Mackley benefitting from first-team experience

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Defender made excellent start to the season off the bench.

Neil Moxley

2025-08-17T06:00+01:00

Shannon Ruth was delighted with Callum Mackley's performance in the 2-1 win over Aldershot Town in the National League Cup. 📷by Paul Hazlewood.

Callum Mackley won’t forget a surprise taste of first-team football this summer and he’s planning to use it as a springboard for success.

The 18-year-old was one of four members of Shannon Ruth’s under-21 squad to travel to Marbella during pre-season. And a 45-minute run-out for the first-team in the second-half of a victory over Las Palmas has only whetted his appetite.

He believes that the experience of rubbing shoulders with established seniors can only be of benefit. He said, “I really enjoyed being out in Marbella with the first-team. I was very grateful for that opportunity. I’ve learnt a lot from that.

"Coming back to the under-21s, it has really helped. If I can implement what I’ve learnt, it’s going to help me and, hopefully, the club. I’m going to be pushing as hard as I can for more minutes on the pitch.”

Callum Mackley played for the first team during our pre-season trip to Spain. 📷 by James Boardman.

Mackley came off the bench at Aldershot Town early on, following an injury to Freddie Simmonds, slotting in seamlessly at centre-half, switching over from his usual position at right-back, as the youngsters kicked off their National League Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday.

Head coach Ruth was delighted with Mackley’s contribution against Aldershot – saying he wasn’t surprised at how his charge slotted in. He said, “First and foremost, Callum is super versatile. He’s someone who can play right-back, left-back, centre-back and midfield. He came through our academy system playing centre-back, so he knows the position.

“I was super-pleased for him because this showed what a good professional he is. He was introduced after only eight or nine minutes and performed excellently. His football brain allows us to utilise him in different spaces at different times, which, going forward, will help both us and him.”

Ruth was particularly pleased with the 2-1 win after a tough workout against National League opponents whose season has already got underway and he believes the outlook is hugely positive.

He said, “We’re going to be competitive in every competition. Whether that’s PL2, the National League Cup or EFL Trophy. We’ve got a wonderful group for the International Cup that we are really looking forward to. Facing teams from overseas really helps us, playing the likes of Paris Saint-Germain.

"It helps the education of us all – not just the players, but also the staff. We’ve got a lot of young players joining the group, new signings have come in. We’re happy with where we are. We’re in a good place and we’re excited to get started.”

The under-21s open their PL2 campaign on Sunday at home to West Bromwich Albion, kick-off 4pm at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre.