Born in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, McDonald began his career with his hometown club Barrow before joining Workington.
A move to Liverpool followed but he did not break into the first team, and was loaned to Colchester United before joining Mansfield Town in July 1975, with whom he won the Third Division title in 1976–77.
[3] After leaving League football in 1989 to join Farnborough Town, he returned to Aldershot as caretaker manager following the resignation of Brian Talbot in November 1991.
However, the Hampshire club was now deep in debt and struggling back in the Fourth Division, having narrowly avoided going out of business the previous year.
His assistant Steve Wignall was appointed manager of the new Aldershot Town club which was formed several weeks later, and that summer McDonald made his own football comeback as a reserve team coach at Millwall.