Barnet club captain, Charlie MacDonald was released at the end of last season after holding aloft, with Curtis Weston, the Conference championship trophy after the Bees clinched the title by defeating Gateshead 2-0 at the Hive.
Unfortunately, MacDonald's season was badly hit by injuries last season after starting so well. Even so, Charlie made 32 appearances for Barnet, scoring 8 goals, all in the league.
Charlie joined the club in the summer of 2014 after being released by League One club, Oldham Athletic where he scored 5 goals from 30 appearances. Charlie began his career at Charlton Athletic and went on to play for Margate, Stevenage Borough, Crawley Town, Ebbsfleet, Southend, Brentford, MK Dons & Leyton orient before moving to Oldham. He also had loan spells with Cheltenham, Torquay and Colchester. While he was at Crawley, he played against the Bees during Barnet's previous successful Conference campaign of 2004/05. In 2008/09, he helped Brentford win promotion from League Two.
Charlie scored on his Barnet debut in the 5-0 win away at Chester on the opening day of the season and on his home debut against Bristol Rovers and scored 5 goals in the opening 7 games. However, he was injured in the 3-0 win at Dover in September and had quite a long spell out, not returning to the side until November. Important goals at home to Chester and Aldershot, where he scored the only goal of the game seemed to have re-established him back in the side but further injury and the arrival of Michael Gash from Kidderminster in January lead to MacDonald being largely sidelined for the run in to the season. Hi start in the home game against Nuneaton Town was his only one in the last 11 games. Charlie's last goal for the club was in the 4-0 home win over Southport in January and he came on as a very late substitute in the final, victorious, game at home to Gateshead.
Despite his release, there is no doubt that MacDonald made a significant contribution to Barnet winning the Conference, particularly in the early part of the season where his goals and assists played a huge part in the team's bright start to the season which, in the final analysis, was to be so important in the push for promotion back to the Football League. Martin Allen has invited Charlie back for pre-season training so, who knows, we may yet see him back in a Barnet shirt again.
Barnet Mad wishes Charlie all the best for the future.