Richard The Third

Stoke City striker Richard Cresswell leapt into the top 50 after earning the third-best aggregate score of the week in the Actim Index, the official player rating system of the Coca-Cola Championship.

Cresswell has burst into life for the Potters with a weekly score of 60 points, 32 of those coming in the defeat of QPR before adding another 28 points as his side beat Norwich City.

Only Sheffield United defender Chris Armstrong (74 points) and Burnley forward Andy Gray (66) scored more.

The 30-year-old frontman rose 48 places up the standings into 44th overall and broke the 200-point barrier in the process, now averaging 12 points per appearance this term. Cresswell is still short of teammates Liam Lawrence (15th overall) and on-loan Ryan Shawcross (7th), but tops goalkeeper Steve Simonsen by just a point and a place.

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

Player Ranking Position Ranking Index Score

Ryan Shawcross 7 2nd Ranked Defender 278

Liam Lawrence 15 5th Ranked Midfielder 261

Richard Cresswell 44 13th Ranked Striker 222

Steve Simonsen 45 6th Ranked Goalkeeper 221

Ricardo Fuller 66 15th Ranked Striker 199

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.