GARY Madine has been urged to ‘keep buying a ticket’ in the Wanderers goal lottery.

Despite putting more shots on target than any other player in the Championship, the Whites striker has thus far been unable to break the club’s 12-and-a-half hour goal drought.

Madine has scored twice this season, the last of his goals coming against Derby County at the end of August.

Now, as Wanderers prepare to face his former club Sheffield Wednesday at the Macron this afternoon, Phil Parkinson has assured his target man his hard work will pay dividends.

“Over the last couple of weeks me and Steve (Parkin) have been able to look over the games and analyse the attacking side of the game – and he’s had four or five cleared off the line,” he said.

“But I think when you look at the chances he’s had, he’s shown calmness in front of goal, hit the target often and keepers have had to make saves.

“If he keeps doing that and working as hard as he has in training then the goals will come for him.”

Madine has hit 15 shots on target this season and also struck the woodwork twice, according to stats from Opta.

By comparison, Wednesday’s leading marksman Gary Hooper has put 13 shots on target in the Championship and scored with seven.

Parkinson reckons Madine has been among Wanderers’ most consistent performers since their return to the second tier.

“I feel he’s gone up a level in terms of his preparation for games, his work on the training pitch, and he knows he’s still got improvement to make,” he said.

“Obviously he wants the goals but as a striker you have to keep making the right runs, concentrate on the technique and if keepers are pulling off the saves then one day you have to keep faith one will squirm through their hands and you’ll get a goal when you least expect one.”

Wanderers resume after the international break looking to kick-start their season after failing to win any of their opening 11 games.

“The numbers don’t look good but it has got to start somewhere, and I hope that’s 3pm on Saturday,” Parkinson said yesterday.