David McGoldrick still has a lot to offer Notts County and showed that again at the weekend with two more goals against Swindon Town. The 37-year-old reached double figures for league goals this season but was hoping to go one better and get his first hat-trick for his boyhood club, but it was not to be on this occasion.

Still, McGoldrick powered the Magpies to another victory, their first of 2025 and their fourth in five games since the heavy defeat away at Salford City - a strong response to growing concerns at the time regarding the team’s trajectory. The experienced striker took the limelight with his two-goal performance, but he was quick to praise the rest of the team for their application during a busy period of matches.

“It was a great team performance [against Swindon],” said McGoldrick. “It was great to get the win after the disappointing second half against Walsall and I’m delighted to get the two goals.

“Since the Salford game, we’ve been really good. It was only that second half against Walsall where we dipped a bit, but we’ve dug deep with the injuries and illnesses we’ve got and have a good win here.

“I should have taken the match ball home, but I’m not complaining about two goals because you never get tired of the feeling when it comes to scoring goals. I had three [hat-tricks] in one season with Derby, and I haven’t got one for Notts yet. There’s still time, but making sure we’re winning games is the main thing.”

Goalscorers are often only as strong as the pieces around them that have to create the chances for them to score, and while McGoldrick can do a lot of things himself, he has plenty of players around him at Notts that can get him the ball in the right areas.

Tottenham Hotspur loanee George Abbott has emerged as one of those players this season, learning a lot playing alongside the likes of McGoldrick.

The former Republic of Ireland international added: “I got good contact on it [the header for the first goal], and it was looping into the goal, so I think the defender just panicked trying to clear it away, but it was going in anyway, so it was my goal.

“It was a great ball [for the second goal]. He’s [George Abbott] a great young player with great potential who is getting better every week. He’s got to add goals and assists to his game to get to the top level, and he’s doing that now.

“I told him to play those passes into me, which he did, and then he could leave the rest to me. I was grateful for the service, and maybe I was a bit too greedy in the end, knowing I could get a hattrick, but people know that I’m more about the team winning.”