Jeff Goulding – Dancing on the Ceiling

Jeff Goulding in dancing on the ceiling after securing a starting berth with Cheltenham.

Goulding, 26, has scored in each of the last two games following his summer move to the Robins, but was close to believing his football dream was over. He revealed:

“I was nearly 24 when I got my break with Bournemouth and was starting to wonder if I’d missed the boat, but hadn’t quite given up.

I played non-league, but paid my way working in a variety of jobs. I was a builder, worked in a bank for a little while, but for the majority of the time I was a ceiling fixer sorting out dry lining, borders and fixing panels.

Getting up at five to go to work and then training – and playing non-league definitely makes you appreciate the late tarts and early finishes you get as a professional footballer.

When I was younger I was always going off on trial and those jobs paid for my petrol money.”

But Goulding spent most of last season warming the bench while new Bristol City striker Brett Pitman scored the goals. He said:

“I had two great seasons at Bournemouth, but didn’t play as much as Brett was scoring for fun and you can’t argue with the manager when that happens.

It’s nice to finally start games, but I won’t forget where I’ve come from and the effort it took to get here – it helps you appreciate it even more.

I try to give advice to the youngsters and some of them might fob me off a bit, but I guess they’ve got their own paths to follow.”