Barnsley talisman David McGoldrick on Reyes Cleary, goal numbers and why form is temporary, but class is permanent
WHEN you are as good as David McGoldrick is in lower-division circles, you really don't have to worry about goal droughts.
The phrase 'form is temporary, but class is permanent' was made for Barnsley's gifted forward, who is proving as talismanic at Oakwell as he was in his time at Sheffield United, Derby County and Notts County. Other places as well.
Not bad to say he turns 39 at the end of November.
McGoldrick is a mentor for his team-mates, a creator and goalscorer on the pitch and an undoubted class act both on and off it. He's also an all-round good guy and the most engaging of interviewees.
On Saturday, he became the first Reds player to score two hat-tricks in the same season as Michael Chopra in 2004-05 and the oldest player to score a league hat-trick in England's top four tiers since Jamie Cureton in April 2015.
In the process, his treble haul at Leyton Orient took his tally to 10 goals in his past nine outings for Barnsley.
Prior to his first goal in that run, he hadn't scored in 11 matches.
McGoldrick, now up to 15 goals for the season in all competitions, admits to not being motivated by numbers as such.
Enjoyment and being part of something wholesome at this stage of his career definitely is.
Playing for a couple of his mates also comes into it, in the shape of Barnsley coaching duo Conor Hourihane and Richard Keogh, who he knows well and respects.
The deal for him to come to Barnsley was 'brokered' during a conversation with ex-Derby and Ireland team-mate Hourihane at a wedding reception last summer when the wine was flowing.
As for proving a point in the winter of his career? Well, he does admit that when one Barnsley supporter went on social media back in the autumn to opine that his 'legs had gone', it did provide him with a handy touch of inspiration.
As for the numbers? Well, they will take care of themselves.
McGoldrick doesn't even consider himself as a goalscorer as such and given that he views his position as a 'nine-and-a-half/ten', you sort of get his drift.
Although it's nice to get a matchball on the mantelpiece for the family from time to time.
He said: "I know what I am on, but I'm not looking at: 'Oh: 'I've got to get 20 by the end of the season'.
"I always go into each game and visualise scoring. When I'm driving in with my kids on a Saturday, they're asking me how many I'm going to score.
"I say: 'I'm going to score two today’. Or they say: 'Are you going to score one?' I'll say: 'Well, I'll bring a match ball home for you.'. So I always go with that positive mindset.
"But there's no figures on how many I want to score at the minute. I want the club to win some games. We've got a good run of fixtures coming up where we can get points. And I think that's down to us as players.
"Sometimes I think they are a bit nervy. There's a lot of young boys out there and one bad thing happens and there's a few groans. But that's part of football."
This is where McGoldrick the mentor comes in, which is another reason why Hourihane was so keen to sign him last summer.
Talks about whether he will stay around for another season will begin in due course. No need to worry about that at the minute.
His view on retirement is an eminently sensible one. "I don't want football to retire me, I want to retire from football", he sagely acknowledges.
His recent feats hint he might not be quite ready just yet.
Coaching and management - 'wearing a suit and jacket on a Saturday with a Fitbit and an Apple watch' as he put it in a previous interview with The Yorkshire Post - does not appeal for him.
Mentoring players is something that does. He's done a fair bit of that already this season, with Reyes Cleary most notably.
He continued: “When I say I don't want to be a coach or a manager, that doesn't mean I don't want to be involved in football.
"With mentoring young players, I've done things with players this year in (terms of) helping them. Especially the attackers, in terms of just doing things with individuals.
"With Reyes, I've gone through individual clips with him. And that's not me wanting to be a coach. That's just me wanting to help someone. I see the potential in players.
"I played at the top, so I kind of know what it takes and I played against the best.
"If I go into a little bit of detail with Reyes, he wasn't making the runs in behind as much, but then I was telling him to be more direct.
"it's not all about ‘YouTube moves’ or step overs on the outside and getting past a man. You need to get numbers, you need to get goals.
"Now he's a five-million pound rated player. So when they sell him, hopefully I get £4.5 million of that myself!"