Malcolm delighted to have bounced back twice

It is often said you do not know what you have until it's gone and Arbroath defender, Stuart Malcolm, holds his football career dearly as he believed that he had lost it twice.

The 32-year-old thought that injury had ended his footballing career when it was in its infancy but he bounced back and he had to do the same a second time before he went on to become the captain of a Third Division Championship winning side.

Malcolm started talking through his rollercoaster career by saying: “I was with St. Johnstone from the age of 16 to 22 and played with some great players there like Alan Kernaghan, Alan Main, Keiran McAnespie, Paul Kane and Roddy Grant.  I had a loan spell at Cowdenbeath before making my debut as a Perth player against Celtic as a first half substitute.

“It did not go too well as I was sent off and I then picked up an injury and never played for St. Johnstone again in the two years I was there.”

Malcolm was released in 2002 and he said: “I was basically just patched together again after a serious groin injury and was without a club but thankfully, help was at hand.  Paul Sturrock and John Blackley, who had signed me for the Saints, took me down to Plymouth.

“That was a great year for me down there and their coaching, management and support helped get me back into a decent shape and I played about a dozen times for them.  I really enjoyed it and there was a small contingent of players that I knew from Scotland with former Saint, Nathan Lowndes, being at Home Park.  Hasney Aljofree and Marino Keith, who had been at Dundee United, were there as was Graham Coughlan, who played at Livingston.”

It was not all fun down south however as Malcolm explained: “It was hard being away from home for the first time and to be honest, I was not earning good money as I had no bargaining power after being out for two years.  I did enjoy it though and although I only got the one year in England, I did enough to get offered a deal to stay there with Exeter City.”

Malcolm decided to turn that offer down and catapulted himself to the other end of the country and signed for another experienced duo, Alex Smith and Jimmy Bone, at Ross County.

Malcolm said: “In my first year, I did really well at County and was really enjoying it under Alex and Jimmy.  They were old school Managers and I learned a lot from them as they know about football especially tactically.  They knew their stuff inside out but unfortunately, the second year did not go so well.”

The loss of a first team place led to Malcolm departing Dingwall for Irish Eircom League Premier Division side Drogheda United with the centre back saying: “I was given a one year deal with the option of a second year.  Drogheda did well and we finished third in the league and won the FAI Cup.  Despite having the chance to exercise my option and stay on, for some reason I decided to join Dublin City.

“I say for some reason as I still have no idea why I did that.  What made it worse was that I was getting a regular game at Drogheda and then Dublin went burst within 10 weeks of the season starting.  It was a strange career move and I still don’t know why I did it.  It was hard going as I was just married, living away from home and did not have a wage so I had to come back.”

Malcolm joined Alloa Athletic in August 2006 and played there for the best part of a season before spending the last couple of months at Montrose where he was reunited with former St. Johnstone colleagues Jim Weir and Kevin McGowne.

“I went there and played a few matches to see the season out,” said Malcolm before adding, “But I was on the move again soon over the Irish Sea.  This time I moved to Northern Ireland to join Shelbourne where the Manager at Dublin City, Dermot Keeley, was now working.  Marc McCulloch, who was a team-mate at Arbroath last season, was there as well.”

After a season with Shelbourne, Malcolm joined Finn Harps before coming back to Scotland to join Forfar Athletic in the summer of 2009 with the Edinburgh born stopper saying: “I couldn’t turn down the offer to play for Dick Campbell as he had always shown an interest in me when I was playing in Scotland.”

Unfortunately, his time at Station Park was brief as his osteitis pubis condition flared up again forcing him to believe his career was over for a second time.

Malcolm said: “I thought that was me finished once more.  I started doing some work for PFA Scotland in collating stats on games as I thought I would not play again.”

Almost a year out of the game provided a cure with Malcolm saying: “I had looked after myself and the rest I had from not playing and training twice a week paid dividends and I started thinking about coming back.

“Marc McCulloch was back over here at Arbroath and he told me that Paul Sheerin was looking for a centre half for the Third Division.  I went there on a short term deal and things grew from there.”

Malcolm’s Gayfield career certainly took off as he was made club captain and he was the first Red Lichties' skipper to lift silverware at the end of last season when they won the Third Division title, the first ever national honour in the club's history.

“I thought I would only be there for a month or so and I never envisaged lifting the Third Division Championship trophy on the last day of the season against Elgin City.  That was great and going back and playing again this season has been another real bonus.”

Sheerin’s side have adapted to life well in the higher division and sit in joint top spot with Cowdenbeath and Malcolm said: “We have started well but there is a long way to go and nothing has been achieved as yet.  Our plan remains the same which is to stay in this division and if we keep pace with teams that are expected to do well at the top of the table then we will be happy with that.”

One of the keys to the success seen at Gayfield is the squad that Manager Paul Sheerin has put together with Malcolm saying: “On the field the boss is still a good player, a very cultured player and we have missed him recently when he had a knee operation and off the field, he is a shrewd operator.

“Re-signing players like Gavin Swankie, Steven Doris and Josh Falkingham was great for the team and, although we lost Ross Chisholm to Dundee, the Manager has brought in Brian Kerr and Mark Baxter who have been great additions.

“He works to a tight budget and the quality of player he has brought in speaks volumes for the high regard he is held in the game.  Of course, he also scored an injury time penalty against Keith in the Scottish Cup that ultimately earned us a home tie against Rangers so he is highly thought of at the club as well.”

Another of the reasons that Arbroath remain joint top is Malcolm’s last gasp goal in their recent game at Stirling Albion which earned a 1-0 win with the matchwinner saying: “My dad has always told me that a centre half should be contributing five goals a season but I have never been that prolific.  I am at three now for the season and that is the closest I have ever been so maybe this season.”

The winner at Stirling came about through a mixture of disbelief and persistence with Malcolm saying: “It was the third minute of injury time at the end of the game and Josh put over a cross from the right and I connected with a header really well but somehow, their goalkeeper pushed it away.  I stood there in shock thinking that was it when the ball came in from the left and I went for it again and this time it went in.”

This weekend will see Malcolm come up against one of his former Managers as Brechin City visit their Angus neighbours looking for revenge after a 3-2 defeat at their Glebe Park ground with Malcolm saying: “I am hoping to be involved after being on the bench against Airdrie last weekend.  Derby matches are always good to be involved in but this will be a really tough game as Brechin are a far better side than their League position suggests.  I know their Manager Jim Weir will get them moving up the table and they are a dangerous side.

“I grew up in a football sense with Charlie King at St. Johnstone and it is always good to see him although I am sure he will be out to nutmeg me.  We have home advantage and are looking for the three points.”

With six home wins and a draw, Gayfield has certainly been a fortress for Arbroath this season with Malcolm saying: “We have done well there and scored quite a few goals which is great but as a team, we need to be better away from home where we have only won three times.

This division is incredibly tight and anybody can beat anybody if you are not quite at your best so you cannot relax.”

Malcolm was asked how it felt to be focussing on a derby game 12 years and two years after he thought his career was over and he said: “It is amazing to think that I genuinely thought that was it - twice.   The older you get the more you enjoy it and when you think it is over and you get a second or third chance, you enjoy it even more.

“I do not leave any stone unturned in terms of being properly prepared for playing.  When you stop playing, you realise that you have been lucky to be doing what you are doing and I realise how lucky I am still to be playing.”