Having started last season in excellent form, Brandon Mason was harshly frozen out of the first-team picture in favour of Sam McCallum. While on the short side for a defender, Mason makes up for it through positioning and his commitment in the challenge. Going forward, Mason is perhaps not quite as explosive as McCallum could be – which is probably why Mark Robins opted for the latter as we moved to a formation featuring wing-backs – but he uses the ball intelligently and is an accurate crosser of the ball when he gets into positions to do so. It was a case last season of the team being blessed with two very good left-backs for League One, with Mason being the better full-back and McCallum the better wing-back.
With McCallum out of the picture moving into next season, the opportunity is there for Brandon Mason to reclaim his place in the side. The two challenges for Mason will be re-discovering the momentum he may have lost as a result of a lack of first-team football over the past nine months while also stepping up to a higher-level of football. It seems unfair on Mason that he did little wrong to warrant losing his place in the side but it’s going to be a significant challenge for him to win it back – with the likelihood being that Mark Robins will recruit another player in the position over the summer.
Brandon Mason could be another example of how ruthless Mark Robins can be in his pursuit of continually upgrading the squad. It would say a lot about Mason’s determination and quality were he to reclaim his place in the side.
Sideways Sammy 