Derby County snub will feel priceless for Notts County after Gillingham reminder | OneFootball

David McGoldrick scored a delightful goal in Notts' win at Gillingham last weekend, reminding them just how valuable his return to the club has been.

Summary

David McGoldrick’s decision to snub Derby County in order to return to his boyhood club two summers ago is proving to be increasingly valuable to the Magpies.

McGoldrick opted to reject an offer from the Rams in order to make a sensational return to Meadow Lane and the 37-year-old has been a key figure in Notts’ plans since his move back to the club where his career began.

The Nottingham-born attacker reminded everyone of his quality last weekend when he netted a delightful chip in Notts’ 2-1 away win at Gillingham.

It was the latest in a catalogue of special goals McGoldrick has scored this season and, with 13 league goals already in 2024/25, it’s fair to say he has found a new lease of life this season.

David McGoldrick has been superb for Notts this season

Currently sat third in League Two, Maynard’s men have put themselves in a very strong position to finish the season strongly and secure a return to the third tier for the first time since 2015.

Barring a minor blip in form across November and early December, Notts have been largely excellent this season and McGoldrick has been central to that.

‘Didzy’ already has 13 league goals to his name from just 25 games, but he is far more important to his current club than just his threat in front of goal.

He brings a class and creativity to Maynard’s side that simply cannot be easily matched at this level.

Maynard and his coaching staff allow him virtually free rein in terms of the positions that he occupies during the game, knowing that he has the intelligence and reading of the game to get on the ball in areas of the pitch where he can influence the game and hurt the opposition.

McGoldrick is a very gifted natural talent and has always had a tendency to drop deeper and get on the ball. This is ideal for Notts’ system that relies on the two ‘number 10s’ behind Alassana Jatta being fluid and constantly available to receive the ball.

This has been particularly evident in recent games when McGoldrick has become even more influential for Notts in the absence of Dan Crowley.

The 37-year-old has also provided Notts with several big moments this season. He has twice netted doubles to down Swindon Town, with his brace in the away win in August including two stunning strikes from distance to hand the Magpies all three points from a game in which they perhaps didn’t deserve them.

He also held his nerve to score two stoppage time equalisers to earn Notts a pair of draws on the road in October, against firstly Chesterfield and then Barrow.

It’s now over 20 years since McGoldrick first pulled on the black and white shirt at Meadow Lane, but the Notts faithful are now being treated to the moments of magic that they never got to see before he left for Southampton as a youngster back in 2004.

The Derby snub that delivered him back to them is starting to feel priceless.

David McGoldrick is out of contract in the summer

Last season, it felt as if McGoldrick burned out a little as the season wore on.

He was perhaps overused by Notts in the first half of the season, having started 27 of the Magpies’ first 30 league games. By contrast, he then started just five of the following 16.

This season, however, McGoldrick’s fitness has seemingly reached a new level. He’s featured in 25 of Notts’ 28 league games, starting 19. Across the Magpies’ run of three games in the space of one week recently, McGoldrick missed just 12 minutes of action, showcasing a level of fitness that is scarcely believable for a player of his age.

Having signed a two-year deal with Notts at the end of his time with Derby back in the summer of 2023, McGoldrick’s Meadow Lane deal is due to expire at the end of the season.

After a slow conclusion to the campaign last year, he has reaffirmed the quality he possesses this season.

He has shown that he is still very capable of being a thorn in the side of defenses, and it’s clear he still has a lot more to give to a club at Notts’ level.

Notts are in the awkward position at the minute of having to plan for the potential of being in both League One and League Two next season, with their fate still undecided. McGoldrick, however, is somebody who would surely be a very effective contributor in whichever division the Magpies end up playing their football next term.

When you throw in the professionalism that the forward carries himself with and the vast array of experience he can pass on to the squad’s younger members, it surely seems a no-brainer for Notts to table an offer of at least one more season to their former academy man.

Given that he rejected an offer from Derby to move back to Notts, it seems unlikely that at this stage of his career money would be a big concern for McGoldrick, making it unlikely he’d wish to move away from Meadow Lane.