Lawrence stokes the Actim fires

Stoke City midfielder Liam Lawrence is flying high at the top of The Actim Index, the official player ratings system of the Coca-Cola Championship, with a 68-point haul this week.

After a 3-2 win against Southampton earned Lawrence 18 points, he followed it up with two goals and 50 points - the top score of the week - in a 3-2 defeat of Scunthorpe at the Britannia Stadium.

It leaves Lawrence 33 points clear at the summit, ahead of Ipswich frontman Jon Walters.

Potters team-mate Ryan Shawcross is Actim`s top-ranked defender in the Championship in fourth place, averaging 15 points per appearance with an overall score of 486.

Analysis of all Championship games is taking place throughout the season and so far the top five Stoke players are:

Player, Ranking, Position Ranking, Index Score

Liam Lawrence, 1st, Top Ranked Midfielder, 557 points

Ryan Shawcross, 4th, Top Ranked Defender, 486

Ricardo Fuller, 6th, 2nd Ranked Striker, 459

Leon Cort, 10th, 2nd Ranked Defender, 440

Richard Cresswell, 14th, 6th Ranked Striker, 414

The Actim Index is calculated using a unique mathematical formula that rates each player`s contribution be it goals, shots, passes, dribbles, tackles, crosses, saves, clearances, blocks, interceptions, assists, clean sheets, time on the pitch or number of points gained by the team with marks deducted for red and yellow cards.