We’ve all been there; asking for one player to be brought on who could change the game in your favour. But who are the supersubs who have made the most difference to their team’s fortunes? Which ones have the best goal record? And has any supersub ever scored a hat trick in EFL play?
The role of a supersub has evolved and changed as the rules of the game have progressed. In fact, regular substitutions were only implemented in the 1965-66 season, but it took until a couple of years later for that to be based on tactical changes rather than because of an injury. Initially from a bench of five players you could choose two to come on, but has since evolved to see three and later five substitutes available for a manager, whilst the bench side has evolved to now include as many as nine players.
So let’s take a look at some of the best substitute players to come out of the English Football League.
David Fairclough
David Fairclough is the original ‘supersub’, so much so that his autobiography is titled exactly that. He played 155 times across eight seasons for Liverpool during their most dominant era, scoring 55 goals in the process. He won four league titles and two European Cups with The Reds, and could have earned a fifth top flight trophy had he made more appearances that season. in 62 substitute appearances he scored 18 times.
His most iconic goal came in European competition, scoring a decisive goal against St. Etienne at Anfield to see Liverpool through to the semi-final, and Liverpool would go on to win their first European Cup against Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome. For his most outstanding league performances, it came in his first season as a senior player at the club, with seven goals across 14 appearances, nine of which were from the bench as Liverpool stormed to the title.
Fairclough could never break into the Liverpool first team, competing with icons such as Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Kevin Keegan and John Toshack. He would play football elsewhere in the EFL with Manchester City, Rochdale and Oldham Athletic, but struggled to make any new club his home.
Billy Sharp
After joining Doncaster Rovers last season, the Sheffield United legend has become a supersub as he targets to play football professionally going into his 40s. Last season, he made 24 substitute appearances for Grant McCann’s side as they clinched the League Two title, scoring nine goals across the campaign. Across recent years, he has been a go-to option for managers from the bench, doing so for The Blades in the Premier League, as well as his brief stint at Leeds United.
Sharp himself has tried to shake off any suggestions of being a supersub, telling the media as such after scoring two goals in two cameo appearances against Derby and Huddersfield in 2021. He has had his own pivotal moments, for example scoring to get Sheffield United off the mark against Reading in the season which saw them finally return to the Premier League for the first time in a generation.
Nakhi Wells
His time at Bristol City recently came to an end but Nahki Wells continued to be the supersub he has always been.In his final campaign for The Robins, he scored twice coming off of the bench in a season which saw him trusted by Liam Manning to play 39 of their 46 Championship matches. It brought his total up to 19 goals from the bench in his career.
Also featuring for Huddersfield Town, Queens Park Rangers and Bradford City, the Bermudian was a menace to face with his lightning-fast speed, undoing defences when fatigue began to set in. His best moment came for The Bantams in their iconic 2012/13 season which saw them reach the League Cup final as a League Two side as well as earning promotion through the playoffs. Wells came off the bench in the third round against Burton Albion and scored twice in seven minutes to force extra time, which City went on to win through Stephen Darby. Without Wells, Bradford would not go on to beat both Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Now at 35, Wells is on the hunt for a new club in the Championship since leaving Ashton Gate.
Kevin Phillips
A hero for Sunderland in the Premier League, Kevin Phillips has also had a brilliant career when it comes to being a supersub. The only Englishman to win the European Golden Boot, Phillips has 19 substitute goals to his name within the EFL, and has more in his time in the Premier League.
It is perhaps one of those moments in the top flight that is the best in his career, coming off of the bench for Birmingham City against Wolverhampton Wanderers to score twice and overturn their deficit to win the match, all at the grand old age of 36. For EFL moments, the best also came at The Blues in their promotion-winning season, scoring twice in the opening two games against Sheffield United and Southampton to get Alex McLeish’s side off to a brilliant start. Later in the season, he would bag a brace against Swansea City.
With Birmingham earning automatic promotion by three points ahead of Sheffield United, it could be argued that it was Kevin Phillips’ contributions in those matches which spearheaded the St. Andrew’s club back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Charlie Austin
Whilst his time at Southampton may have spawned many supersub memories for Charlie Austin, he has had a knack of coming in clutch when his side needed him. Of course, his winners against Swansea and Manchester United (on his Saints debut no less) are iconic for the Hampshire side, and he continued to do the same at his next club in West Bromwich Albion.
Austin’s finest hour was for The Baggies in 2019, coming on and within the space of three minutes drew Albion level against Birmingham City. with nine minutes to go, the former QPR man put his side in front, and as a result put them top of the Championship heading towards Christmas. West Brom went up second place that season, and with Austin scoring goals which gave Albion 10 points from losing positions, his efforts arguably sent Slaven Bilic’s side back up to the big time.
Matt Smith
Prior to his final season in football, where he broke his personal goalscoring record for Salford City, Matt Smith was one of the best supersubs across the EFL. A towering forward, he is the biggest dangerman when it comes to set-piece situations, and scored 18 goals coming off of the bench in the Championship alone.
His heroics came for both Queens Park Rangers, Millwall and Leeds United, where he immediately stamped himself as an effective option off of the bench, assisting a 94th-minute winner for Luke Murphy against Brighton and Hove Albion. His first two EFL goals were both also from the bench whilst playing for Oldham Athletic, in a season he forced an FA Cup replay for the Latics against Everton with a 95th-minute header at Boundary Park.
Smith retired from football last summer and left Salford City on his highest note yet, being the third highest goalscorer in the EFL behind Sammie Szmodics and Macaulay Langstaff in the 2023/24 season.
Cameron Jerome
Alongside Kevin Phillips, Cameron Jerome was another key piece of the cog that saw Birmingham City get promoted to the Premier League. The Englishman, who later became a supersub for Tony Pulis’ iconic Stoke City side, has 17 substitute goals to his name.
Jerome did the substitute brace against Wolves before Phillips had his chance, scoring twice after coming on at the hour mark to secure a 3-2 away victory in the 2006/07 season, which saw Blues head up to the Premier League. Norwich City was another place where he found himself creating clutch moments. In the 2015 season, Jerome scored two winning goals as a substitute against Bournemouth and Charlton, in a season where he scored a pivotal goal in the playoff final, this time as a starter, to send The Canaries into the Premier League.
Danny Ward
Not to be confused with the Wrexham-bound goalkeeper, the Huddersfield Town forward can go down in history as one of the finest supersubs in the EFL. 14 of his 18 substitute goals came in the Championship, and has done the feat for Rotherham, Cardiff and The Terriers.
Ward’s time at Cardiff City is a particular highlight, scoring seven substitute goals, including a brace within the last fifteen minutes of their match against West Bromwich Albion in 2019, albeit in vain as The Bluebirds lost 4-2 at The Hawthorns. His most recent brace came last year, overturning a Watford lead for Huddersfield as they went on to win 2-1 thanks to the Bradford-born forward’s efforts. He remains with Town heading into next season as they look to return to the second tier.
Lucas Joao
Lucas Joao is the EFL’s all-time best supersub. The Portuguese-turned-Angolan spent eight years in England at Sheffield Wednesday, Reading and for a brief stint at Blackburn Rovers sandwiched in the middle. He scored 77 times across his career for those three clubs, and 23 of those came after coming on as a substitute.
Perhaps his best moment came during his loan spell at Blackburn, where he scored three goals in two substitute appearances, including a double against Norwich and an additional goal against Fulham three days later in a campaign which ultimately ended in relegation for Tony Mowbray’s side.
He currently plays in Turkey for Ümraniyespor, a team currently in the second division, after leaving Reading in 2023. He is perhaps the ultimate cult hero for Sheffield Wednesday and Reading, and the Championship’s greatest ever supersub.
