The Premier League and Football League are filled to the brim of success stories for players who have made the journey upwards from the National League and below to reach the upper echelons of the game.
Jamie Vardy is the standout name due to his brilliance for Leicester City over the last decade, but Michail Antonio, Troy Deeney and Callum Wilson are among the other names to have starred in both the Championship and the top flight. However, they could be joined by another man who travelled down to non-league before finding his feet amongst the elite 92.
Matt Godden has transformed into an excellent striker in the second tier for Coventry City under Mark Robins. The Sky Blues were contenders for the Championship playoffs in the early days of the 2021/22 campaign due to the goals of Godden, but their form has dipped of late to knock them off the pace. Coventry are backed at 15/8 in the Betfair odds on the Championship to reach the playoffs at the end of the campaign, and Godden and his team-mates will have to rediscover their form to keep the Sky Blues' dream of a Premier League return alive.
A quick look at the English Championship tips will tell you how close the race for the playoffs is in the second tier this term. There are a lot of clubs bidding to finish in the top six, and form in front of goal will be the difference between success and failure for Robins' side, placing the onus on Godden to continue his scoring run.
Godden began his career at Scunthorpe United, but failed to make the grade at Glanford Park and moved down the tiers after a number of loan spells to Ebbsfleet United. In the Conference South, he notched nine goals in 32 appearances in his first full season. However, he then took the next step forward in the next campaign by firing home 26 goals in 38 games, only for the club to fail to win promotion to the National League.
Godden still got his move to Stevenage in League Two, where he continued to excel before being snapped up by Peterborough. He continued to thrive even in the third tier, spending one season with the Posh, where he notched 14 goals. Robins noticed his prowess in front of goal and signed up the forward to bolster his attacking line for the 2019/20 campaign. Godden delivered in the final third with another 14-goal term to usher Coventry into the Championship as League One winners.
He took time to adjust to the second tier, managing only six goals in his first season. However, he has already surpassed that mark in his second campaign, averaging a strike every other game. Godden will need to match that level of form throughout the term to fire the Sky Blues into the playoffs.
They're unlikely to make a charge for the top two given the quality of Fulham, Bournemouth and West Brom. However, Robins and his team might have enough to propel themselves into post-season, which for the 30-year-old may give him the opportunity to fulfil a Premier League dream, and join a growing list of stars to have made the long journey to the top.
