Angus MacDonald interview: From non-league to the Championship
Thursday 19 January 2017 09:25, UK
At the heart of Barnsley’s unlikely promotion push are a group of former non-league players, plucked from obscurity and reaching new heights in the Championship. So how do they do it? Former Salisbury City defender Angus MacDonald shares his story…
There were times when Angus MacDonald had his doubts. How could he not? Released by Reading, after a few unsuccessful trials he found himself at now defunct Salisbury City. Then they stopped paying his wages. MacDonald had turned 21 and was fearing for his future.
Was the dream dead? "That was always in the back of mind," he tells Sky Sports. "Not when I was at Reading. With a big club behind you, you just think it will be alright. I'll get a trial and I'll do well. But then things go wrong. My time at Salisbury was not a great experience."
A little over two years on and MacDonald's Barnsley were winning 4-0 against Wolves at Molineux, matching the victory achieved on his Championship debut the previous month, to move level with Newcastle near the top of the table in the race for the Premier League.
It is an extraordinary turnaround for MacDonald that says much about the Barnsley success story. This is a club that has shown a shrewd knack for picking up bargains. Trusting in the talent that others have overlooked is reaping rewards for Paul Heckingbottom and his team.
Barnsley are a selling club but they do not sell their young talent short. So when Alfie Mawson moved to Swansea just before deadline day, MacDonald, the summer signing from Torquay, was backed to step in. He was given his chance and he took it.
"I definitely wasn't expecting to play as much as I have," admits MacDonald. "Obviously, the departure of Mawson left a gap there that needed to be filled. So for me to come in and do well and play as many minutes as possible has been brilliant."
When did the step up hit him? "I think it was my first training session, to be honest," he laughs. "It was completely different from what I was used to. The tempo was a lot quicker. Everything was a lot faster. To get used to it from minute one was a challenge."
The advantage for MacDonald is that he has not had to look far around the dressing room for evidence that it can be done. Marc Roberts arrived from non-league Halifax and is now a reported target for Burnley. Andy Yiadom has gone from National League to Africa Cup of Nations.
"You have got the likes of Robbo and Yids and a few others who have come from the lower leagues," says MacDonald. "They have been there and gone through that step up. To have them next to you helps. We have also got great coaches and analysts to help us through."
It is working for MacDonald. His story is just one of a number of personal triumphs in this team but it is a compelling one. He is working hard on his positioning but the basics are in place. He ranks among the top 10 in the Championship for shots blocked and clearances.
They are simple virtues but ones that say something about his determination to be the best he can be - a familiar trait among Barnsley players. MacDonald feels that is no coincidence. "You can see it right through the team," he says. "Everyone has got that hunger."
He has been in an academy and he has played non-league, being part of Torquay's great escape from relegation to the sixth tier last season. Having seen both sides, he is no doubt that it is the lessons learnt at the sharp end that have made him the character he is today.
"A massive part of my career was the manager at Torquay, Kevin Nicholson," he says. "He picked me up when I came in and gave me the captain's armband. I had been captain of the youth team at Reading but this was a completely different kettle of fish.
"You are going into a team that is fighting for points and fighting for their lives really. If you get relegated out of the Conference that's when you go part time and lives really do start to change. So to be captain and help the team to safety was a huge achievement."
Barnsley promptly made their move and while MacDonald is still in touch with everyone at Torquay, he is taking his next steps under Heckingbottom's guidance. "He's been fantastic since I walked through the door," he adds. "He has definitely brought out the best in me."
He's been fantastic since I walked through the door. He has definitely brought out the best in me.
It's for that reason that why MacDonald remains sanguine about the loss of top scorer Sam Winnall, sold to Sheffield Wednesday for a tidy profit earlier in January, and even the possibility of other key players moving on in the near future.
"I think you can see the ethos of the club with the young players they are bringing through and the amount of interest in them," he says. "But our job doesn't change whether we lose one, two or three players. We are still going to strive to achieve great things this season."
Next up it is Leeds, live on Sky Sports. With Barnsley "still within touching distance" of the play-offs, it is "a massive game for the club and the players" and also serves as a reminder for MacDonald of how far he has come. From Salisbury City to taking on Leeds United.
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"They were tough times leaving Reading and having trials but not really getting anywhere," he adds. "Even though I always had the hunger and the drive, you do wonder whether it is going to work out. But I stuck at it and now it is part of my character and my DNA."
So what advice does he have for the youngster who has been released and is struggling to find that next club? "I think people can get side-tracked when they drop down a league, or in my case three leagues," he says. "But it's not always the worst thing.
"Under-21 football is good and you get experience but there is nothing like getting first-team men's football experience, whether that's League Two or even Conference. There's always a route back if you stick at it." Angus MacDonald's story is proof of that.
