DAVID Goodwillie has endured a nightmare first 16 months in English football after arriving at Ewood Park for in the region of £2million, plus add-ons, with a big reputation.

The Scottish international impressed at Dundee United and was brought to East Lancashire by Steve Kean as a potential answer to their then fire power problems.

A year and a half on and the 23-year-old striker’s career has almost completely stalled, following just eight starts since his arrival.

Forget Tuesday night’s moment of madness from Goodwillie that cost Rovers so dear when he sent David Lopez tumbling in the penalty area to gift Brighton a draw.

It probably will not help his cause but won’t have any pivotal say in his Rovers future. That is now up to him.

Goodwillie has been haunted by off field instability almost ever since Rovers saw off a host of other clubs for his signature and that can not have helped in him trying to settle in England.

A loan spell at Crystal Palace was curtailed due to the player again being unable to settle, forcing him to spend a couple of months in limbo at Blackburn due to not being available because of the terms of the loan deal. Time is running out for him though.

Once Leon Best returns to fitness, which won’t be too long now, any further chances for Goodwillie are likely to be few and far between.

If he wants to start making an impression – a good one – he needs to do it now or he will just go down as another statistic in Rovers’ history.

On the rare occasions he has played, Goodwillie has shown he does know where the net is, with many inside the club adamant he is worth persevering with.

He has been unfortunate that, after being brought to the club by Steve Kean, he was rarely played in a two-man strike force – the system his own play needs.

Expecting Goodwillie to make any sort of impact as a lone striker was just madness and that was asked of him too often last season, either from the bench or the rare games he started.

Supporters want to see him succeed at Ewood Park, with some believing he still can, but moments like Tuesday night certainly won’t help his cause.

With Michael Appleton now at the helm, Goodwillie has been given a new start.

Whether or not he takes it, only time will tell but you can’t help but feel this has to be his last chance.