David McGoldrick relishing Notts County return as hometown hero stars in EFL Week of Action
Notts County forward David McGoldrick has played a starring role for the League Two outfit since completing a romantic return to his boyhood club back in the summer
David McGoldrick is very much Notts County's hometown hero - and the Magpies talisman is taking a hands-on role when it comes to inspiring the next generation.
The 35-year-old forward started his career with his boyhood club before he was snapped up in Southampton back in 2004. McGoldrick returned home to Meadow Lane in the summer, though, and has quickly become an influential figure in Luke Williams' swashbuckling side.
McGoldrick is also at the forefront of the club's Premier League Kicks programme, too. Through the medium of football and other sports, the scheme aims to give young people the opportunity to have fun while developing their own personal skills and confidence in a bid to aid the local community.
Per the EFL Community Impact Report, over 278,000 people attended sessions or events designed to impact their health and of those monitored, 81 per cent of those people recorded at least one positive outcome from said schemes. In McGoldrick, Notts County boast the perfect ambassador; the veteran forward may now be in the twilight years of his career but he still remembers his days as a bright-eyed kid in the Mapgies' Under-9 ranks.
READ MORE: How to buy Rainbow Laces as Stonewall issue rallying cry for 10-year anniversaryREAD MORE: Freddie Woodman on "overcomplicated" goalkeeping and Preston promotion pushSpeaking about the scheme to Mirror Football, he says: "You can get wrapped up in football and everything that comes with it, but these kids don't care; they're just so happy to see you. You're a superstar in their eyes so to see them light up is good to see.
"When you come in and see the kids' faces light up it's great. You don't know what any one kid is going through, so to see them smile and come up to you and want to talk and show their little skills means a lot to them and it brings me a lot of enjoyment too. As a father, I know what it's all about."
McGoldrick is speaking at Southglade Leisure Centre during an after-school activity. Events like this carry extra significance to him given his aspirations to champion the club's academy once his own career is done. After progressing through the County ranks, the prospect of unearthing Notts County's next homegrown gem is more appealing to McGoldrick than taking on the top job.
He adds: "In terms of coaching at the top I don't think thats for me, but working with the kids and helping around the area representing the club, I definitely want to do that. Me and the club will speak when the time is right but that was a big part of me coming back.
"The club has just got its academy back and [I'd like] to make sure kids don't go to other clubs in the Midlands area and show them that Notts County is the best place for them. Helping the kids and the surrounding area is something I'll definitely be looking into."
While that may be firmly on McGoldrick's agenda, he still has plenty of unfinished business to attend to before hanging up his boots for good. The veteran was nominated for the League One Player of the Year award last year after plundering 22 goals in 39 games for Derby County but opted to drop down a level to pursue a romantic return to the very same club he followed as a boy.
Returning home to Notts County was always the goal, but the sentimental aspect of the move was far from the sole driver. In Notts County, McGoldrick has returned to a club on an upward trajectory; the highly-rated Williams has not only steered Notts back into the football league, but the club are primed to challenge for a second successive promotion this year.
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After years languishing in the doldrums of non-league, Notts County are relishing every second of one of the more memorable chapters of their recent history. The prospect of a return to the third tier for the first time since 2015 is tantalising.
For McGoldrick, the chance to return to his spiritual and literal home was simply a case of right place, right time.
"I wasn't going to get another chance to make it happen at my age," McGoldrick says of a return. "People think it's just a sentimental decision, but it's not. I'm really happy to be apart of this club and to see where it can go. It excites me everyday.
"Working with the manager and the players they had, the league table doesn't lie. It's good to be part of and there are no regrets over coming here.
"My first impressions of the gaffer were great and they haven't changed as the weeks and months have gone on. His attention to detail is great, he wants to play the game how he sees fit and his man-management is fantastic. Man-management is a big thing for me. You can win and lose players on that front. His is perfect, basically. I feel the club are very lucky to have him and he's the most important part of our puzzle."
Playing for your boyhood club is not without its pitfalls, though. The recent 4-1 defeat against local rivals hit McGoldrick hard. But as he so eloquently put it earlier, there's more to life than just the result on a Saturday afternoon.
"There's a bit more pressure here and I probably take things a bit more personally," he concludes. "The game against Mansfield was a big one I know all about being a local derby.
"To lose 4-1 on our own patch was one I didn't take well. Nobody took it well but being from Nottingham I get it when I go the shops, from my neighbours, family, friends but that's football. You've got to take the rough with the smooth."
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