McDonald: Robert Wood (Bobby)

1987-1988 (Player Details)

Left Back

Born: Aberdeen: 13-04-1955

Debut: v Sheffield United (a): 07-02-1987

5’10” 12st 1lb (1987)

McDonald was a defender of great control and positional sense who also had a happy knack of scoring goals. He played for King Street Sports club in Aberdeen before joining Aston Villa as an Apprentice in 1971, turning professional in September 1972. He became a Scottish Youth International and played in the 1972 Little World Cup where Frank Gray and Kenny Burns were among his teammates. He made his Villa debut in a 2-0 win over Portsmouth at Villa Park on 17th March 1973. He helped Villa to promotion to Division One in 1974-75 and picked up a 1975 League Cup Winners’ medal, as Villa beat Norwich City 1-0 on 1st March 1975 and he played his final game for Villa on 24th April 1976 in a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough at Villa Park, before a £40,000 transfer took him to Coventry City in August 1976. He played thirty-three starting games and six substitute appearances in the League while at Villa Park, scoring once. He gained good experience at the top level with Coventry City and this taught him to read the game well and develop an excellent positional sense. He had a good turn of speed and the skill and presence of mind to fashion attacking moves from the back, and able to strike excellent long balls with his left foot. He made his Coventry debut in a 1-0 win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate in the League Cup on 31st August 1976, making his League debut at Anfield in a 1-3 defeat by Liverpool four days later. His consistency was such that he made one hundred and sixty-one consecutive appearances in the League, scoring fourteen goals, while at Coventry. He played his final League game for the Sky Blues in a 1-3 defeat by Birmingham City at St Andrew's on 16th August 1980 and his final game was at Old Trafford in a 1-0 League Cup win over Manchester United on 27th August 1980. He joined Manchester City in October 1980,together with Tommy Hutchison. The two men arrived for a combined fee of £320,000, with McDonald’s value an estimated £275,000. He made his League debut in a 2-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on 25th October 1980. Once more he was a consistant regular amassing ninety-six League appearances and netting eleven times, together with scoring four more in ten starts and one game from the bench in the F.A. Cup and one goal in five starts in the League Cup. Just six months after signing he played in the 1981 F.A. Cup Final. This meant two more appearances at Wembley as they played out a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 9th May 1981, before finally going down 2-3 in the replay five days later. He was replaced by winger Dennis Tueart with eleven minutes to go, as City chased the game. He played his final game for City at Maine Road in a 0-1 defeat by Luton Town on 14th May 1983. He went to Oxford United in September 1983 and won a Third Division Champions medal in his first season, followed by a Second Division Championship medal in 1984-85. In League fixtures with Oxford he made ninety-four appearances, one of which was from the bench, and scored fourteen goals. He went to Leeds on a month’s loan in February 1987, before joining them in a £25,000 deal to help United’s push towards the Play-offs, but took no part in their progress to the FA Cup Semi-Final as he was Cup-tied. He slotted comfortably into the team that was pushing for the First Division. While he would not have expected a long career at Elland Road, McDonald must have hoped for more than just half-a-season, but injury restricted him to just two appearances in 1987-88 and he was loaned to Wolverhampton Wanderers for six matches in February 1988. Granted a free-transfer in May 1988, he joined Non-League VS Rugby in the close season and scored sixteen goals from thirty-nine starts as Rugby finished third in the Southern League. He later played for Burton Albion, joining the Brewers in the summer of 1989, and moved around the Non-League scene with some regularity, joining Nuneaton Borough in September 1989, Worcester City in October 1989, Sutton Coldfield Town in January 1991, Armitage 90 in 1991 and Redditch United in 1992. He went back to Aberdeen after leaving football and worked for the Ambulance Service. He then worked as a TV Rigger in Mansfield. He also coached for a number of football clubs on a self employed basis.