MAREK Saganowski is seen by many as Saints’ main hope of avoiding relegation.

The Polish international striker has returned from loan at Danish club Aalborg and could feature at Barnsley this afternoon.

But the forward he could replace as the main focal point of the Saints attack, David McGoldrick, actually has a BETTER goals ratio for Saints than the Pole has based on their respective Championship performances over the last two seasons.

Sagnowski almost helped fire Saints back into the top flight when he joined on loan from French side Troyes AC in January 2006.

The 30-year-old bagged ten Championship goals in just 13 games in the remainder of the 2006/07 season as Saints made the play-offs and subsequently earned himself a permanent three-year deal.

Last season, though, the goals dried up.

He scored just three league goals in 1,435 minutes – which worked out at a goal every 478.33 minutes or one every 5.3 games.

That run included a 1,237- minute drought, which only ended on the final day of last season.

McGoldrick has led the line for the first half of the current campaign.

In the last couple of games though he has played off a main striker, Matt Paterson, who misses the first of three games through suspension against Barnsley today following his red card against Manchester United.

McGoldrick has scored six league goals in 2,217 minutes of league action in 2008/09.

That gives him a strike ratio of a goal every 369.5 minutes, or 4.1 games.

One of his goals was a penalty, in the solitary home league win against Norwich.

But the goal he has since been credited with at Derby at the time was given to Adam Lallana.