Derby County coach Richie Barker has said Notts County have done ‘ever so well’ so far this season.
Derby County take on the League Two new boys in the Papa John’s Trophy. Their opponents are currently top of the fourth tier after an impressive start to life back in the Football League.
They swooped to sign ex-Rams striker David McGoldrick over the summer following their promotion from the National League. He has scored five foals so far this season.
Barker has told the club website: “They’ve done ever so well off the back of promotion last year but it’s also a bit of a local derby and not far for the fans to travel. We want to keep our good away record going and it’s a competition that, once you start getting beyond the group stages, people start to take a bit more seriously. It’s a good way for us to sign off in this little section between the breaks.”
Regarding McGoldrick, he said: “He’s very popular for what he did last year. He’s a real good character, a real football person and it will be nice to see him. He left in the middle of the summer when nobody was about so we didn’t get a chance to say a proper goodbye so it will be good to see him again.”
Derby cup clash
Derby will see their upcoming cup clash at Meadow Lane as a chance to give some of their players to get some minutes. They head into the match on the back of their 1-1 draw away at Cheltenham Town last Saturday.
The Rams are currently sat in 8th position in the League One table and are two points behind the play-offs. Their next league game is after the international break against Shrewsbury Town away.
McGoldrick made the decision to leave Pride Park over the summer and move to Notts County. The deal raised eyebrows, especially after his prolific campaign last term.
He joined Derby in 2022 and scored 25 goals in all competitions, 22 of which came in the league. The former Republic of Ireland won their Player of the Year but left when his one-year contract expired.
The ex-Ipswich Town and Sheffield United man has since penned a two-year deal at Notts County and has his sights set on promotion to the third tier.
