IPSWICH Town manager Jim Magilton last night revealed that he will select Jonathan Walters as an out-and-out striker this season.The 24-year-old has proved a big hit playing on the right side of midfield this season, and on Saturday notched the highest score of the season in the Actim Index - the official player ratings system of the Coca-Cola Championship.

By Elvin King

IPSWICH Town manager Jim Magilton last night revealed that he will select Jonathan Walters as an out-and-out striker this season.

The 24-year-old has proved a big hit playing on the right side of midfield this season, and on Saturday notched the highest score of the season in the Actim Index - the official player ratings system of the Coca-Cola Championship.

Walters ran riot with an eye-catching hat-trick to gain a remarkable 70-point return in the 6-0 hammering of Bristol City.

This followed Walters' 20-point haul in last week's midweek defeat at Sheffield United.

“Jon came back in pre-season lean and desperate to play,” said Magilton. “I wanted him to play every week, and it was a combined effort among the coaches to play him in midfield with Alan Lee and Pablo Counago up front. He found himself in a few bad areas early doors, but has done really well with the help of players like David Wright and Tommy Miller around him.

“I have not forgotten that he can also play up front and will give him that role away from home at some stage.”

Walters, who has scored seven goals this season, joined the Blues from Chester City last January in the transfer window.

His Actim Index score against Bristol City eclipsed the score of 63 by Watford's Darius Henderson and also topped the 66 points West Brom midfielder Filipe Teixeira earned on Monday against Coventry. He is now No. 2 in the list of top strikers behind team-mate Lee, who leads the Ipswich goal charts with eight goals.

Top five Ipswich players in the Index are: 1 Alan Lee (first ranked striker) 302pts, 2 Jon Walters (second ranked striker) 290, 28 Jason de Vos (eighth ranker defender) 203, 30 Dan Harding (ninth ranked defender) 201. 32 Pablo Counago (12th ranked striker) 200.

The Actim Index is calculated using a mathematical formula that rates each player's contribution - 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.

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