Saints dipped into Notts County's youth set up for the second time in two years to snap up McGoldrick in the summer of 2004.

Following in the footsteps of his friend and former team-mate Leon Best, the bustling front-man arrived on the south-coast to continue his development as a striker.

He has already shown the potential to take his game on having made four appearances in the second division club's first team at the end of the 2003/4 campaign.

A powerfully built youngster with an assured touch he can finish and create chances and forms an excellent link between the midfield and forwards.
At the start of the 2005-6 season he made his Saints debut as a substitute in their 1-0 Carling Cup defeat against Mansfield and also returned to Notts County for a brief spell on loan to gain more first-team experience.

Although he failed to score in that stay, it was a brief blip in an otherwise phenomenal season which saw him net an incredible 44 goals for the Reserves and Under 18's including a hat-trick in the play-off final as Saints beat Aston Villa 3-2.

He also netted three goals over the two legs of the FA Youth Cup semi-final against Liverpool to earn a first-team call-up making his club league debut at home to Millwall. Scored his first senior goal in the season's Carling Cup tie at Millwall in September 2006.

McGoldrick spent a successful loan spell at Bournemouth towards the end of the 06-07 campaign, his goals helping to fire the Cherries to League One survival. He was then given the chance to gain further first-team experience with a loan move to Port Vale until January 2008.

The Nottingham born forward made an astonishing 50 appearances in his first full season in the first team at St. Mary's in 2008/09 as he featured in every game. Despite a disappointing season for the team, he finished as the club's leading goal scorer with 14 goals to his name.