THE accent might not help his prospects of a future Scotland call but his contacts in the game just might. Jon McLaughlin left Edinburgh as a baby, spent the next decade growing up in the Middle East, before the family returned to the UK and settled in Yorkshire. In those circumstances it is hardly a surprise he doesn’t exactly sound like Begbie from Trainspotting.
McLaughlin, though, is definitely Scottish, born into a Hibs-daft family, many of whom still reside in the capital. “I definitely consider myself Scottish – my dad would insist on it! I got married last summer up in Edinburgh, the full Scottish wedding with the kilt and the rest.”
More pertinently, the 28-year-old is also at the heart of one of most remarkable stories in English football this season. Were it not for the achievements of Leicester City, then plenty more airspace and newsprint would be given over to what Burton Albion have done this season. Promoted as League 2 champions last summer into the third tier of English football for the first time in their history, the expectation was that Burton – a non-league side less than a decade ago – would do well just to survive. Instead, they have done somewhat better than that. Entering the final weeks of the season, they stand on the cusp of a second successive promotion and prospective matches next year against the likes of Aston Villa, and one or both of Sunderland and Newcastle United. Given their ground holds fewer than 7000, it would be quite an achievement.
Their goalkeeper can hardly believe it himself. McLaughlin left Bradford in the summer of 2014, dropping down a division to a smaller club. There was a sense of optimism around the place at that time but even he can scarcely believe just what has unfolded.
“I was looking forward to joining Burton as it was obvious they were heading in the right direction but I don’t think anyone could have imagined how quickly we would have the success we’ve enjoyed,” he said. “In the first season there was an expectation of promotion but beyond that there was nobody thinking we would do what we’ve managed this year. Those running the club probably wanted just to make sure we were still at League 1 club come the end of the season. It was our first season at this level so we didn’t want to straight back down. Reaching the Championship would be incredible for a little club like Burton, especially when you think of some of the clubs that might be coming down from the Premier League.”
It has all been achieved to a backdrop of regular managerial change. Gary Rowett, who signed McLaughlin, left for Birmingham City, his replacement Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink moved on to Queens Park Rangers, paving the way for Nigel Clough to return to the club he had led for a decade previously.
“For a lot of clubs when you change managers it can disrupt you and sometimes derail your progress but that’s not been the case with us,” added the goalkeeper. “The managers have all been very different in how they wanted to do things so there was no continuity that way either. But the chairman has been very good at getting the right people in. This club is a big draw for managers who now see what joy previous managers have had here.”
It is not only McLaughlin’s upbringing that has been a bit different from the norm. It has been a similar tale with his football career. Eschewing the traditional youth academy route, he combined studying for a sports science degree with playing non-league football with first Harrogate Railway and then Harrogate Town. Only at the age of 20 did he get his first crack at senior football thanks largely to the intervention of one of the Scotland coaching staff. As a Bradford player he would go on to play in the League Cup final and win the League 2 play-off final, both at Wembley.
“Stuart McCall was good enough to say I could go in to train with them and I did that for a year while I was still at uni and playing non-league,” he added. “At the end of the season McCall decided to offer me a contract. He was definitely a big influence on my career as it takes someone like that to give you a chance at that age and that stage, when you’ve got no academy pedigree. You’re out in the non-league wilderness. So for someone to show faith in you like that was great. He gave my first chance in the professional game. Maybe if we get into the Championship I can start badgering him about a Scotland call-up!”
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