Current Player #39 Gatlin O'Donkor

Yellowarmy said:
He is 19 years old. He is doing very well for his age. Wasn't so long ago we were in the Conference struggling to score
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People forget this, hopefully he is learning the craft and will either continue with a loan in L2/NL and return a better player for it.

"Real" game time is what he needs, not lobbing on for 10 - 20 minutes chasing lost causes.
 
Yellowarmy said:
He is 19 years old. He is doing very well for his age. Wasn't so long ago we were in the Conference struggling to score
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Agree. He is only 19.
He is beginning to score goals and gaining a lot of experience.
We have developed him and hopefully he gets a good loan in L2 next season and let's hope he develops further so that he can play for us in the Championship in a couple of years time!!
 
Foley said:
Agree. He is only 19.
He is beginning to score goals and gaining a lot of experience.
We have developed him and hopefully he gets a good loan in L2 next season and let's hope he develops further so that he can play for us in the Championship in a couple of years time!!
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🚬 Man this stuff is good.
 
Barnet need to buy him or have him back next season.. he is young yes but TG is same age and has delivered from his early promise.
 
If he adds maybe another 2 or 3 goals and finishes with 8 or 9 in 20 then I think we should maybe take a look at him next season rather than another loan. He's made 50 odd appearances for us, although he's young he's not a wide eyed novice who will be startled by L1 defenders. A team like Peterborough would pluck this sort of player - and goal return - straight out of non league, give him game time and flog him for a million quid a year or two later!
 
He's like Des. I like him and I want him to succeed at this level with us. The problem is that, based on the evidence of own eyes, I just can't see it happening. When he finds his level (maybe L2 maybe the National League) he'll be a great servant.
 
I am just glad for his sake that this loan is working out. I think he is proving that he is good enough for the National League. When he was here he didn't look up to L1 standard (although we never played to his strengths and 'coming on to muck about with the ball in the corner for ten minutes' really didn't help him!) - if the club is going to persist with him, then surely a loan to an L2 club (or to stay with Barnet if they go up) would be a sensible move?
 
Foley said:
Agree. He is only 19.
He is beginning to score goals and gaining a lot of experience.
We have developed him and hopefully he gets a good loan in L2 next season and let's hope he develops further so that he can play for us in the Championship in a couple of years time!!
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I don’t think it’s his young age which is an issue; there are plenty of 18/19 year olds playing at a level or two above League One and doing rather well. It’s the lack of experience.
But having said that, he was learning nothing playing at our level and is far better suited where he is. Hopefully he will learn a bit more there about tactical awareness and thinking ahead - his main limitations when here, I felt.
 
Osleroad said:
Barnet need to buy him or have him back next season.. he is young yes but TG is same age and has delivered from his early promise.
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TG is 21 in August (2 age groups up in school/academy years) in the same equivalent age group season TG played 17 games for Slough Town in National League South scoring 3 goals. In the following season (GD next season) he played 41 games for Oxford with 3 goals and 1 assist.
 
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Also development isn't linear and can be quite harmful to compare players from different backgrounds playing in different positions.

Think it'd make sense to have a L1 or L2 loan next season if the management can't guarantee him regular playing time at Oxford, which with Harris, Goodwin and potentially Browne seems unlikely.

Think he's doing well and is learning with each game.
 
BrockBuster said:
Also development isn't linear and can be quite harmful to compare players from different backgrounds playing in different positions.

Think it'd make sense to have a L1 or L2 loan next season if the management can't guarantee him regular playing time at Oxford, which with Harris, Goodwin and potentially Browne seems unlikely.

Think he's doing well and is learning with each game.
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Good point. John Aldridge didn't move to Third Division OUFC until he was 21.
 
QR said:
Good point. John Aldridge didn't move to Third Division OUFC until he was 21.
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Aldo moved to 4th Div Newport Co aged 20 in 1979 from Sth Liverpool.
Scored 7 in 27 as they got promoted to Div 3 where he scored 11 in 36 and 17 in 41 (82/83) before hitting 26 goals and moving to us in March 84 aged 25 !
 
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At what level was Matty Taylor playing at 19? Plenty of players take a while to develop. You’d have hoped we’d learnt from releasing players like Taylor and Sam Rickets and at least give GO’D a chance to prove himself on loan at a L2 side next season
 
QR said:
Good point. John Aldridge didn't move to Third Division OUFC until he was 21.
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And look at Matt Taylor.
With many teams playing one striker upfront, things are even more difficult for up and coming strikers these days.
 
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IsleofWightYellow said:
At what level was Matty Taylor playing at 19? Plenty of players take a while to develop. You’d have hoped we’d learnt from releasing players like Taylor and Sam Rickets and at least give GO’D a chance to prove himself on loan at a L2 side next season
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Screenshot 2024-04-03 at 15.31.18.pngBorn in March 1990
 
Will he be our 3rd striker next year or out on loan again ? or do we need another striker signing.
 
Another loan in L2 and reassess in January.

If we enter next season with him 3rd choice then we’ve learned nothing. There’s got to be an established forward out there out of contract who fancies his chances of good minutes vs Goodwin’s injury record and Harris who we’ve run in to the ground. Not sure O’Donkor sticking around as 4th choice does him any good so the obvious solution is a further loan at an improved level.

Let him go and enjoy some more football.
 
Swaby39 said:
Another loan in L2 and reassess in January.

If we enter next season with him 3rd choice then we’ve learned nothing. There’s got to be an established forward out there out of contract who fancies his chances of good minutes vs Goodwin’s injury record and Harris who we’ve run in to the ground. Not sure O’Donkor sticking around as 4th choice does him any good so the obvious solution is a further loan at an improved level.

Let him go and enjoy some more football.
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From what I’ve seen, he’s been playing left side of 3 at Barnet
Someone at the club needs to get hold of him as there’s a player there.
Dickie would tell you what a handful he could be, good loan
 
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