How has Walsall loanee Jago Godden fared at Drogheda United?

Jago Godden is yet to feature for Walsall since joining in February, after he was sent straight out on loan to Drogheda United.

It’s been over four months since he completed his loan switch to Ireland and it feels like a timely juncture to assess his impact so far...

Why did Walsall sign Godden?

Godden caught the eye with Bedford Town in the National League North after arriving from New Zealand in November 2025.

He had scored 14 times in 68 appearances in his homeland for top-flight outfit Christchurch United – and lifted silverware twice in the Chatham Cup in 2023 and 2025 respectively.

The midfielder hit the ground running in England's sixth-tier and scored three goals in his first four games for Bedford.

Walsall soon came knocking in January and Godden left Bedford with a record of four goals in 11 appearances.

As was the case with Evan Weir and Elicha Ahui, Godden became the latest Walsall signing to head out on loan to fellow Trivela-owned Drogheda United.

How has Godden fared at Drogheda so far?

The 22-year-old traditionally played as a No 8 in a 5-4-1 at Christchurch and served a similar box-to-box role in a 4-1-4-1 at Bedford – while also playing on the right wing on a couple of occasions.

But Godden has dropped deeper since joining Drogheda and has predominantly played in a double pivot in Kevin Doherty's 5-2-1-2 formation.

The Kiwi youngster climbed off the bench to score the winning goal on his Drogheda debut in a 1-0 win at Galway United in early February.

He was introduced as a substitute in his first five games in the League of Ireland, before embarking on a run of six successive starts.

Godden added to his tally with another strike against Galway United in early April and collected an assist in a recent 4-1 defeat at Shamrock Rovers.

He has come off the bench in four of the past nine games, but registered an assist during their most recent draw against Waterford.

What does his future hold at Walsall?

Walsall do hold the option of recalling Godden from his loan ahead of pre-season, but there is nothing yet to suggest that will happen.

The priority at this stage will be for Godden to continue racking up the minutes and gaining experience in Ireland.

That was initially the intention for Ahui when he joined Walsall in January last year, but an ACL injury midway into the previous campaign with Drogheda scuppered those plans.

Ahui has now had his option year triggered after returning to training with Walsall towards the end of last season.

Godden signed an identical deal with Walsall in January – penning an initial 18-month contract with an option year included in the club's favour.

But Trivela will be hoping that the fusion between both clubs begins to bear fruit – with the jury still out on that topic.

Weir threatened to make a success of his spell at Walsall last season, but ultimately fell out-of-favour before he was released at the end of the 2025-26 season.