PNE in Numbers: Stats that made Billy Bodin a top target for North End

In his fourth Lilywhites appearance the former Bristol Rovers pounced on an error from Michael Mancienne to lift the ball over Jordan Smith and in, setting Alex Neil’s men on their way to a resounding 3-0 victory at the City Ground.

The fine finish was the 25-year-old’s 50th Football League goal.

In total, Bodin has 52 in 232 senior appearances and it’s been quite some rise in recent seasons for the former Swindon, Torquay and Northampton man.

A tweet from Playmaker Stats underlines the form that saw PNE follow through their summer interest to make sure they got their man at the start of the January transfer window.

Since the start of 2017, Bodin has 20 goals in 43 league games, 41 of those coming in League One of course.

He has scored two in a game twice with four of the strikes being match-winning. There have also been two successful penalties from the left-footer.

During a total of 3,518 minutes on the pitch, Bodin has also turned provider with seven assists.

As well as a first goal the wide forward also picked up his first North End booking in the convincing win over Forest, bringing down Everton loanee Kieran Dowell to bring an abrupt halt to a counter attack.

Despite being praised for his physicality after his debut in the FA Cup win at Wycombe don’t expect t o see too many cards, the yellow at the City Ground was just his second since the beginning of 2017.

Bodin is only the second player to move directly from Bristol Rovers to North End after Alfie Biggs in 1961.

Biggs scored 24 goals in 59 games but only stayed for 13 months before he moved back to Rovers due to being homesick.

Geoff Twentyman, Jim Humes and Albert Butterworth are the only other players to have made that switch from Deepdale to the Memorial Stadium.

Bodin will be one of those tasked with filling the void left by top goalscorer Jordan Hugill’s departure to West Ham.

He’s been mentioned enough elsewhere but for the record, Hugill finished with 30 goals for the club, 10 of those coming in the first half of this season.

In total the 25-year-old made 75 starts and 39 substitute appearances for the Lilywhites after being snapped up from Port Vale for just £25,000.