Derby County landed £0 Sheffield United transfer gold | OneFootball

David McGoldrick had a stunning season at Derby County in the 2022/23 campaign, the Rams got the very best out of the veteran striker.

In the summer of 2022, Derby County faced a rebuild like never before as the club prepared for life in League One with David Clowes as the new owner following almost a year in administration. New heroes were needed, and one was found.

The Rams had not played in the third tier since 1986, and after a 14-year stint in the Championship, a 21-point deduction had left them staring in the fact of League One for the 2022/23 campaign with a squad that needed to be put together in just a matter of weeks.

The likes of Conor Hourihane, James Collins and Korey Smith all made their way to Pride Park, while youngsters Eiran Cashin, Max Bird and Jason Knight were looking to make an impact in a new division.

However, it was one man who stole the headlines over the course of the season, with the addition of David McGoldrick making Derby a huge threat to all those in League One.

Derby County had a stunning season with Derby County in 2022/23

After four years at Sheffield United, McGoldrick joined the Rams on a free transfer. He signed a one-year deal in the East Midlands, and at the age of 34, there were perhaps some question marks over his ability to lead the line for a team fighting for promotion to the Championship.

Nevertheless, it did not take long for the former Republic of Ireland international to prove his class, scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Peteborough United in just his third appearance. While it would take a few more weeks for then 34-year-old to get himself up to speed, he scored his first career hat-trick against Bristol Rovers in a 4-2 win at Pride Park.

Two more hat-tricks would follow for Derby's talisman, with all three coming at home, as Forest Green Rovers and Morecambe bore witness to his brilliance.

In 39 league games for the Rams, McGoldrick would find the back of the net on 22 separate occasions, while also registering six assists for his teammates. Supporters took to him instantly, and there were few more composed and intricate on the ball in the rest of the EFL, let alone the third tier.

Derby County only got one season of perfection from David McGoldrick

Derby missed out on the play-offs on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign, as a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough allowed Peterborough to overtake Paul Warne's side into sixth.

With the club preparing for another season in League One, a deal could not be agreed between the Rams and McGoldrick and he departed that summer. However, it may not have come as a surprise to see where his next destination would be, as Notts County came calling.

The former Ipswich Town ace had grown up a Magpies supporter, and getting the opportunity to turn out for his boyhood club was too good an opportunity to turn down, and he dropped down to League Two in the summer of 2023 following Notts' promotion to the EFL.

Although Derby only got one season out of McGoldrick, it was a year that will be hard to replicate in black-and-white and fans will never forget seeing their former number 10 light it up at Pride Park on a weekly basis.