John Goddard

Club career Early career Goddard joined Reading at the age of eight in 2001 and progressed through the club's youth academy, signing his first professional contract in 2011. He featured primarily for the development squad during the 2011–12 season and did not make a first-team appearance.

Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Goddard signed a one-year contract with Conference South club Hayes & Yeading United. He scored once that season, in a 4–1 FA Trophy victory over Eastleigh, and made 40 appearances in all competitions as the club finished 17th in the league.

Woking After a trial in July 2013, during which he scored twice in pre-season friendly against Staines Town, Goddard signed for Conference Premier club Woking on 1 September 2013. He made his debut in a 2–0 victory over Hyde United on 17 September 2013 and scored his first goal in a 2–0 win at Gateshead on 15 February 2014. He finished his first season with four goals in 42 appearances. Woking ended the season in seventh, narrowly missing out on the play-offs.

The 2015–16 season served as Goddard's breakthrough season in terms of regular goal contributions. He scored twice in a 2–0 victory over Bromley at Kingfield Stadium on 11 August 2015, and went on to record seven goals in nine matches, He finished the season with 20 goals in 50 appearances from midfield and was named Woking's Player of the Year.

Swindon Town Two weeks after the conclusion of the season, on 13 May 2016, Goddard signed for League One club Swindon Town on a three-year contract and for an undisclosed fee, with the club stating they had beaten competition from Championship and rival League One clubs for his signature. Goddard scored his first goal for Swindon in a 1–1 draw away at Shrewsbury Town on 1 October 2016, and added two further goals that season. He made 48 appearances in all competitions, the most of any Swindon player that season, as the club were relegated to League Two. which sidelined him for six weeks. He scored his first goal of the season on 14 October 2017, finishing a team move in a 3–1 away victory over Mansfield Town. However, he struggled to hold down a regular starting place, with 10 of his 17 appearances that season coming as a substitute, and he did not feature during the final six weeks at Swindon before leaving the club. Goddard made 65 appearances in all competitions during his time there, scoring five goals. He made his debut three days later in a 3–2 away defeat at Accrington Stanley. After the appointment of manager Dino Maamria, Goddard fell out of favour and made three further appearances before being transfer-listed at the end of the season. He joined National League club Bromley on loan on 17 August 2018, in a deal until January 2019. He debuted the following day in Bromley's first win of the season, a 1–0 home victory over Gateshead, and scored once in 16 appearances during the loan spell, in a 3–1 defeat to Leyton Orient on 17 November 2018.

After his loan at Bromley ended, Goddard signed for fellow National League club Aldershot Town on a six-month contract on 18 January 2019. He made his debut the following day, playing the whole match in a 2–0 home defeat to Chesterfield. Goddard scored once during his time at the club, and made 18 appearances as Aldershot finished 21st in the National League.

Ebbsfleet United and return to Woking Goddard went on trial with National League club Ebbsfleet United in pre-season ahead of the 2019–20 season and signed permanently on 16 July 2019. He scored on his debut in a 4–1 home defeat to FC Halifax Town on 3 August 2019, and went on to make 23 appearances in all competitions, scoring once, before the National League season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Goddard left the club following the expiry of his contract in July 2020.

Goddard returned to Woking on 13 August 2020, signing a one-year contract. He made his first appearance back at Woking as a substitute in a 2–1 victory against Solihull Moors on 3 October 2020. He made nine appearances during the 2020–21 season before leaving when his contract expired in June 2021.

Further spells in non-League Goddard joined National League South club St Albans City on 8 August 2021 following a short-term trial. He made his debut on the opening day of the 2021–22 season in a 3–1 home defeat to Dartford, and scored his first goal on 30 October 2021 in a 2–1 comeback victory over Eastbourne Borough. Goddard made 46 appearances, scoring seven goals, as St Albans finished ninth in the National League South. He left the club upon the expiry of his contract in June 2022, in order to reduce travel and pursue football closer to home while focussing on his business interests.

He joined fellow National League South club Slough Town on 21 June 2022. Goddard scored his first goals for the club in a 3–1 victory over Cheshunt on 27 August 2022, and finished the 2022–23 season as Slough's top goalscorer with six goals in 44 appearances. He remained with the club for the 2023–24 season, earning the National League South Player of the Month award for November 2023 after scoring four goals, including two free kicks, in six matches. He ended the season as Slough's top goalscorer for a second consecutive year with 19 goals in 52 appearances and was also named the club's Player of the Year. having previously played alongside assistant manager Mark Ricketts at Woking. He scored three times in 27 appearances during the remainder of 2024–25 season and signed a one-year contract extension on 27 May 2025.

International career Goddard received his first call-up to the England C team, who represent England at non-League level, from manager Paul Fairclough on 4 March 2016, ahead of a fixture against Ukraine under-20s on 22 March 2016. He made his debut in a 2–0 victory, playing the full 90 minutes and contributing to the opening goal. He earned a second call-up for the England C fixture against Slovakia under-21s on 18 May 2016, again playing the entire match in a 4–3 defeat.

Following the 2023–24 season, Goddard was recalled to the England C squad and made his third appearance in a 2–0 win over Nepal on 6 May 2024.

Style of play Goddard has been deployed as both an attacking midfielder and a winger, capable of operating on either flank. His play is characterised by attacking intent, a tendency to cut inside to shoot, and a willingness to run at defenders. He has stated that he aims to play positively and move the ball forward whenever possible. National League South

2022–23 National League South

2023–24 National League South

84!!22!!8!!3!!0!!0!!3!!1!!95!!26 Boreham Wood 2024–25 National League South

2024–25 National League South

2025–26 National League South

2026–27 National League South

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Honours Individual Woking Player of the Year: 2015–16 Slough Town Player of the Year: 2023–24 National League South Player of the Month: November 2023