A bus conductor in Brighton has emerged as Albion ’s best striker in a new book.

Ruthless Arthur Attwood tops the charts for reliability in The Goal Kings of Brighton and Hove Albion.

The lesser-known Attwood statistically outshines familiar heroes such as Glenn Murray, Bobby Zamora, Peter Ward and Tommy Cook.

Author Phil Dennett, a former Argus journalist, 73, from Burgess Hill, used scoring rates per 90 minutes to assess the consistency of any Albion strikers who reached at least 50 goals in peacetime football.

He then converted them to percentages to make it easier to compare performances.

Attwood, who lived in Brighton, was clear winner with 72 per cent, followed by 1920’s ace Jack Doran and Bobby Zamora. Born in Walsall in 1901, he was signed by Charlie Webb from Bristol Rovers at the age of 29 in November 1931 and never looked back.

In all Attwood scored 75 goals from 104 League and Cup matches in the 1930s before losing his place and joining non-League Northfleet in 1935.

After retirement from football he became a familiar figure as a bus conductor in Brighton and played local football. He died in Hove in 1974.

His grandchildren Kevin Attwood, Leigh Attwood and Frances Wilson, who all live in Sussex, launched The Goal Kings at Patcham where his bus used to call, and drank a toast to him at the Miller and Carter steakhouse, formerly the Black Lion pub.

Leigh Attwood, from Polegate, said: “Naturally we knew our grandad had been a professional footballer and had played very well for the Albion.

"But it was a complete surprise and a great delight when Phil Dennett told us during his research that the Goal Kings listed him as the number one striker. He was such a modest man; he would never boast of his achievements.

"To put him in the book in the same company as people like Peter Ward, Glenn Murray, Bobby Zamora, Kit Napier and Tommy Cook is quite something for us all."

Phil said: “I conceived the idea of the Goal Kings after writing in recent years books on two top scorers for Albion from the distant past, the great Charlie Webb and Tommy Cook. Attwood was a surprise, but his stats talk for themselves. It’s true that several players, including Cook and Murray, outscored him, but Attwood achieved his tally in a lot fewer games.

“We all have our favourites, regardless of any stats. My personal one is Peter Ward, for his sheer unique style and his courage, which lit up my younger years. From the present squad I would have to look to the promise of young Evan Ferguson, who the club are bringing along very nicely.”

Dedications in the book include one to the late Ray Leaney, of Burgess Hill, who died earlier this year after living with leukaemia.

Ray, 69, scored more than 500 goals in Mid Sussex League football and hundreds more in Sunday League games and was still playing indoor football in a group run by Philjust before he died.

A donation will be made to a Leukaemia charity from sales of the book.

Phil said: “Ray never had great ambitions to become a professional footballer but he loved playing local football.

"All of the players featured came through small local clubs at one stage of their development, including of course the great Tommy Cook from Cuckfield, for whom Ray also played.”

The book is priced at £20 (plus postage where applicable) and is available through Waterstones, Kemp Town Bookshop, Kim’s Bookshop in Arundel and other bookshops, and direct from Phil on 01444 245466 or e mail philipjdennett@hotmail.com. He hopes to also have it in the Albion store.