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Wes McDonald

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Wes McDonald
Personal information
Full name Wesley Nurettin McDonald[1]
Date of birth (1997-05-04) 4 May 1997 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth Lambeth, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.74 m)[3]
Position(s) Winger, attacking midfielder
Youth career
20??–2009 Crystal Palace
2009–2013 Fulham
2013–2015 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Birmingham City 0 (0)
2016 → Nuneaton Town (loan) 4 (0)
2018 → Solihull Moors (loan) 5 (0)
2018–2019 Yeovil Town 9 (0)
2019–2021 Walsall 69 (7)
2021–2022 Morecambe 17 (0)
2022–2023 Hartlepool United 31 (3)
2023–2024 Partick Thistle 4 (0)
2024 Eastleigh 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:16, 27 October 2024 (UTC)

Wesley Nurettin McDonald (born 4 May 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder.

McDonald joined Birmingham City from Fulham as a 16-year-old. He spent a month on loan at National League South club Nuneaton Town in 2016, and a month at Solihull Moors of the National League in 2018, but never appeared for Birmingham's first team, and was released at the end of the 2017–18 season. He spent the first half of the following season with League Two club Yeovil Town, joined another League Two club, Walsall, in July 2019, and spent the 2021–22 season with Morecambe of League One. After one season with Hartlepool United of League Two, McDonald signed for Scottish Championship club Partick Thistle in August 2023 and left in January 2024. He returned to the National League with Eastleigh later that year.

Club career

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Early life and career

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McDonald was born in London,[4] and joined Fulham's academy from Crystal Palace as a 12-year-old.[5] Through an arrangement with the club, he attended Coombe Boys' School in New Malden, Surrey.[5] He was a member of the England under-16 training squad ahead of the 2012 Victory Shield, but a serious knee injury prevented his participation[6] and kept him out until the following summer, when he took up a scholarship with Fulham. Their academy director described him as "a central midfield player who always looks to break the play up and get us moving forward [and who] can chip in with a goal or two as well."[5]

Birmingham City

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Later that year, he transferred to Birmingham City where he continued his scholarship.[7] At the time, academy coach Steve Spooner described him as "only small" but "a really powerful boy who has an eye for goal [and] likes to take people on".[8] Interviewed a couple of months later, McDonald himself felt his best qualities were strength on the ball, ability to run with it, and goalscoring, but he needed to improve his heading.[9] In late 2014, McDonald suffered a knee ligament injury that restricted his progress, despite which he was given his first professional contract, of two years, in May 2015. He was by then playing in a more advanced role: according to Spooner, he could "play on either flank or off the top. He has good levels of skill, he's very powerful and possesses a great engine. He has pace and scores goals as well."[2]

In his first senior season, McDonald played regularly for the club's under-21 team.[10] On 12 February 2016, he joined National League South (sixth-tier) club Nuneaton Town on a one-month youth loan, following Birmingham teammate Kyle McFarlane whose loan expired the same day.[10] He went straight into the starting eleven for the next day's visit to Brackley Town, and provided the assist for Elliot Whitehouse's goal that secured the team's first win of 2016, before being replaced after 87 minutes.[11] He made four appearances, all starts, during his month.[4] After his return to Birmingham, he appeared as a substitute for the reserve team that lost the 2016 Birmingham Senior Cup final to National League North champions Solihull Moors.[12] He played regularly for Birmingham's under-23 team. In February 2017, coach Richard Beale commented that over the previous few months, McDonald had "really twigged that you have to work really hard without the ball as well",[13] and his development was such that the club confirmed their intention to extend his contract.[14] Towards the end of the 2016–17 season, after McDonald had produced a scoring streak of six goals in five matches for the under-23 team, manager Gianfranco Zola named him as one of the younger players – others named were Corey O'Keeffe and Jack Storer – who would be given a chance of first-team football once the team were sure of avoiding relegation to League One.[15] He finished the season as top scorer for the under-23s, but Birmingham's failure to avoid relegation until the final match meant any first-team debut remained on hold.[16][17]

The club took up the one-year option on McDonald's contract for the 2017–18 season,[18] and in September, he spent a month on loan at Solihull Moors,[16] where he played five National League matches and one in the Birmingham Senior Cup.[4][19] He was unable to break into Birmingham's senior squad, and in February 2018, the club confirmed that he would be released.[20] In March, he had a trial with Queens Park Rangers[21] which came to nothing.

Yeovil Town

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On 3 August 2018, McDonald signed a short-term contract with League Two club Yeovil Town, to run until January 2019.[22] He was an unused substitute on the opening day of the season, and made his Football League debut a week later, starting and playing the whole of a 2–2 draw at home to Mansfield Town.[23][24] On 3 January 2019, having failed to agree a new contract with Yeovil, McDonald was released upon the expiry of his short-term contract.[25]

Walsall

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McDonald signed a short-term contract with recently relegated League Two club Walsall in July 2019.[26] Away to Crawley Town on 28 September, McDonald supplied the cross for Elijah Adebayo to put Walsall 2–0 ahead and then "cut in from the left-wing and curled a beautiful effort into the far corner" for the first goal of his senior career to make the score 3–1; Walsall won the match 3–2.[27]

His deal at Walsall was extended until the summer of 2021 on 7 January 2020.[28] He was released at the end of the 2020-21 season.[29]

Morecambe

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On 22 June 2021, McDonald signed a two-year contract with newly promoted League One club Morecambe.[30] He played the first hour of the opening-day fixture away to Ipswich Town, which Morecambe led 2–1 before the hosts equalised in stoppage time.[31] He played regularly in the first few months of the season, but gradually dropped out of favour, and made the last of his 23 appearances in January 2022.[32]

Hartlepool United

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He left Morecambe by mutual consent on 12 August 2022,[33] and signed for League Two club Hartlepool United later that day.[34] On 16 August, McDonald made his debut in a goalless draw with Tranmere Rovers.[35] Two weeks later, he "showed excellent composure and quick feet to advance his way into the area and find the bottom corner" to tie the scores away to Leyton Orient, but the hosts went on to win 4–2.[36] On 4 October 2022, McDonald scored an 85th minute winner in a 2–1 win against Doncaster Rovers which was Hartlepool's first league win of the season.[37] McDonald was released by Pools at the end of the 2022–23 season.[38]

Partick Thistle

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McDonald signed a one-year contract with Partick Thistle of the Scottish Championship on 10 August 2023.[39] He made only four league appearances, all from the bench, and left the club by mutual consent on 1 January 2024.[40]

Eastleigh

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McDonald returned to National League football on 6 September 2024 when he joined Eastleigh on a short-term contract.[41] On 18 November 2024, he left the club following the expiration on his contract.[42]

Career statistics

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As of match played 22 October 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Birmingham City 2015–16[4] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2016–17[4] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2017–18[4] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Nuneaton Town (loan) 2015–16[4] National League North 4 0 — — 0 0 4 0
Solihull Moors (loan) 2017–18[4][19] National League 5 0 0 0 — 1[c] 0 6 0
Yeovil Town 2018–19[23][4] League Two 9 0 1 0 1 0 1[d] 0 12 0
Walsall 2019–20[43] League Two 28 5 2 0 1 0 4[d] 2 35 7
2020–21[44] League Two 41 2 1 0 1 0 3[d] 1 46 3
Total 69 7 3 0 2 0 7 3 81 10
Morecambe 2021–22[32] League One 17 0 1 0 2 0 3[d] 0 23 0
2022–23[45] League One 0 0 — 0 0 — 0 0
Total 17 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 23 0
Hartlepool United 2022–23[45] League Two 31 3 2 0 — 2[d] 0 35 3
Partick Thistle 2023–24[46] Scottish Championship 4 0 1 0 0 0 1[e] 0 6 0
Eastleigh 2024–25[4] National League 6 0 0 0 — 0 0 6 0
Career total 145 10 8 0 5 0 15 3 173 13
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
  3. ^ Appearance in Birmingham Senior Cup
  4. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  5. ^ Appearance in Scottish Challenge Cup

References

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  1. ^ "EFL: Club retained and released lists published". English Football League. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b Lewis, Peter (6 May 2015). "Youngsters sign first pro deals". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Wesley McDonald – Midfielder". Walsall F.C. Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "W. McDonald". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Academy scholarships". Fulham F.C. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Running the rule over the scholars". Viva el Fulham. 19 July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013.
  7. ^ "List of Scholars Whose Registrations have been Cancelled by Mutual Consent Between 01/11/2013 and 30/11/2013 and List of Players Registered as Scholars in Accordance with Rule C.3 Between 01/11/2013 and 30/11/2013". The Football Association. pp. 6, 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Blues snap up McDonald". Birmingham City F.C. 17 December 2013. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014.
  9. ^ "Blue kid on the block – Wes McDonald". Birmingham City F.C. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2016.[dead link‍]
  10. ^ a b Dick, Brian (12 February 2016). "Birmingham City starlet joins Nuneaton". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Full time – Brackley Town 2 Nuneaton Town 3". Nuneaton Town F.C. 13 February 2016. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  12. ^ Dick, Brian (5 May 2016). "Birmingham Senior Cup final: Birmingham City U21s 1 Solihull Moors 2". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Blues youngsters denied at the last". Birmingham City F.C. 11 February 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Club makes decisions on young prospects". Birmingham City F.C. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  15. ^ Dick, Brian (12 April 2017). "Birmingham City manager Gianfranco Zola identifies the youngsters who will get their chance – when safety is guaranteed". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  16. ^ a b "McDonald makes Solihull Moors move". Birmingham City F.C. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Bristol City 0–1 Birmingham City". BBC Sport. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  18. ^ "New deals for Blues youngsters". Birmingham City F.C. 4 July 2017. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Lineup: Stratford Town 1–1 Solihull Moors". Stratford Town F.C. 10 October 2017. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  20. ^ Dick, Brian (14 February 2018). "Rising Birmingham City stars given new deals – but former first team youngster set to be released". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  21. ^ McIntyre, David (19 March 2018). "Birmingham youngster joins QPR on trial". West London Sport. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Yeovil Town: Glovers sign Alex Pattison and Wes McDonald". BBC Sport. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  23. ^ a b "Games played by Wes McDonald in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  24. ^ "Yeovil Town 2–2 Mansfield Town". BBC Sport. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  25. ^ O'Loughlin, Alex (3 January 2019). "News: McDonald departs". Yeovil Town F.C. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  26. ^ Masi, Joseph (11 July 2019). "Walsall sign Wes McDonald". Express and Star. Wolverhampton. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  27. ^ Keen, Liam (28 September 2019). "Crawley 2 Walsall 3 – Report and pictures". Express and Star. Wolverhampton. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  28. ^ "Official: Wes McDonald signs new 18-month contract". Walsall F.C. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  29. ^ "Walsall: Managerless League Two club release eight players". BBC Sport. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Wes McDonald and Ryan Delaney sign for Morecambe". BBC Sport. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  31. ^ "Ipswich Town 2–2 Morecambe". BBC Sport. PA Media. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  32. ^ a b "Games played by Wes McDonald in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  33. ^ "Wes McDonald departs the Shrimps". Morecambe F.C. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  34. ^ Ramage, Joe (12 August 2022). "Hartlepool United complete the signing of ex-Birmingham City and Walsall man". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  35. ^ "Hartlepool United 0–0 Tranmere Rovers". BBC Sport. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  36. ^ Ramage, Joe (27 August 2022). "Leyton Orient 4–2 Hartlepool United: Pools suffer fourth defeat of the season against League Two leaders". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  37. ^ "Hartlepool United 2–1 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  38. ^ "Retained List 2022/23". Hartlepool United FC. 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  39. ^ "Wes McDonald signs for the Jags". Partick Thistle F.C. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  40. ^ "Wes McDonald". Partick Thistle F.C. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  41. ^ "Wes McDonald joins the Spitfires". Eastleigh F.C. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  42. ^ @EastleighFC (18 November 2024). "Following the expiration of his contract, we can confirm that Wes McDonald has left the club" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 November 2024 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ "Games played by Wes McDonald in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  44. ^ "Games played by Wes McDonald in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  45. ^ a b "Games played by Wes McDonald in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  46. ^ "Games played by Wes McDonald in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
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