Paul Leon Miller McCallum (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

for side

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...

. He has previously played for clubs including

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...

, Hearts and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Career

Early years

McCallum made his name at

Isthmian League Division One The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 teams ...

club

Dulwich Hamlet Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in East Dulwich in south-east London, England. They are currently members of and play at Champion Hill. History The club was formed in 1893, by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. T ...

breaking through from the youth team to the senior team in October 2010. Over the course of the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season, the striker scored a total of 15 goals in 7 games in the

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

, including a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

to produce a shock 3–2 victory over

Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

side

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

in the Second Round. The club faced

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

in the Third Round but were ultimately thrashed 6–2. Although McCallum did not score himself, he was able to provide an assist for one of the consolation goals. His prolific goalscoring attracting the interest of 14 clubs, including

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

giants

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and

. The striker ultimately chose

, signing a professional contract with the Hammers on 31 January 2011, citing their reputation for bringing young players through as a key reason for his decision.

West Ham

McCallum formed part of the ''Hammers'' Under-21 development squad during the 2011–12 season. He was loaned out to

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

on 31 January 2012. However, the striker returned to his parent club on 9 March 2012 without making a single appearance for the then

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

strugglers. McCallum's first involvement with the

senior squad was on 28 August 2012 as an unused substitute in the Second Round of the

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

, in which the Hammers beat

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

2–0. On 7 January 2013 McCallum signed a new deal with West Ham United extending his contract with the club for a further two and a half years. He was released by West Ham at the end of the 2014–15 season.

AFC Wimbledon (loan)

On 22 November 2012, McCallum joined

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

outfit

on an initial one-month loan deal. The striker made his debut for the Dons on 24 November 2012, in a 3–1 defeat by

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

, but was awarded a

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...

in the 82nd minute for a foul on

Nick Fenton Nicholas Leonard Fenton (born 23 November 1979) is an English former professional footballer and head physiotherapist of EFL League One side Burton Albion. As a player, he was as a defender who played between 1996 and 2014. He played for Manch ...

. AFC Wimbledon manager

Neal Ardley Neal Christopher Ardley (born 1 September 1972) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a right midfielder. He is currently the manager of Solihull Moors. Ardley was capped at Under-21 level by England. Ar ...

sought to give the young striker a second chance to prove himself however, by extending his loan spell until 19 January 2013. Having served out his three match suspension, McCallum returned to AFC Wimbledon's starting eleven on 29 December 2012 in a 3–0 defeat by

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

. McCallum repaid Ardley's faith in him by scoring his first league goal the following game in a 3–2 away win over

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

on 1 January 2013. Having found his form, the striker went on to score his second on 5 January 2013 in a 1–0 away win over

, which took

out of the relegation zone. This was the first time the

strugglers had secured back to back wins in the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season, with McCallum having been instrumental to the club's success in both games. On 12 January 2013, McCallum added to his tally by scoring a brace in a 2–2 draw with

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...

, totalling four goals in three games. In light of his prolific form, McCallum's loan spell was extended until 23 February 2013. On 11 February 2013, McCallum was named as League Two Player of the Month for January 2013 by

Match magazine Match, stylised as ''MATCH'' or ''MATCH!'', is a weekly British football magazine aimed at the teenage and pre-teenage market. First published in 1979, the magazine had a circulation of 57,108 copies in December 2010. The magazine includes interv ...

following his prolific run of four goals in three matches. On 22 February it was announced that McCallum had returned to parent club

a day earlier than planned after failing to shake off an ankle injury.

Aldershot Town (loan)

On 8 March 2013, McCallum joined

Football League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area i ...

on a one-month loan deal.

Torquay United (loan)

McCallum signed a further loan deal in October 2013, joining

on a one-month loan. On 2 November 2013 in his third game for Torquay, McCallum scored his first two goals for the club, in a 3–1 away win against

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

. He scored his third and final goal in a 2–1 away defeat to

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...

on 23 November but soon after returned to West Ham prematurely after receiving a back injury. He had played six games in all competitions for Torquay scoring three goals.

Heart of Midlothian (loan)

On 30 January 2014, McCallum signed for

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

side Heart of Midlothian (Hearts), on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut for Hearts on 2 February in a semi-final of the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

against

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional F ...

coming on as a 64th-minute substitute for

Dylan McGowan Dylan John McGowan (born 6 August 1991) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Hamilton Academical, on loan from Kilmarnock. Early life McGowan was born in Adelaide into a Scottish family from Glasgow. He is the ...

. The game had finished 2–2 and in the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

required to decide a winner, McCallum missed his penalty as Inverness won 4–2 on penalties. With two games left in Hearts' season McCallum injured his ankle in training and returned to West Ham. He had played six games for Hearts without scoring.

Portsmouth (loan)

On 15 January 2015, McCallum signed on-loan for the rest of the 2014–15 season for

. He made his debut on 17 January in a 1–1 home draw with

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...

. In his second game, a 2–1 home defeat to

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

on 24 January, he was sent-off for fighting. On 28 January 2015 he was charged by the FA with improper conduct arising from the same incident. McCallum was alleged to have made contact with referee, Lee Collins. On 3 February, he was banned for seven games after pleading guilty to the charge.

Leyton Orient

McCallum joined

club

on a two-year contract on 19 June 2015. He made his league debut for Orient against

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

on 8 August 2015, and scored the second goal in their 2–0 win. McCallum wasn't offered a new contract at the end of the 2016–17 season and left Orient, with a record of 15 goals in 43 appearances, to sign a two-year contract with

Solihull Moors

On 28 May 2019, McCallum joined

Solihull Moors Solihull Moors Football Club is a professional football club based in Solihull, England. The club currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system, after achieving promotion from the National Leag ...

on a two-year deal following his 27-goal season with Eastleigh.

Barnet (loan)

On 31 January 2020, McCallum joined

on loan until the end of the season with an option to make the loan permanent. He made his Barnet debut on 1 February 2020 in a 2–1 home win against

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...

. Coming on as a 60th minute substitute he scored after only a minute and assisted Barnet's second goal.

Dagenham & Redbridge

McCallum signed for

Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...

on 7 August 2020 on a three-year deal.

Chesterfield (loan)

On 10 February 2023, McCallum signed for

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season, helping the Spireites reach the National League Play-Off Final.

Eastleigh

On 30 May 2023, McCallum returned to former club

, rejoining the club after a four-year absence. His return to Eastleigh begun well with 15 goals in his first 16 league games. In December 2023, he scored both goals as Eastleigh defeated League One club

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

to progress to the

third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

. Having averaged a goal every eighty-two minutes across the month, he was awarded the National League Player of the Month award for December. After finishing as top scorer of the National League that season with 31 goals, he was named as Eastleigh's Player of the Year.

International career

In March 2024, McCallum was called up to the England C team for their upcoming fixture against Wales C.

Career statistics

Honours

Individual *

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

Team of the Year: 2018–19, 2023–24 *National League Player of the Month: December 2023 *

Player of the Year: 2023–24

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCallum, Paul 1993 births AFC Wimbledon players Aldershot Town F.C. players Men's association football forwards Black British sportsmen Dulwich Hamlet F.C. players English men's footballers Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Isthmian League players Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Lambeth People from Streatham Portsmouth F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Scottish Professional Football League players English Football League players Torquay United F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Eastleigh F.C. players Solihull Moors F.C. players Barnet F.C. players National League (English football) players Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players