Ex Files - Alan Goodall

His manager at the time was former Macclesfield boss Peter Davenport, who personally recommended Goodall to then Dale boss Steve Parkin. Goodall had been a huge success at Bangor, walking away with the Player of the Season awards and being named as team captain at a young age.

But despite his success with the League of Wales side, they didn't want to stand in the way of someone who wanted to make the step up to League Football, and they allow him to join Dale on a free transfer.

His early appearances saw plenty of positives from him but not without question marks. There was clearly a very good footballer in there, but the difference in pace saw him pick up a large number of yellow cards. in his early games and he walked a suspension tightrope from the middle of September.

But he soon adjusted to the game, and became a firm favourite amongst the Dale support. Hpwever, it wasn't just the Dale supporters who had become fans of Goodall, there was interest from other clubs, notably Chester City who put in a cash bid for a player they'd knocked back a matter of months earlier. However, their interest was dismissed and Goodall was rewarded with a two year contract.

His second season at Spotland saw Goodall elevated to one of the key members of the first team. He missed very few games that season, and whilst things weren't exactly sparkling for the team, Goodall continued to go from strength to strength.

In 2006-7, he completed the full set becoming an ever present for the first time. Not only did he manage every game, he showed a different side to his game, by becoming a makeshift centre half for a number of games due to injuries within the squad. It was a role that he took to brilliantly, and despite that overlying tendency to drift back over to the left, he performed to a high level in this position, winning much praise.

As his contract drew to a close, it had been widely expected that Goodall would be leaving Spotland for pastures new. It's very much the way of the game these days that any player who has attracted outside interest during his time will receive even more interest once he becomes out of contract, and by all accounts Luton Town beat off a number of interested parties to sign Goodall in June 2007 to bring his time at Spotland to a close.

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