Nottingham Forest's loss was firmly a gain for Ipswich Town: View | OneFootball

Ipswich Town have been treated to seeing a number of goal-scoring talent within their ranks in recent years, with this season's crop of talent hopeful of securing promotion back to the Premier League.

Conor Chaplin and Nathan Broadhead lead the way for Kieran McKenna's side this term, scoring 12 goals in 40 games in all competitions this term, but January arrivals Kieffer Moore and Ali Al Hamadi have also brought extra firepower to aid the Tractor Boys' promotion push.

It is unlikely that the goal-scoring exploits of Ray Crawford and John Wark will ever be seen again in East Anglia, but one player who will be remembered fondly for his time at Portman Road is David McGoldrick, who now plies his trade in League Two with his boyhood club, Notts County.

David McGoldrick's Ipswich Town statistics

Having spent the first four years of his career continuously on the move around the country from parent club Southampton, McGoldrick found a permanent home back in the city he grew up in, joining Nottingham Forest in June 2009 for £1 million.

The striker would endure a difficult first season at the City Ground, scoring three times in 33 appearances in all competitions, and would be ruled out of the start of the following campaign with a shoulder injury, but would go on to score six goals to help Forest finish in the play-offs.

McGoldrick would be sent out on another two loans to Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City, before joining Ipswich, again on loan, until the end of 2012/13 season with a view to a permanent move in the summer.

Having scored four goals in 14 appearances, the striker made the switch to Portman Road and would flourish in his maiden season in East Anglia. Under Mick McCarthy, the striker would form a great understanding alongside Daryl Murphy, with the pair netting 18 times in 22 appearances during the first half of the campaign. In just four months, McGoldrick had already proven to Forest that their loss, was most certainly Ipswich's gain.

His second month saw him named the Championship's Player of the Month for September, following braces against Middlesbrough and Brighton. Despite suffering a knee injury that would keep him out of action for 10 weeks, McGoldrick would finish the season as the club's top scorer, and was named the Players' Player of the Year at the end of the campaign.

Interest would soon gather and newly-promoted Leicester City tried to tempt the striker with the lure of Premier League football, but Ipswich rejected the £5 million offer, with the Tractor Boys hopeful of a sum around the £8 million mark.

McGoldrick would play another key role for Ipswich that season but would be struck down by injury once more, managing to return for the final 20 minutes of the play-off semi-final second leg defeat to East Anglian rivals, Norwich City.

A contract extension was signed in 2015 to keep him at Portman Road until the summer of 2018, but he would struggle with recurring injuries that would limit him to making over 30 appearances in one of his final three seasons at the club.

After five years at the club, McGoldrick's departure was confirmed by manager Paul Hirst following the expiration of his contract, leaving the club having scored 45 times in 159 games in all competitions.

Injuries hampered McGoldrick's Ipswich career, but he's proving he can still compete

It is a question of 'what if' concerning McGoldrick's time at Ipswich Town. The striker showed immense quality during his first season at the club, but as his time at Portman Road continued, it was only ever seen in glimpses purely down to his rotten luck with injuries.

If he had remained injury-free, who knows how many goals he could have got for Ipswich.

However, despite edging towards the latter stages of his career, McGoldrick has proved that he still knows where the back of the net is.

Having joined Sheffield United from Ipswich in 2018, the striker would help the Blades achieve promotion to the Premier League, scoring 15 times in all competitions, before going on to play in the top flight for two seasons, netting 10 goals and providing six assists in that time.

McGoldrick would go on to showcase his goal-scoring exploits with Derby County, scoring 25 goals and providing seven assists in all competitions, going on to be named the club's Player of the Year, while also being named the PFA League One Fans' Player of the Year award and put in the PFA League One Team of the Season.

Many believed he would go on to sign an extension on his one-year deal at Pride Park, but boyhood club Notts County had just achieved promotion back to the Football League, returning to the club he started his career at 19 years ago, with his love for the football club thought to be the reasoning behind the move.

He has continued his fine form this season, scoring 13 goals for the Magpies in all competitions, hoping to continue his good form after recently returning to the first-team fold from injury.

McGoldrick will always be remembered fondly at most of the clubs he has played for, given the character and the person he is. But, he perhaps will be most welcomed back to Portman Road in the years to come, given the memories he made in East Anglia.