WHEN Mark Marshall lines up against Swindon Town this weekend, he does so as an established League One player, something he never quite managed in his time at the County Ground.

Much like Ben Gladwin, Raphael Branco and Jermaine Hylton, Marshall was plucked by Town from non-league by Maurice Malpas after a pre-season trial and the club’s failure to capture Kevin Betsy.

Despite making a few cameo appearances, a change of manager left the winger out of favour. A loan spell at Hereford United precluded Marshall’s exit from Wiltshire.

An initially successful spell with Barnet ended in disaster when Marshall tested positive for banned stimulant Methylhexanamine. The two-year ban ended last February when he was picked up Coventry on a short-term contract, where he became a hit with the fans.

Though Steven Pressley did not fancy taking him, Mickey Adams at Port Vale did. This time a change of manager did not see Marshall fall out favour. He has become a key player at Vale Park under Rob Page this season and tops the club’s assist charts.

“With anything in life, you go through ups and down. Sometimes it can make you stronger,” Marshall told the Advertiser.

“I was 20-21 when I was with Swindon and maybe I was lacking the experience to play week-in-week-out, but I enjoyed my time and it served me for the better.

“I had come out of non-league, where I was playing every week, and then I was coming off the bench and sometimes I wasn’t even in the squad.

“It makes you tougher, it depends how much you want it. It breaks you or it can make you. For me, I had no choice but to try and take what I could from it. I always thought ‘this is not the end for me in professional football’.

“Every day out on the training pitch I would be out doing extras, just to prepare myself. Whether I got myself a new contract or I didn’t.

“Whenever I was sitting watching games or in training, I would always think ‘what could I improve?’ I would go to the manager and say ‘what do I need to get in the team’. When he told me, I’d be out there trying to do it.”

Since his time with Swindon, Marshall has been through the wringer with his drugs ban, an error he claimed in mitigation was down to a supplement. He has worked hard to put that behind and come back.

“In my short career, I’ve had many ups and downs. When different experiences in life happen to you, you can go one way or the other. I knew what I could bring to the table and I knew if I got my head down and worked hard, I could get back into the game and it’s paying off at the moment.”