Connolly's an Actim hit

It seems Leicester striker David Connolly’s brilliant hat-trick performance in City’s 4-2 demolition of Stoke was even better than it looked.

Connolly has been carrying a serious thigh injury since the opening day 4-1 defeat at Sheffield United and played through the pain barrier to help Craig Levein’s men to three crucial points against Stoke.

Connolly, whose performance saw him soar to the top of the Actim Index, the official ratings system for the Barclays Premiership and Coca-Cola Championship, is now struggling for fitness ahead of the Foxes’ weekend trip to Crewe.

Connolly’s hat-trick against Stoke gave him an outstanding individual score of 0.74 on the Actim Index, a score which was only bettered twice all last season, by Brian Deane and Dave Kitson.

Two of the teams relegated from the Premiership go head to head this weekend and Norwich fans will be eager for a better peformance from star striker Dean Ashton.

The striker, touted as one of the stars of the Championship this season and a target for several Premiership clubs, struggled against Crewe and Crystal Palace - despite finding the net against Iain Dowie‘s side.

Ashton scored 4.35 points in 24 games for Crewe in the Championship last season before adding 2.17 points in 16 games for Norwich in the Premiership – so there is plenty more to come from the striker, who currently sits in a lowly 254th place, slipping 185 places in a week.

Ade Akinbiyi‘s brace for Burnley in Saturday‘s 4-0 thumping of Coventry has seen the striker shoot up the Actim Index.

Akinbiyi hit two goals in the last three minutes of the game at Turf Moor and has risen a remarkable 285 places to fourth in the overall standings.

In terms of team performance, Luton still lead the way, with three players in the top 10 – Ahmet Brkovic, Kevin Nicholls and Dean Morgan.

Brkovic is the highest of the three, moving up one place to third, behind Connolly and Bristol City‘s Leroy Lita.

Glen Little‘s goalscoring performance in Reading‘s impressive 3-0 win at Preston moves him up 282 places to 11th with an Index rating of 0.65.