Brandon Goodship’s goalscoring form is good news for Weymouth’s promotion push – but not for the Terras fan who has promised to get a tattoo of the striker’s face if he hits 40!
The 23-year-old tops the EVO-STIK South Premier goal charts after firing 29 goals in all competitions this season.
All but two have come in the league to help put Mark Molesley’s side in the middle of a title chase.
And while Goodship is doing the business at the sharp end, a brave supporter could be under the needle in the tattoo studio at the end of the season.
“My target before the season was 20 but now that’s gone up to about 35 if I can,” Goodship told The NLP. “One of the Weymouth fans has gone on record and said if I get 40 he’ll get my pen picture tattooed on him!
“So every game I score I get tweets – I think he’s sweating about it. I think he made the promise when I was on about 20 goals so he’s got a bit of bottle. Apparently he will go through it!”
Goodship grew up playing for Bournemouth where he had loan spells in Non-League with Blackfield & Langley, Dorchester Town, Hayes & Yeading and Braintree Town.
He also spent temporary time with Yeovil Town before joining the League Two side permanently last January. When he left Huish Park in the summer he felt regular game time was the priority and chose to drop into Non-League with Molesley, who he knew from the Cherries’ development teams.
And he feels playing and scoring goals has been the best decision for his ultimate ambition of returning to the professional game.
“I was at Bournemouth for a long time and was very fortunate to have some great coaches,” Goodship said. “I played U23s, went to Yeovil on loan and then signed there permanently.
“But I was in and out of the team, making appearances off the bench and I didn’t really cement a place. So I thought I should drop a few levels, score some goals and see where it takes me.
“My manager at Weymouth now was my 23s assistant at Bournemouth, so I knew it would be a good team and luckily I’m doing alright.
Incentive
“I’m really enjoying playing Saturday to Tuesday and battling for three points. U23s football is all well and good, but there’s nothing better than kicking off at 3pm on a Saturday in front of a crowd battling it out for three points. With that extra incentive it means a great deal more.”
With the season now approaching the final straight, Goodship knows the pressure is on to keep delivering – but he says the tight team cohesion at the Terras can take them a long way.
“That’s definitely a big reason why we are where we are at the minute,” he said. “Every game is massive now. The crowds are getting better and the fact we’re doing well is why it’s so important for people to come out and support us, which they are.
“We had a gate of 850 last week, we won 3-0, and that helps with confidence. Every game is massive, but the boys are coping with it well and, I feel, are only getting stronger. Hopefully that will aid us for the run in.”
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper which is available every Sunday and Monday
