"I wish" - Derby County fan claim made on "Rolls Royce" David McGoldrick | OneFootball

The veteran striker has been hailed for his impact for the Rams

Football League World's Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward has admitted that he would have loved to have seen David McGoldrick play for the club for longer.

The striker joined the Rams back in the summer of 2022, arriving on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Sheffield United.

In the end, the Ireland international would spend just a single season at Pride Park, before moving on to return to his boyhood club Notts County.

However, Woodward has revealed that as a Derby supporter, he still wishes he could have seen McGoldrick play for the Rams for more than a single season.

David McGoldrick made a big impact at Pride Park

At the time of McGoldrick's arrival at the club, they had just been relegated from the Championship to League One amid a raft of financial issues that had threatened its very existence.

There was therefore, a need to rebuild with a new squad and set-up at Pride Park, and the striker became a figurehead of that with his performances on the pitch.

Although he turned 35 during his season at Derby, he remained an integral figure for the Rams, he still made 45 appearances over the course of the campaign.

During that time, he scored a total of 25 goals and provided seven assists, as the club finished seventh in the League One table, just a point adrift of the play-offs.

That is one of only four times this century that a Derby player has scored more than 20 goals in a season, and having never before scored a professional hat-trick, he did so three times that season.

It was no surprise therefore that McGoldrick was named the Rams' Player of the Year, while also being voted as the PFA League One Fans' Player of the Year.

Having only signed a one-year deal at Pride Park in the summer of 2022, the striker was offered a new contract by the club at the end of the 2022/23 season.

However, McGoldrick instead decided to return to Notts County, his boyhood club where he had begun his professional career.

Woodward though, would certainly have liked to have seen more of the striker at Pride Park, especially with the Rams winning promotion a year after his departure.

When asked by Football League World which former player he would have liked to have seen stay at his club for longer, the Derby fan said: "I wish I'd seen more of David McGoldrick.

"He's such an intelligent player, scored so many good goals for us, he just made the game look really easy. He just had so much to offer, Rolls Royce of a player.

"Yes we got him in the twilight of his career, and I totally get why he left to go and play at his boyhood club, but it's such a shame we only got to see him for one season.

"Twenty plus goals in that one season, and I'd have loved to have seen him play for us for one more year, so he could have been part of the promotion winning team.

"So someone of recent years, would be David McGoldrick for sure."

Since his return to Notts County, McGoldrick has continued to thrive, scoring 17 goals and providing six assists in 48 appearances in all competitions for the Magpies.

Derby disappointment at David McGolrdick exit understandable

You can't really blame Woodward or any other members of the Pride Park faithful for being disappointed that the striker is no longer at the club.

McGoldrick was an excellent player during his single season with the Rams, something made even more significant by the pressure the club was under at the time.

It does therefore make sense that Derby fans would have wanted to see the Irishman at the club for longer, given the connection that was built between them.

As is mentioned here, being a part of a promotion campaign would have been a fitting reward for McGoldrick, for what he did during his time at Pride Park.

Indeed, with the striker still scoring for Notts County now, he may have been able to continue making an impact for the Rams, if he was playing there now.

With all that in mind, it does feel as though any frustration Derby fans may have about the fact McGoldrick only spent a year with the club, does make sense.