Goodfellow signed for Newcastle United, despite being a Sunderland fan, but was released by the club at the age of 17 without making a first-team appearance.

[7] During his time as a semi-professional and amateur player he worked at the Vickers naval yard on the River Tyne.

[7] Goodfellow got the call to move into league football at the age of 23 when he was signed to Jackie Mudie's Port Vale.

[1] Stanley Matthews then took charge at Vale Park, with disastrous consequences; Goodfellow scored twice in 31 games in 1967–68, as the club slipped to 18th place.

[3] Rotherham missed out on promotion due to a slightly inferior goal difference to Crystal Palace in 1976–77.

[13] Ashurst himself was sacked three months later, and after being appointed as manager of Cardiff City in March 1982 he again installed Goodfellow as his assistant.

Goodfellow was appointed joint-caretaker manager of Cardiff, alongside senior player Jimmy Mullen.

[10] However, Goodfellow had a poor start to his tenure as City manager, losing eight of the first nine games of the 1984–85 season, and was sacked after just over two months in charge and replaced by Alan Durban.

[16] Two years after leaving Ninian Park, he was asked to return to Cardiff as the club's physiotherapist and coach by then manager Frank Burrows.

He remained in the backroom staff when manager Eddie May led Cardiff to the Third Division title in the 1992–93 season.