McGoldrick joined Nottingham Forest for £1 million in June 2009, after spending the first four years of his career moving across the nation with parent club Southampton.

The striker struggled in his first season at the City Ground, netting only three goals in 33 appearances across all competitions. He missed the start of the next season due to a shoulder injury, but eventually scored six goals to help Forest reach the play-offs.

McGoldrick went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City before joining Ipswich on loan until the end of the 2012/13 season, with a potential permanent transfer in the summer.

After scoring four goals in 14 appearances, the striker moved to Portman Road and thrived in his first season in East Anglia. Under Mick McCarthy, the striker formed a strong partnership with Daryl Murphy, scoring 18 goals in 22 appearances during the first half of the season. In barely four months, McGoldrick had demonstrated to Forest that their loss was undoubtedly Ipswich’s gain.

In September, he was crowned the Championship’s Player of the Month after scoring braces against Middlesbrough and Brighton. Despite missing 10 weeks of play due to a knee injury, McGoldrick finished the season as the club’s leading scorer and was awarded the Players’ Player of the Year.

Leicester City attempted to woo the striker with Premier League football, but Ipswich turned down a £5 million deal. The Tractor Boys are hoping for roughly £8 million.

McGoldrick was a crucial player for Ipswich that season, but suffered another injury. He returned for the last 20 minutes of the play-off semi-final second leg against East Anglian rivals Norwich City.

In 2015, he signed a contract extension to stay at Portman Road until the summer of 2018. However, he struggled with injuries and only made over 30 appearances in one of his final three seasons.

Manager Paul Hirst confirmed McGoldrick’s resignation from the club when his contract expired. He scored 45 goals in 159 games in all competitions during his five-year tenure.

Injuries have limited McGoldrick’s Ipswich career, but he is demonstrating he can still compete.

McGoldrick’s experience at Ipswich Town raises the issue of ‘what if’. The striker shown incredible talent during his first season at the club, but as his tenure at Portman Road progressed, it was only glimpsed due to his bad luck with injuries.

If he hadn’t been injured, who knows how many goals he could have scored for Ipswich.

Despite entering the latter phases of his career, McGoldrick has demonstrated that he still understands where the back of the net is.

After joining Sheffield United from Ipswich in 2018, the striker helped the Blades win promotion to the Premier League, scoring 15 goals in all competitions before spending two seasons in the top level, scoring 10 goals and assisting six times.

McGoldrick was named Derby County’s Player of the Year, PFA League One Fans’ Player of the Year, and PFA League One Team of the Season. He scored 25 goals and provided seven assists across all competitions.

He was expected to sign a one-year contract extension at Pride Park. However, he chose to return to his hometown club, Notts County, where he began his career 19 years ago. His love for the club was believed to be the reason for the move.

 

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