Josh Macdonald

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Josh Macdonald

| fullname = Joshua Robert Macdonald

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1996|1|25}}

| birth_place = Wollongong, Australia

| height = 174 cm

| position = Forward

| currentclub = Wollongong Wolves

| clubnumber = 11

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Unanderra Hearts

| youthyears2 =

| youthclubs2 = Sutherland Sharks

| youthyears3 = 2012

| youthclubs3 = NSWIS

| youthyears4 = 2012–2014

| youthclubs4 = Sydney FC

| years1 = 2014

| caps1 = 14

| goals1 = 1

| clubs1 = Albion Park White Eagles

| years2 = 2014–2015

| caps2 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| clubs2 = Nottingham Forest

| years3 = 2015

| caps3 = 2

| goals3 = 0

| clubs3 = Western Sydney Wanderers

| years4 = 2016

| caps4 = 8

| goals4 = 1

| clubs4 = Western Sydney Wanderers NPL

| years5 = 2016–2018

| caps5 = 45

| goals5 = 4

| clubs5 = Wollongong Wolves

| years6 = 2018–2019

| caps6 = 2

| goals6 = 0

| clubs6 = Central Coast Mariners

| years7 = 2019–2020

| caps7 = 32

| goals7 = 2

| clubs7 = Sydney United 58

| years8 = 2022–

| caps8 = 32

| goals8 = 4

| clubs8 = Wollongong Wolves

| nationalyears1 = 2011–2012

| nationalteam1 = Australia U-17

| nationalcaps1 = 12

| nationalgoals1 = 6

| nationalyears2 = 2013

| nationalteam2 = Australia U-20

| nationalcaps2 = 2

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| club-update = 6 October 2023

| nationalteam-update = 12 August 2015

}}

Joshua Robert Macdonald (born 25 January 1996) is an Australian, former professional footballer.

Born in Wollongong, Macdonald played youth football with Sydney FC youth and Nottingham Forest before making his senior debut for Western Sydney Wanderers. He returned to Wollongong to play for Wollongong Wolves in 2016. Macdonald signed with Central Coast Mariners in 2018 and later returned to the state league system.

Macdonald represented Australia at youth level for the under-17 and under-20 sides. He participated in the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship.

Playing career

=Club=

In February 2013, Macdonald had a trial with Nottingham Forest.{{cite news|url=http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/aussie-youngster-macdonald-hopeful-after-nottingham-forest-trial-3958812|title=Aussie youngster Macdonald hopeful after Nottingham Forest trial|publisher=Tribal Football|date=21 May 2013|accessdate=18 May 2016|author=Slevison, Andrew}} He signed for the club's development side in September 2014.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/nottingham-forest-sign-aussie-teen|title=Nottingham Forest sign Aussie teen|magazine=FourFourTwo|date=25 September 2014|accessdate=16 August 2015|author=Davidson, John}} He played a brief stint for Albion Park White Eagles in the Illawarra Premier League in preparation for the move to England.{{cite news|url=http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2355298/josh-macdonald-fires-for-albion-park-before-england-gig/|title=Josh MacDonald fires for Albion Park before England gig|publisher=Illawarra Mercury|author=Cohen, Mitch|date=16 June 2014|accessdate=18 May 2016}} He left Nottingham at the end of the 2014–15 Professional U21 Development League.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/macdonald-departs-forest#:O5eaVavdaV3njA|title=Macdonald departs forest|author=Davidson, John|magazine=FourFourTwo|date=30 June 2015|accessdate=18 May 2016}}

Following his release from Forest, Macdonald had a chance meeting with ex-Western Sydney Wanderers football operations manager Matt Phelan, eventually resulting in Macdonald trialling with the Wanderers.{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/western-sydney-wanderers/how-a-chance-meeting-on-a-flight-gave-western-sydney-wanderers-youngster-the-chance-to-play-in-the-aleague-20151018-gkc196.html|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|title=How a chance meeting on a flight gave Western Sydney Wanderers youngster the chance to play in the A-League|author=Bossi, Dominic|date=18 October 2015|accessdate=18 May 2016}} On 10 August 2016, Macdonald signed a youth contract to play for the Wanderers National Youth League team.{{cite news|url=http://www.wswanderersfc.com.au/article/josh-macdonald-signs-for-wanderers/l3rg72zuw6o1m8rwjhjc69ex|title=Josh Macdonald signs for Wanderers|publisher=Western Sydney Wanderers FC|date=10 August 2015|accessdate=18 May 2016|archive-date=17 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317141517/http://www.wswanderersfc.com.au/article/josh-macdonald-signs-for-wanderers/l3rg72zuw6o1m8rwjhjc69ex|url-status=dead}} The next day, Macdonald made his professional senior debut for Western Sydney in the 2015 FFA Cup against Brisbane Roar, including winning a penalty in a 1–0 win.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/football/ffa-cup-2015-western-sydney-vanquish-past-memories-with-win-over-brisbane-roar/news-story/2223a4c4f4aa0d73cb6ae1f6674be22f|title=Wanderers vanquish past memories with win over Brisbane Roar|author=Smithies, Tom|date=11 August 2015|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=18 May 2016}}

In May 2016, Macdonald signed for hometown side Wollongong Wolves to play in the National Premier Leagues.{{cite news|url=http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/3912875/macdonald-becomes-a-wolf/|title=MacDonald becomes a Wolf|date=16 May 2016|accessdate=18 May 2016|publisher=Illawarra Mercury|author=Cohen, Mitch}}{{cite news|url=https://mens.nplnsw.com.au/2021/09/20/wolves-hunting-for-silverware-in-2022/|title=wolves hunting for silverware in 2022|publisher=Football NSW|date=20 September 2021|accessdate=3 November 2021|author=Stavroulakis, Mark}}

He left the Wolves to join Albion Park White Eagles FC for the 2023 Illawarra Premier League season.

=International=

Macdonald was named in the Australian under-20 squad for 2014 AFC U-19 Championship qualification in October 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-8743-0-0-0&sID=238393&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=25882831|title=Young Socceroos Coach names squad for AFC|publisher=Football Federation Victoria|accessdate=18 May 2016|date=1 October 2016}} He made his debut for the side in a 3–0 win over Chinese Taipei.{{cite web|publisher=Asian Football Confederation|accessdate=18 May 2016|url=http://www.the-afc.com/afcasfeeds?fixtureid=7600&stageid=293&tMode=C&view=ajax&show=matchsummary|title=Chinese Taipei 0–3 Australia|date=5 October 2013}} He came on at halftime in the team's next match, a 5–1 loss to Vietnam.{{cite news|url=http://www.the-afc.com/afcasfeeds?fixtureid=7601&stageid=293&tMode=C&view=ajax&show=matchsummary|publisher=Asian Football Confederation|accessdate=18 May 2016|title=Australia 1–5 Vietnam|date=7 October 2013}}

Honours

=Club=

;Sydney FC

National Youth League: 2013–14

;Sydney United

{{flagicon|Australia}} National Premier Leagues NSW Championship: 2020{{cite news | url = https://www.fairfieldchampion.com.au/story/6983842/champions-nothing-can-rain-on-sydney-united-58s-parade/ | title = CHAMPIONS: Nothing can rain on Sydney United 58's parade | work = Fairfield City Champion | date = 26 October 2020 | author = Boulous, Chris | publisher = Fairfax Regional Media | accessdate = 30 October 2020 | archive-date = 5 November 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201105034435/https://www.fairfieldchampion.com.au/story/6983842/champions-nothing-can-rain-on-sydney-united-58s-parade/ | url-status = dead }}