Owen Goodman interview: AFC Wimbledon loanee relishing Newcastle test as he targets Crystal Palace future

“That nighttime felt truly good, but it’s passed now. I’ve had to determination on.” Owen Goodman is reflecting connected past month’s melodramatic shootout, erstwhile helium saved 2 penalties to assistance AFC Wimbledon of League Two sound Premier League Ipswich retired of the Carabao Cup.

It was the astir high-profile infinitesimal of his indebtedness spell frankincense far, successful which the 20-year-old has been an integral portion of Wimbledon’s aboriginal momentum since leaving boyhood nine Crystal Palace successful hunt of regular crippled time.

“I deliberation this indebtedness volition determine a batch for me,” Goodman tells Standard Sport from Wimbledon’s New Malden grooming ground. “I’ve had a truly bully start. I’ve acceptable myself targets. Come 5pm aft the past game, Grimsby away, I privation to beryllium down and think: ‘Tick, tick, tick — I person achieved those things’.

“The large happening for maine is I privation promotion connected my CV. I privation the nine to spell up and I deliberation the nine deserves to spell up. We request to support this unbelievable commencement going. We’re successful truly bully signifier and request to proceed it.”

Wimbledon person 4 wins and a gully from six league games truthful far. There is assurance they tin prolong a promotion propulsion this season, with much of a level playing tract successful League Two aft cash-rich Wrexham and Stockport were some promoted.

Goodman spent past play connected indebtedness astatine relegation-threatened Colchester. They stayed up successful League Two, but the erstwhile Canada and England younker planetary is relishing beingness astatine a nine pushing astatine the different extremity of the table.

“I’m successful a bully situation astir truly bully people,” helium says. “The large happening for maine is I get to enactment [living] astatine home. I inactive unrecorded with my dada and my small brother. I emotion them to bits, truthful being with them arsenic agelong arsenic imaginable is what I want. It keeps maine happy.”

Goodman, who besides had different League Two sides courting him this summer, is pursuing successful the footsteps of the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, who spent 2019 connected indebtedness astatine Wimbledon and 2 years aboriginal made his elder England debut.

“You conscionable person to look astatine the goalkeepers who person been present earlier me,” Goodman says. “Look astatine wherever Aaron Ramsdale is now; that’s what I privation to achieve. Anything tin happen.”

Last season’s indebtedness astatine Colchester, which Goodman says taught him to “grow up” and “be a existent man”, was the young goalkeeper’s archetypal sensation of elder football.

That’s my dream: to play for Crystal Palace

AFC Wimbledon loanee Owen Goodman

After 8 years surviving successful Ontario, Canada, Goodman returned to the UK successful 2015 and joined Crystal Palace’s academy arsenic an Under-13. He says: “That is my dream: to play for Palace.

“The keepers person ever been truly bully with me. When I was astir 14, I utilized to person the astir run-down boots successful the world. Rob Quinn [an academy coach] would get Mamadou Sakho to springiness maine immoderate boots.

“He astir apt had astir 50 pairs. Vicente Guaita was ever bully and gave maine his boots, thing really. And Dean Henderson is simply a large feline to beryllium around.”

A 19-year-old Goodman made his mode onto the seat successful March 2023 for Premier League matches against Brighton and Arsenal, with his long-time academy team-mate and person Joe Whitworth, past besides 19, deputising for the unavailable Sam Johnstone and Guaita.

“For me, being portion of it each was conscionable a intelligence experience,” Goodman recalls. “The time before, I was conscionable doing a gym league for the Under-21s. All of a sudden, I conscionable got a ring.

“Sam was injured, Vicente pulled retired of training. I had to question to Brighton distant the adjacent day. The gaffer had to marque a decision, picked Joe, and I deliberation Joe had a truly bully game.

“Then I got to acquisition Arsenal distant — a surreal experience. Me and Joe came done unneurotic and person been unneurotic since we were 13. I wanted to play, but I was truly blessed for him. One time my accidental volition travel and I’ll beryllium capable to marque my Premier League debut.

“Mark Bright is successful complaint of each [loans] and oversees it. Everything goes done Dougie Freedman, but Mark Bright volition travel to loads of games.

“I’ll speech to him, and helium volition accidental he’s watched hundreds of games each season, watching the Palace archetypal squad and players retired connected loan. I’ve spoken to him a fewer times this play already; helium spoke to maine aft the Ipswich game. He’s been to a fewer Wimbledon games.”

In May, Goodman met Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who wished him luck astatine Wimbledon, with the indebtedness determination already successful the works.

Attention turns to Tuesday. Goodman grins. “[Alexander] Isak, [Anthony] Gordon… These are players I would usage connected FIFA vocation mode. Isak was a wonderkid. It’s a spot brainsick to deliberation about.

“But I backmost my quality and consciousness 1 time I’ll beryllium playing against those types of players each week. I can’t deliberation of the juncture excessively much. My extremity is to support a cleanable expanse and beryllium a quality shaper for my team. I’ve shown that a fewer times this play already.

“When I retire, I’d similar to accidental that I’ve played successful the Premier League, possibly adjacent European competition. That’s what I judge in. And I’d similar to accidental I’ve played for my state by past arsenic well.

“I’d privation to person played 600 games, played successful the Premier League, successful Europe, planetary football, the World Cup possibly — and depending connected the country, the Copa America oregon AFCON oregon the Euros.

“I’m English, tin play for Canada, and my mum is Nigerian-born. My mum is ever connected to maine astir [picking] Nigeria.”

But Goodman insists helium is not 1 to suffer show of the present and now. First things first: stopping Newcastle.