Derby County faced a rebuild unlike any other in the summer of 2022, as the club prepared for life in League One with David Clowes as its new owner after nearly a year in administration. New heroes were needed, and one was discovered.

The Rams hadn’t played in the third division since 1986, and after 14 years in the Championship, a 21-point deduction had left them facing League One for the 2022/23 season with a squad that needed to be assembled in just a few weeks.

Conor Hourihane, James Collins, and Korey Smith all attended Pride Park, while teenagers Eiran Cashin, Max Bird, and Jason Knight hoped to make an impression in a new level.

However, it was one player who stole the headlines throughout the season, with Derby’s arrival of David McGoldrick posing a significant danger to all League One teams.

Derby County enjoyed an amazing season with Derby County in 2022/23.

McGoldrick left Sheffield United after four years and joined the Rams on a free transfer. He accepted a one-year contract in the East Midlands, and at 34, there were some doubts about his ability to lead a team competing for promotion to the Championship.

Nonetheless, the former Republic of Ireland international quickly demonstrated his abilities, scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Peteborough United in only his third game. While it would take a few weeks for the 34-year-old to come up to speed, he scored his first professional hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Bristol Rovers at Pride Park.

Derby’s hero went on to score two more hat-tricks, all of which came at home, as Forest Green Rovers and Morecambe witnessed his magnificence.

David McGoldrick Derby County Statistics 2022/23 (TransferMarkt)

Competition

Apps

Goals

Assists

League One

22 6

FA Cup: two (2), one (1), and two (2) Carabao Cup.
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– EFL Trophy: 2 vs 1.
– In 39 league games for the Rams, McGoldrick scored 22 goals and assisted six teammates. Fans took to him right away, and there were few more composed and intricate on the ball in the remainder of the EFL, let alone the third tier.

In 2022/23, Derby County missed out on the play-offs due to a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, allowing Peterborough to surpass Paul Warne’s side in sixth place. David McGoldrick had only one season of faultless performance.

With the team prepared for another season in League One, the Rams and McGoldrick were unable to reach an agreement, and he left in the summer. However, his next destination, Notts County, may not have come as a surprise.

The former Ipswich Town ace grew up a Magpies fan, and the opportunity to play for his boyhood club was too good to pass up, so he moved down to League Two in the summer of 2023 following Notts’ elevation to the EFL.

Although McGoldrick only played for Derby for one season, it was a memorable one, and supporters will never forget witnessing their former number 10 light it up at Pride Park on a weekly basis.