Don Goodman
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| Don Goodman | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Donald Ralph Goodman | |
| Date of birth | May 9, 1966 | |
| Place of birth | Leeds, England | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1984–1987 1987–1991 1991–1994 1994–1998 1998 1998–1999 1999 1999–2001 2001–2002 2002–2003 2003 2003–2004 |
Bradford City West Bromwich Albion Sunderland Wolves Sanfrecce Hiroshima → Barnsley (loan) → Motherwell (loan) Motherwell Walsall Exeter City → Doncaster Rovers (loan) Stafford Rangers Total |
70 (14) 158 (60) 116 (40) 125 (33) 10 (2) 8 (0) 8 (1) 47 (8) 25 (3) 13 (1) 6 (0) - - 576 (160) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Donald Ralph Goodman (born May 9, 1966 in Leeds) is a former English football player who played as a striker. He retired in 2004 and now occasionally appears as a co-commentator for Sky Sports or BBC Radio 5 Live, or as a guest on the phone-in show You're On Sky Sports or Central Soccer Night, a local midweek show in the Midlands ITV region.
[edit] Career
Goodman played for a number of clubs over a 20 year career in league football. He played the majority of his career in England, although never in the top flight, but did have spells in the top divisions of Scotland and Japan.
He began his career at Bradford City and his debut season saw him win the Division Three championship. However, this was tainted by the Valley Parade fire disaster in their final game, which saw his then-girlfriend killed.[1]
After almost three seasons with the Bantams, he moved to fellow Division Two club West Bromwich Albion for £50,000 in March 1987. Goodman scored his highest club tally here, notching 60 league goals over the next four years. However, his goals could not stop the club slumping to the third tier in 1991, for the first time in their history.
Goodman did not have to spend long in the third flight though, as he joined Sunderland in December 1991 for £900,000. He spent three years at Roker Park, which saw the club end no better than mid-table in Division Two. They did surprisingly reach the 1992 FA Cup Final, but Goodman was not selected in the squad for the game.
His hopes of top league football were most nearly realised at his next club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, whom he joined in December 1994 for £1.1million. He reached the play-offs twice in three seasons, but the club fell at the semi-final stage in both. His final season at Wolves in 1997–98 saw him score the winning goal against Leeds United to take the team to the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 17 years. His time at Wolves saw him hampered by several injuries, most notably a fractured skull. After failing to reach the play-offs, he was given a free transfer as part of a player clearout by manager Mark McGhee in May 1998.
The striker then made the bold move of heading to Japan, joining Sanfrecce Hiroshima. This proved a short term venture though, as he was quickly loaned back to Britain, to both Barnsley and Motherwell. His stay at Motherwell was made permanent in summer 1999 and he spent almost two seasons in the Scottish Premier League.
He was given a free transfer back to the West Midlands in March 2001 when he joined Division Three club Walsall. He only managed three goals in his 25 games, but one goal was a vital equaliser in the play-off final victory over Reading that won the club promotion to the second tier.
After a further season at Walsall, he moved to Exeter City, but ended up finishing the 2002–03 season on loan at Conference side Doncaster Rovers. He then ended his playing career with a season at non-league Stafford Rangers before announcing his retirement.
[edit] References
- ^ Tragic day that left a city scarred for life. The Times Online (2005-05-09). Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
