Ah, the tale of young Coll Donaldson, whose utterance of a cursed 'happy birthday' each 9th of April reminds us he's moved another year further away from his natal event in 1995, which strangely enough makes him now about 30 years old. The lad's a defender, primarily central if you're getting technical about it, now with the illustrious ranks of Falkirk Football Club, and remember how he strides about: 6ft 2in tall or 1.88m if you've got a fondness for playing with decimals. He tips the scales at 12st 12lb if you insist on remaining devoted to your beloved imperial measurements, or 82kg if you've ever wondered what it would be like to live on the Continent.
If you've got a few quid lying about and are thinking of picking up a moderately successful Scottish defender, Transfermarkt suggests that about £129,500 should cover it. It's in euros originally, but keep your knickers on: I’ve converted it. And you're not going to want to dilly-dally, because as of now, Donaldson only has just over a year remaining on his contract with Falkirk, which is set to run out of steam come the end of May 2026. It's all there, clear as day on Transfermarkt.
Now, Donaldson's career has certainly been a tour of the Scottish football scene. He first popped up back in July 2012, when Livingston took a chance on his not-so-telegenic visage. In his 2012-13 season there, he made a grand total of five appearances. Mind you, he upped his game the next year, clocking in at 19 outings and, wonder of wonders, actually managed to put the ball into the net once.
In January 2014, Queens Park Rangers, an outfit south of Hadrian's wall, decided to fork out approximately £150,000 and whisk him away from Livingston. Sadly, it wasn't the stuff of fairy tales, with our Coll only making one lonely appearance for QPR during his stint there.
His next step: a move back home to Dundee United in July 2015, where he donned his strip for 18 matches in the first season, and an even less impressive 14 in his second outing. He then transferred to Inverness CT in 2017, where he managed a total of 16 appearances for the season.
The ever-restless Donaldson switched colours again in January 2020, this time to the ranks of Ross County for reasons likely known only to himself and perhaps his grandmother. The lad chalked up seven appearances in his first season, and, as if to annoy the statisticians among us, bloated that figure to 28 for the next two seasons, adding a goal each year for good measure.
A brief loan to Dunfermline Athletic followed in January 2022, before Ross County decided to yank him back home in June of the same year. Yet again, it was back to the well-trodden path of a smattering of appearances and the odd goal.
And so now here we find him, proudly sporting the number 6 for Falkirk since July 2022. In the current 2024-2025 season, he's racked up 20 outings with one goal to his name. He's even dipped his toe into the exhilarating waters of the League Cup and the Scottish Cup this year, putting in three and one start(s) respectively for Falkirk. A journeyman of many a Scottish pitch, our Coll.
