Rod McDonald eyes fresh start at AFC Telford

The centre-back swapped sides to sign a one-year contract in Shropshire, leaving the financially-troubled Bulls after they were expelled from the league.

The 22-year-old confirmed he was one of a number of players who hadn't been paid for months before leaving Edgar Street.

McDonald, the son of former Walsall favourite Rod, now drops back into the part-time game but is just happy to be earning again.

He said: "When football is your job, you rely on that income like you would any other. It was OK for me, as I still live at home, but there were players there with families and mortgages.

"It's not like we were on life changing money, but worrying about wages can bring the kind of pressure that affects performances.

"They would push pay day back and then we wouldn't get anything, there were so many broken promises. By the end, we were playing for the supporters and putting ourselves in the shop window.

"Hereford was badly run and managed, but I hope they can get back to where they came from one day. The fans deserve that."

The former Manchester City and Stoke trainee, an ex-pro with Oldham Athletic, spoke of how Telford manager Liam Watson's reputation precedes him.

Watson played alongside his Dad for Runcorn in 2000 and was given a glowing reference, which helped to tempt McDonald Jnr into joining.

He said: "I am excited to be joining Telford and I am told Liam is a good guy, my Dad and a few players I have spoken to about him told me good things.

"I feel like I need someone to push me on and I want to develop into the best player I can be, because you have got to be ambitious.

"I've had one season in the Conference Premier but I played a lot of games. It's a top league but we can do well, if we attack it right."