Stephen O’Donnell has become a name that most Scottish football fans will know. From clinching European football with Kilmarnock, to representing Scotland at the EUROs, he is a recognisable figure in the Scottish game.
But the success has came with the bad during his 500 professional games and even right back at the very start, the path to professional football was one filled with uncertainty and difficulty.
Stephen O’Donnell’s journey started with Aberdeen, a crucial part of the building blocks for his career. He spent eight years with the Dons and spent a year as a full-time player there.
“That was where I learned most of my trade,” O’Donnell said.
“I missed home a wee bit too much and my performances weren’t great. I moved away at 16, having just finished my standard grades. It’s only when you look back, you realise how much your family sacrificed because a lot of the time, my mum and dad would take me to games.
“But what was my other brother doing?”
It’s taking that time to reflect that has Stephen O’Donnell feeling privileged and fortuitous for the position he found himself in.
“Where I’ve been lucky is my family could always provide, so it bought me time,” O’Donnell explained.
“With time, it allows you to be as calm as possible. So when I was released by Aberdeen, you start to think you might not get to live your dream but when I signed for Celtic, I wasn’t naive.
“At Aberdeen, and at that age, you think you’re going to make it. The only thing guaranteed is what is in front of you. Celtic provided the best facilities and the best coaches to improve, so I knew if I was released there, I would still have a better chance of making it.”
The time would come for O’Donnell to depart Celtic and although he was yet to taste any first team action at this stage, he wasn’t concerned.
“There had been a bit of interest after Celtic,” he detailed.
“I went into Dunfermline, who had just been promoted. I went down to Fleetwood also. But you’re going into these clubs with no experience as a first-team player and it’s difficult.
“Fortunately, I played well in the Youth Cup Final for Celtic and that was where Jackie McNamara noticed me. He believed in me but just needed funds. Back then, he was actually putting a lot of his own money in to try and better things at Partick Thistle. When I got offered a deal, there was no hesitation.”
That was the start of a four year relationship between Partick Thistle and Stephen O’Donnell, where he made his first-team debut and represented the Jags on more than 100 occasions. Adding goals to his game and catching the eye of many, O’Donnell was ready for the next chapter after four years in Glasgow.
“I’d matured so much by this stage, I was 23,” O’Donnell added.
“I wanted to go to England to see if I was good enough and to see how far I could go. I didn’t have many offers that were appealing, so I could go top end of League Two or middle of the road League One.
“I thought top League Two would suit my attributes better so I went to Luton Town.
“My eyes were opened a bit when I went down, just the style of play wasn’t what I was expecting and it didn’t suit me. Nathan Jones came in, who I loved. But after two years, I was more relaxed.
“I knew I’d have options to come back up the road so I tried to be patient. I was in a stable position, was getting married in the summer and was in a good place.
“When I came back up, I went on my honeymoon and Lee McCulloch phoned and asked if I was interested in Kilmarnock. There was about six of us who he signed that weren’t fit- I was one of them.
“On my honeymoon, I lost eight to ten Kilos. I got ‘Bali Belly’, not ideal. So when I got into pre-season, I was in bits. By the time I got up to speed, Steve Clarke had came in as manager.”
Kilmarnock would go on to have a wonderful season under Clarke, where his side would finish third and qualify for Europe. All eyes were on the Ayrshire Killie and with that, comes added opportunity.
“I try to say to young players, the team comes first. To do well individually, you need the team to be successful,” O’Donnell stated.
“Player don’t get great moves after their team has a bang average season, you’re not getting talked about as much. The team always comes first and within that, you can show your quality. That’s what that side was like.”
The recognition would come in the form of winning the player of the month for the league and then the biggest bonus of all would shortly follow after.
“People started to mention Scotland, because we had a lack of right-backs at the time,” O’Donnell explained.
“I had been doing well but didn’t get in the original squad, which wasn’t a drama. Then I got a phone call out the blue for a late call-up to the Peru and Mexico squad.”
O’Donnell would make 26 appearances for Scotland in total, something he keeps close to his heart. But as football operates, the time came once again to move on from Kilmarnock which would bring him to ML1.
“Everything was up in the air,” O’Donnell said.
“I was hoping to go down to England. It was such a tough decision to leave Kilmarnock. Then it went quiet.
“One day, I was golfing and the phone went.
It was Craig Hinchcliffe and he asked if I was interested in Motherwell. It was quite simple for me, I was playing golf in the middle of the day instead of playing football. Of course I was interested.
“I came in and Stephen Robinson really helped me play wing-back, I actually used his knowledge to play for Scotland in that role. I’ve played over 140 games for Motherwell now, some good and some bad.
“The club is close to a lot of my family and I’m proud to play a part in the community. And now to play over 500 times, I’m proud of myself.
“For anyone reading this who is trying to make it in football, don’t get too down when someone says you’re not good enough. Football is opinion. I was told so many times I wasn’t going to make it.
“To play 500 times, most of which have came in the Premiership, 26 caps for Scotland and European appearances, is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
“The best moment in my career was my first call up for Scotland, nothing would have came after if it wasn’t for those two games. My favourite Motherwell moment was my debut at Easter Road. I hadn’t played in three months but I just went for it.”
