Goddard George Image 1 Queen’s Park Rangers 1930

Description

Gomshall, Surrey born centre forward George Goddard began his football career with Redhill from where he joined Third Division (South) club Queen’s Park Rangers in 1926, for whom he made his Football League debut at Brentford in September 1926, scoring in a 4-2 defeat. Goddard finished his debut season as Rangers’ top scorer with 23 goals, and the following season bettered his total with 26 goals in only 34 appearances, scoring his first hat-trick in a win over Bristol Rovers in October 1927 with a further treble at Merthyr Town in February 1928.

Described as “a skilful leader with an eye for the main chance” and “a deadly marksman”, Goddard then lit the blue touch paper over the next two seasons, scoring 38 goals when an ever present for Rangers in 1929-30 and 39 goals in 1930-31 when he missed only one match as Queen’s Park Rangers finished sixth and third in the division respectively. In 1928-29 he scored 4 goals in a thrashing of Merthyr Town in March 1929 as well as hat-tricks the same season against Torquay United, both home and away, and Crystal Palace. In 1929-30 he bagged 4 goals in an 8-3 thrashing of Swindon Town in April 1930 and trebles against Norwich City, Merthyr Town (again!), Plymouth Argyle and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Goddard continued to be prolific in 1930-31 with 27 goals, with 4 goals in a thrashing of Exeter City in December 1930 and a hat-trick against Newport County. His 19 goals in 1931-32 and 14 goals in 1932-33 completed seven successive seasons when Goddard was Queen’s Park Rangers’ top goalscorer. In the former season he scored all four goals in a 4-4 draw against Watford in September 1931 and a hat-trick in a thrashing of Thames in December. He once again punished Merthyr Town in an FA Cup tie in December 1932 with his final hat-trick in Rangers colours.

Goddard signed for Second Division club Brentford in September 1933 after 186 goals in 259 appearances, and is the club’s record goalscorer. At Brentford he didn’t break into the first eleven and in December he moved on to First Division club Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he scored 11 goals in 17 matches during the rest of the season. After one further appearance for Wolves the next season, Goddard was signed by Sunderland in December 1934, where he struggled to establish himself as their first choice centre forward, scoring 6 goals in 14 appearances for The Wearsiders before a return south in March 1936 when he moved to Southend United.

Goddard scored his final career hat-trick in a 9-2 thrashing of Southend United in September 1936 but he lost his place in The Shrimpers’ first team in January 1937 and played only 5 more matches in 1937-38 before his retirement at the end of the season after 19 goals in 39 appearances.