Angus: I was told illness would end career but Terry kept me fighting
BARNSLEY captain Angus MacDonald still treasures the gesture from his idol which helped him through the worst time of his career.
MacDonald, now 24, was told he would never play again after a terrifying health scare and former England captain John Terry lifted his spirits when it mattered most.
Terry (above) sent MacDonald a signed England shirt with the message “Keep On Fighting”, and it was that gesture which really helped him through a particularly difficult period.
They will come face-to-face for the first time today when MacDonald faces his boyhood hero as Barnsley entertain Aston Villa at Oakwell.
MacDonald had been called up by England Under-16s, played in France, but came home with a stomach problem, which developed into something far more serious. It eventually led to the defender collapsing at home while trying to pick up his newborn nephew.
He was rushed to hospital and a CT scan revealed a blood clot on his lung.
MacDonald said: “I was told by the doctor I’d never play again. I spent the next 16 months out and it was devastating to think I would not be able to play football again.
“I came home on the plane from France, I had pains but thought it was a tummy bug, and it went from there. From going to my GP, waking up in terrible pain and then collapsing at school, before I was finally rushed to hospital after trying to pick up my nephew.
“It was an incredibly tough couple of years. It took a long time before I had enough energy or strength to have a walk or a swim every other day.
“I got the shirt when I was in a really dark place. It was a nice message, he was my idol, he was playing for England and that’s all I ever wanted to do. It gave me such a big boost.
“He’d actually sent me a shirt when I got my first England call-up for the Under-16s. I’ve still never actually met him, so he’d just heard about me and it was an incredible thing to do. I can’t wait to meet him.”
MacDonald was released from his first club Reading after the illness, got a chance at non-league Salisbury, but it was two years at Torquay which really got him going again, before signing for Barnsley last year.
He is now giving something back to seven-year-old Riley Hall, who has been in Barnsley’s academy, but suffered a stroke.
MacDonald added: “Sometimes you need support to keep you going. My mum and dad, and two friends, Tom Anderson and Mark Bird, were great in helping me settle in Barnsley and they’ve become like family to me.
“It’s been a fantastic time here. We’ve got a good young squad. It’s an unbelievable Championship this year. But why shouldn’t we believe we can reach the play-offs?”