The very best strikers tend to be kept awake at night by the chances they failed to convert and, despite scoring twice as West Ham United thrashed MK Dons in the EFL Trophy, Callum Marshall could not keep one miss out of his mind.
Strangely enough, the Northern Ireland international has played more games for his country than he has for his club this season, first-team and reserve-team fixtures included.
After stepping off the bench in September’s World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Germany – a 3-1 win and a 3-1 defeat – Callum Marshall made his first appearance in the claret and blue of West Ham United on Tuesday evening.
And though he needed to make the step down to the Under-21s to get his campaign up and running, all that matters to Marshall is that he is back on the pitch following a recent suspension and having been an unused sub for Graham Potter against Chelsea and Wolves.
The improved end-product Marshall demonstrated on loan at Huddersfield Town last term, meanwhile, was evident at Stadium MK.
Callum Marshall became a fan favourite at Huddersfield during a season of relatively few positives.
Only Josh Koroma scored more than his 10 goals. He also returned to West Ham with a Young Player of the Year award under his arm, while the tireless, tenacious performances demonstrated in Yorkshire ensured that Marshall earned comparisons with one Jamie Vardy.
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Callum Marshall sends Graham Potter a message as West Ham United thrash MK Dons
There were shades of the Leicester City legend, certainly, in the way Marshall opened his account for 2025/26 at MK Dons.
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A cross from the left by Emeke Adiele, a darting run towards the near-post, and an instinctive backheel finish. He wasn’t finished there either.
A clever free-kick routine saw Reagan Clayton pull the ball back to the edge of the box. Marshall, curving his run to perfection, slotted a first time strike into the corner.
Yet, while reminiscing fondly about two extremely well-taken strikes, Marshall’s dreams were still haunted by the hat-trick chance which slipped agonisingly through his fingers.
“It was actually the first 90 minutes I’d played since the end of last season, so I needed that under my belt,” Marshall tells the club’s official website.
“The second one was a good ball in from Regan [Clayton]. It bounced a bit awkwardly, but I got around it well. I probably should have scored the one-on-one too. I was annoyed with myself for that one. I had too long to think about it. I should have gone around the goalkeeper.
“But I’m happy to get two in the end.”
“It was great just to have the minutes,” Marshall adds, his effervescent display surely doing his hopes of first-team involvement no harm. “Even if the Under-21s staff hadn’t asked me, I would have wanted to play anyway.
“I get on really well with the development coaches and I’m never too big to play in these games.
“If I need minutes and this is the place to do it, then I have no problem with that. I really enjoyed it. Hopefully it shows what I can do.”
Marshall can be an exciting alternative to Niclas Fullkrug
While many supporters have been disappointed to see Freddie Potts sidelined in favour of James Ward-Prowse and occasionally Guido Rodriguez, Callum Marshall may also consider himself a little unfortunate.
Graham Potter hailed Marshall after he rattled home a brilliant effort against Grasshopper Zurich in pre-season.
In fact, the one-time West Brom loanee was up there with Potts and co as one of the club’s standout performers during the summer tour.
Possessing the kind of speed and intensity Niclas Fullkrug can only dream of, Marshall’s mindset certainly can’t be faulted.
A few more performances like this at Under-21 level, and surely the rewards will come eventually.