Ivan Toney’s impressive penalty-scoring record continued on Monday, but the Brentford striker insists his method is simple.
The 26-year-old stroked the ball into the bottom-right corner from 12 yards out again as Thomas Frank’s side defeated Fulham 3-2 in the Premier League.
Toney has converted every penalty he has taken for Brentford, including 10 in the Premier League.
Only Yaya Toure of Manchester City has a better 100 percent conversion rate in the competition, but Toney explained that his penalty procedure is all about being relaxed.
After being forced to wait until the 53rd minute to put Brentford up 2-1 at the Brentford Community Stadium, he told Sky Sports: “The wait doesn’t matter, the longer the better really because I can get away and think of other things like being away on holiday and chilling.
“The goalkeeper didn’t move but I have always got a spot where I put the ball.”
Toney has converted 27 of his 28 penalty attempts in his professional career, with the only blemish being a save for Peterborough United in a 4-0 loss to Barnsley in October 2018.
That miss was the impetus for a change in technique.
When asked when he changed his approach, he replied: “When I missed… I thought of different techniques to make sure I had a better chance of scoring and it’s working out alright at the moment, so touch wood, it continues.”
Toney now has 15 Premier League goals this season, despite having off-the-field problems. Another goal against Fulham brought that total to 15.
The Football Association has accused him of violating betting laws 262 times over a four-year period, but he recently lashed out at the organization overseeing English football in the wake of media leaks.
Reports suggested Toney, who missed out on England’s World Cup squad in Qatar, would be banned for six months after pleading guilty to some charges – claims the forward strongly denied on social media.
After the Fulham win, Brentford head coach Frank defended his star attacker and reiterated his support for Toney.
“I take all the praise, it is solely me,” Frank initially joked to Sky Sports. “No it is Ivan, that is the technique he had when he arrived at Brentford.
“He is the best penalty taker in the world for a few reasons, his strategy, he practices it and he is very cool. He keeps doing it all the same.
“It is a unique skill with him. This situation with the [betting] case going on, he has a unique ability to focus on games and training and he has kept doing that so that doesn’t surprise me”.
“He doesn’t like the situation but he has top focus. He is a special footballer, I think his character is unique in terms of leadership and driving his team.
“His link-up play and the way he sees his team-mates around in terms of combinations and then his ability to score goals. He is an all-round football player.”