[3] After leaving school he was an apprentice bricklayer and played in goal for Basingstoke Town in the Hampshire League, becoming their youngest-ever player.
[3] He continued to play regularly in the reserves until his first-team debut on 6 December 1958, when he took the place of John Christie who was unavailable with an injured knee for the FA Cup Second round match at Queens Park Rangers.
Godfrey acquitted himself well with a "confident, cool, alert and agile"[3] performance making several fine saves and keeping a clean sheet as Southampton won the match 1–0.
[5] With Christie leaving The Dell in the summer of 1959, Godfrey became first-choice 'keeper, playing the first 11 games of the 1959–60 season (including six victories), before an injury allowed Bob Charles to take his place.
[9] Reynolds was finally forced to retire after dislocating a shoulder in September 1963, thus allowing Godfrey to briefly become the unchallenged first-choice "custodian".
[14] He stayed with Aldershot for 4+1⁄2 years before he was signed by his former Southampton teammate Dick Conner at Rochdale in the summer of 1970.