NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
29 June, 2009

McGoldrick joins Davies rebuild

On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 2009 Forest sign David McGoldrick from Southampton.

Player legacies

Major player signing
David McGoldrick, former Forest player.
David McGoldrick, former Forest player. Image: Jon Candy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

David McGoldrick’s move from Southampton was part of Billy Davies’s attempt to reshape Forest for a stronger Championship push.

The transfer, reported at around £1m, brought in a forward with Nottingham roots and Football League experience. For supporters, that combination made the signing easy to understand: a Nottingham-born player arriving to play a role in a rebuild.

David McGoldrick, former Forest player.
David McGoldrick, former Forest player. Image: Jon Candy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Davies was trying to move Forest away from struggle and toward a more competitive level in the division. Adding McGoldrick fitted that wider summer work, as the club looked for more depth, more attacking options and a squad capable of climbing the table.

The signing did not carry the glamour of a superstar arrival, but it belonged to an important phase of construction. Forest were trying to become more stable, more ambitious and harder to play against.

McGoldrick’s Forest career did not quite develop into the success the signing had suggested. He showed ability in flashes but never became a regular goalscoring force at the City Ground, later spending time out on loan before leaving in 2013. His arrival is therefore remembered more as part of the Davies rebuild than as a major individual success.

Sources

BBC Sport; Southampton official site; Nottingham Forest season records

Explore more Nottingham Forest history

Browse the timeline to discover more events from this day and beyond:

JUNE
18
Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
22
Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
26
Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
31
Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
8
Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
12
Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
16
Nottingham Forest 2–0 Stade Brestois 29
22
Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
25
Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds
29
Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
5
Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
12
Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
19
Nottingham Forest 0–1 Coventry
11
Crystal Palace 14:00 Nottingham Forest
18
Nottingham Forest 16:30 Arsenal
23
Ipswich 20:00 Nottingham Forest
31
Brentford 15:00 Nottingham Forest
7
Nottingham Forest 17:30 Manchester City
21
Bournemouth 15:00 Nottingham Forest
27
Nottingham Forest 20:00 Chelsea
2
Hull City 20:00 Nottingham Forest
5
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brighton
12
Sunderland 15:00 Nottingham Forest
19
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Everton
27
Manchester United 16:30 Nottingham Forest
30
Newcastle 19:30 Nottingham Forest
2
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Fulham
5
Nottingham Forest 19:30 Hull City
16
Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Bournemouth
30
Chelsea 15:00 Nottingham Forest
6
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brentford
10
Fulham 20:00 Nottingham Forest
20
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Manchester United
27
Everton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
3
Nottingham Forest 20:00 Newcastle
13
Tottenham 15:00 Nottingham Forest
20
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Aston Villa
10
Leeds 15:00 Nottingham Forest
17
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Liverpool
24
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Sunderland
1
Brighton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
8
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Crystal Palace
15
Arsenal 15:00 Nottingham Forest
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Ipswich
30
Coventry 16:00 Nottingham Forest