Ebbsfleet United striker Matt Godden has 22 goals in National League South but not thinking about the Golden Boot
Published: 00:00, 07 April 2016
Winning the Golden Boot is the last thing on Matt Godden’s mind as he bids to fire Ebbsfleet to automatic promotion.
Godden’s four goals at Hayes & Yeading last weekend took him to 26 in all competitions this season and up to 24th on the Fleet’s all-time list.
The 24-year-old is now level with Bishop’s Stortford’s Elliott Buchanan at the top of the National League South scoring charts having netted 22 league goals in 35 appearances.
Godden has scored six in his last three games but is letting others worry about the statistics for now.
He said: "Taking the pressure off as a team has probably helped me because I’ve taken the pressure off myself.
"I’ve totally relaxed in training and in games I don’t snatch at things if things aren’t going my way.
"I’m trying to stay totally cool and it’s helped in the last three games. That’s the way I’ll continue to go.
"If I get the Golden Boot, I get the Golden Boot and if I don’t, I’ll just try to score as many goals as I can."
Ebbsfleet were 12 points clear in February but Maidstone and Sutton have whittled away at their lead to set up a three-horse title race.
Godden said: "We have to deal with that. That’s the position we’re in now. We’ve let them in it and that’s our own fault.
"We are where we are now and we’ve got to look at the next three games left, do what we do and see where that takes us. There’s bound to be other twists and turns.
"I love it. You see the true men that want to come out and perform in games like this when the pressure’s on.
"It’s something I like. I like it when the pressure’s on, I like it when you’re playing in local derbies, that seems to get the best out of me.
"I go out there relaxed and chilled out. It seems to sharpen my mind.
"We’ve got to forget about what else is going on and stick to what we’re good at, which is pressing the ball, working hard and harassing teams."
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Steve Tervet