Johnny Goodchild
{{Short description|English footballer (1939-2011)}}
{{use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Johnny Goodchild
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = John Goodchild{{cite book |first1=Tim |last1=Carder |first2=Roger |last2=Harris |title=Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C |year=1997 |publisher=Goldstone Books |location=Hove |page=96 |isbn=0-9521337-1-7 |name-list-style=amp}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1939|1|2|df=y}}
| birth_place = Sherburn Hill, County Durham, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2011|8|25|1939|1|2}}
| death_place = Durham
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=8}}
| position = Inside forward
| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Ludworth Juniors
| years1 = 1957–1961 | clubs1 = Sunderland | caps1 = 44 | goals1 = 21
| years2 = 1961–1966 | clubs2 = Brighton & Hove Albion | caps2 = 163 | goals2 = 44
| years3 = 1966–1967 | clubs3 = York City | caps3 = 29 | goals3 = 6
| years4 = 1967–1968 | clubs4 = Darlington | caps4 = 2 | goals4 = 0
| years5 = – | clubs5 = Goole Town | caps5 = | goals5 =
}}
Johnny Goodchild (2 January 1939 – 25 August 2011) was a professional footballer who scored 71 goals from 238 appearances in the Football League playing as an inside forward for Sunderland, Brighton & Hove Albion, York City and Darlington.{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/johngoodchild.html |title=John Goodchild |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |access-date=9 July 2010}}
Career
Goodchild was born in Sherburn Hill, County Durham. He worked as a miner and played for Ludworth Juniors before signing for Sunderland.{{cite news |url=http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2005/7/25/201737.html |title=Hero To Zero For Goodchild |newspaper=The Northern Echo |date=25 July 2005 |access-date=9 July 2010}} He scored on his first-team debut, on 4 September 1957 in a 3–2 home defeat of Leicester City in the First Division, and produced 16 goals the following season.{{cite web |url=http://www.thestatcat.co.uk/Mplayers/MPG367.asp |title=Player Details: John Goodchild |publisher=The StatCat |access-date=9 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516093126/http://www.thestatcat.co.uk/Mplayers/MPG367.asp |archive-date=16 May 2008 |df=dmy-all }} He then fell out of favour, and, despite scoring a hat-trick away at Leeds United in February 1961, his first game of the 1960–61 season, never appeared for the club again. Goodchild remembers "thinking to myself that if I couldn't get into the team after scoring a hat-trick away from home, I'd be on the transfer list at the end of the season. That's exactly what happened."
He joined Second Division club Brighton & Hove Albion, and in his first season with the club, was their joint-top scorer (alongside Bobby Laverick and Tony Nicholas) with 10 goals in all competitions. Two years later, by which time the club had been twice relegated and were now playing in Division Four, he was top scorer on his own, with 15 goals in all competitions.Carder & Harris, Albion A–Z, p. 338. In 1964–65, Goodchild was one of six goalscorers to reach double figures as Albion won the Fourth Division title.{{cite news|url=http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2001/7/2/175773.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712163039/http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2001/7/2/175773.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 July 2012 |title=Albion Icons: The Fiery Captain Who Loved A Good Punch Up |newspaper=The Argus |location=Brighton |date=2 July 2001 |access-date=9 July 2010 }}
He returned to the north of England in 1966, spending a season with York City and a brief spell with Darlington.
Goodchild was a keen cricketer. He first played for his village side, in Littletown, at 14, and appeared for Durham Second XI in 1959.{{cite news |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/columnists/mikeamos/backtrack/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524162456/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/columnists/mikeamos/backtrack/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 May 2009 |title=Littletown all out after 120 years |first=Mike |last=Amos |newspaper=The Northern Echo |date=23 March 2007 |access-date=24 October 2010 }}{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/256/256559.html |title=Durham Second XI v Northumberland Second XI in 1959 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=9 July 2010}}
He played cricket for many years in the Durham County League for Ushaw Moor CC.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodchild, Johnny}}
Category:Footballers from County Durham
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players
Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Category:York City F.C. players
Category:Darlington F.C. players
Category:Goole Town F.C. players