Callum McFadzean Backgrounder
THE arrival of Callum McFadzean covers another base for Argyle manager Ryan Lowe, who has now signed four players that he teamed up at Bury last season to win promotion from Sky Bet League Two.
After centre-back Will Aimson, playmaker Danny Mayor and forward Dom Telford comes Callum, a defensive left-sided player who is the only one of the quartet not to get among the goals in 2018-19. He did contribute nine assists, though.
A teenage debutant for home-town Sheffield United, 25-year-old Callum’s career has already taken him all over the UK and up and down the divisions, before the most settled spell of life resulted in the most productive time. No coincidence, there.
Ryan had taken ‘Fadz’ back into EFL football a year ago, signing him for Bury, after a trial, from National League Guiseley. Prior to that, he had played a step further down the pyramid, for Alfreton.
That was a far cry from his first season for Sheffield United, 2012-13, when he made his debut in the Blades’ opening game and ended the campaign scoring for them in their unsuccessful attempt to get past Yeovil Town in the League One play-offs. Strange how life has treated those two sides since.
Callum managed 23 games for United in his four seasons as a Blade, with a lot of time spent out on loan, at Chesterfield, Burton Albion and Stevenage. Early in his first spell at the Pirelli, he scored the only goal in Albion's 1-0 win over the Pilgrims, firing an 81st-minute right-foot shot through goalkeeper Jake Cole's legs
The following season with the Brewers, he reached the 2014-15 League Two play-off final only to be denied promotion by an Antoni Sarcevic goal for Fleetwood Town, while Steven Schumacher looked on from the Cod Army bench.
During his spell with the Brewers, Callum won the first of three Scotland Under-21 caps, as an over-age player in a friendly in Hungary.
Two more appearances for the national team followed, in the 2015-16 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying competition - in Northern Ireland and against Ukraine at St Mirren - after which he joined Stevenage on loan.
In the summer of 2016, he signed for Scottish Premiership Kilmarnock but suffered a foot injury three games into the season and never really made an impact at Rugby Park.
National League North Alfreton offered Callum a way back to England and into first-team football towards the end of the season, before he was picked up by Guiseley for the 2017-18 campaign.
Again, injury affected his progress and it was not until after Christmas that he enjoyed an extended run in the Lions’ side, including an Emirates FA Cup first-round giant-killing at Accrington Stanley.
His form and fitness persuaded Ryan Lowe to take a look at him as he plotted Bury’s promotion tilt last pre-season, and Callum duly seized the opportunity to return to full-time professional football.
Callum is sponsored by Savona, an independent foodservice supplier with more than 50 years trading, providing a trusted, flexible solution for chefs.