3/1 To Win
It takes a strong character to make a seamless transition from Under-23s football to the National League relegation battle.
On 17th November, Calum Macdonald came on to play his part in a stunning 5-1 win for Darren Wassall’s side against West Ham United at the London Stadium, and one week later he played the full 90 minutes against Leicester City under the lights at Pride Park Stadium.
By the start of December, though, the defender had been thrust into the pressure cooker of a non-league fight against the drop, when he made his debut for Barrow against Halifax Town.
The Bluebirds won 1-0 and they have lost just three times in 12 games with the Derby loanee in the team, and the full-back even got himself on the scoresheet in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Wrexham.
With 10 games to go, Barrow are level on points with Solihull Moors, who sit in 21st place – the final relegation spot.
To their advantage, Macdonald’s side have two games in hand, and the 20-year-old sat down with RamsTV to discuss the contrasting pressures of football at two very different levels.
He explained: “It’s completely different to Under-23s football; it obviously means a lot more to win games and get points on the board, especially with the team in the position they were when I joined.
“They were still in and around the relegation zone, so it was important to get points and I was just trying to help them out whilst I was there.
“With the Under-23s, the focus is on performance but when you go there, it’s important that you do your individual job well and you don’t make mistakes that could cost the team because it will affect them in the league table.”
As well as the change in the intensity and frequency of must-win games, Macdonald has been living on the own for the first time, a hurdle that many of the Rams’ young starlets will have to overcome to make the most out of their temporary spells away from Derbyshire.
He said: “I’ve been staying in an apartment around Manchester because they train just north of the city, so it worked well because I could come home on the days off.
“It’s a test, especially cooking! I had to do my own meals but you learn a lot and it will hopefully help me out in the future when I go out on loan to other clubs.
“It’s different to what I’m used to but it’s good. I was there over the Christmas period and there was a game every other day, so it was packed and every point is important because if you lose a couple of games in a row, you do start to slip down.”
Understandably, Macdonald has kept a keen eye on the Under-23s since he’s been away, and he made a single appearance during a break in his loan spell against Manchester United at St George’s Park.
Wassall’s side have secured some impressive results – wins away at Nottingham Forest and Everton stand out – but the defender believes that recent performances have deserved more than the current run of two victories in six games.
“It’s good to come back and hear how everybody has been doing. I’ve been watching the games so I have seen the results and we’ve been performing,” he said.
“We’ve played well and results will come, because we have performed well in a lot of the games.”
Macdonald was also one of many youngsters to sign a new deal recently, as he put pen to paper on a new 18-month contract with the club.
He believes that this will now allow him to push on to reach his full potential as he aims to focus fully on matters out on the pitch.
“It’s something that I’ve been working towards and I’m secure here for the next 18 months so I can really work to improve myself.”
