Charlie MacDonald spoke to the club’s official website today ahead of Barnet’s first game of the season away at Chester on Saturday.
With the new campaign now just two days away, the Bees’ new captain admits that he is excited to kick things off:
“I can’t wait to be honest. Barring injuries, the worst part of being a professional footballer is probably pre-season and once you get that out of the way all you want to do is kick that first ball in anger and get underway with a win.”
Despite a difficult pre-season campaign, MacDonald is happy with the team’s preparations and is confident of hitting the ground this weekend:
“We’ve played some good quality opposition over pre-season and although results haven’t gone our way in a few of them, the performances cannot be faulted. It has given us a good experience and we are going into the new season feeling very positive.
“There has been a bit more sharpness and tempo to training this week. Everybody wants to be in that starting eleven and then keep the shirt.
“Chester is a difficult place to go but all the boys are in great spirits and raring to go, so we’re looking forward to a good trip up there and hopefully a good trip back with three points.”
Having captained the Bees in their final friendly against Wycombe, Saturday will see MacDonald skipper the team in a competitive game for the first time since arriving at The Hive this summer. However, the new captain is relishing the responsibility and knows that he has plenty of people around him who he can count on to make his job a little easier:
“It’s a new experience for me but one that I’m really looking forward to. I’ve got plenty of league games under my belt and I’ve got a lot of other lads around me who are strong voices in the dressing room.
“With Curtis as vice-captain, some of the other older heads like Lee Cook and Sam Togwell, and the likes of David Stephens who was captain for a spell last season, there are a lot of leaders there. Just because I’m wearing the armband, we can all play a part in leading the team.”
Saturday will also see MacDonald reacquaint himself with Conference football for the first time in a while, but the seasoned striker is not fazed by the prospect as he looks to lead Barnet into a successful season:
“It has been a while as I’ve not played in this division for seven years or so now and you can see the difference in quality of the players at this level compared to before. I’ve been really impressed with the quality of our squad and I’m sure that will be the same with other teams.
“But it’s not new to me, I’ve done it before. I’ve played at the top level in the Premier League and I’ve played in the Conference South, I’ve been all through the leagues.
“You can’t be spoilt as a footballer, you need to just roll up your sleeves and get on with whatever is thrown at you. There are no excuses. We’ve prepared properly and we’ll hit the ground running and hopefully and get a good few results to start the season off.”
