or with the weaker/stronger foot, whether it was from a cross, through ball, short pass and if there were multiple defenders in the way.
If Udoh continues to score at a rate above his expected goals, he will be a valuable asset as Salford eye promotion from the fourth tier this season, as the Ammies will be able to overcome opponents without having to create big chances to score.
Statistical performance has been a hallmark of Udoh’s fine start. The striker’s output of four assists across four League Two games is far higher than his 0.52 expected assists value, indicating that he is a high-level playmaker who – if he can replicate his current form – will continue to torment League Two defences this year.
Alongside Udoh’s natural ability to play as an all-out striker, his game has improved to become more central to creating goals as well as scoring them under Robinson.
He has already surpassed his best assists tally in a season since the 2021/22 season in just four games. This shows the adaptability the striker has.
Udoh’s improved all-round play will be key to Salford’s success this year. Goal output is a key thing to look for in a striker and Udoh is certainly proving himself to be one of the league’s best attacking players. With his expected goals and assists statistics, in the system Salford play, Udoh will be expected to get at least one goal contribution per game.
A striker of quality who has played consistently in the league higher than the one Salford currently play in is going to be a great asset for Robinson’s men. He has already solidified his spot in the starting 11 and is already a key player in his short period for the Ammies.
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