The Ants get their league campaign underway later today with a trip to Millburn Park to face a Vale of Leven side who finished their league cup campaign with two wins and two defeats with wins v Johnstone Burgh (3-0) and Greenock(3-0) and defeats to Port Glasgow (3-0) and Renfrew (1-0). Last season saw the Ants win 2-1 at Millburn Park. A Wullie Duncan penalty on the stroke of half time was cancelled out by a Matthew Devine goal after 61 minutes but an Anton Conway wonder strike in the last minute was the difference between the sides, then in the return match Josh Grace looked to have sealed the win for Vale of Leven with a goal after 62 minutes but Brian Henderson was the coolest man in McKenna Park as he stroked home a 96th minute penalty to earn the Ants a share of the points.

Both teams will be looking to get their league campaigns off to good starts and it promises to be a close encounter if matches over the years are anything to go by.

League sponsor McBookie have Vale of Leven slight favourites –

Vale of Leven – 11/10

Draw – 15/4

St Anthony’s – 13/10

Saturday 5th of December will hopefully see the first ever meeting of Stonehaven and The Ants. The match was originally scheduled for the 21st of November but the recent bad weather has seen the match postponed twice so here’s hoping third time is a charm. The Ants beat Forres Thistle 6-0 after getting a bye into round two and Stonehaven saw off West Region side Shotts Bon Accord 2-0 in the second round following a bye in round one.

Stonehaven have had a great start to the season currently sitting top of the McBookie North Region Superleague, 8 points clear of their nearest challengers, Banks O’Dee, albeit with Banks O’Dee having 3 games in hand. Their last game was on the 14th of November which saw them run out 4-2 winners over Dufftown so it will be a hard test for Cotter’s charges with a place in the 4th round of the ETHX Energy Scottish Junior Cup at stake but one that I’m sure the boys will be up for.

Speaking in the Evening Times last week James had this to say “Stonehaven’s pedigree is deserving of our respect but nothing more and if we play to our abilities then we’re in with a shout of causing an upset. We’re a very young side, as many as seven of the guys are teenagers but the centre back pairing of Abu Mansare and Paul O’Brien are committed and no-nonsense defenders ideally suited for a Cup tie away from home while Willie Duncan is more than capable of knocking in a goal or two.”

A bus will be leaving McKenna Park at 9am for the long journey north (Stonehaven is in Aberdeenshire) and upon it’s return hopefully we have our names in the hat for the next round.

It shapes up to be an intriguing tie and as always our official twitter feed will keep you right up to date with all the goings on if you can’t make the trip

MON THE ANTS!

The Ants take on recently relegated Lesmahagow in the first league match of the season at McKenna Park on Saturday after the match was switched from its original Craighead Park venue as Craighead is still being fixed up after the horrific floods there last season.

The Gow had a good sectional league cup campaign winning 2 out of their 3 games but fell short of qualifying after defeat to Larkhall, who won the section with a 100% record and they will be looking to carry this good form into the league campaign. Despite relegation last season from the Super First, the Gow managed to keep the majority of their squad for this season and Craig Young joined as Assistant Manager to Robert Irving from Lowland League side East Kilbride.

The Ants will be looking to build on a good performance away to Pollok and the Govan Clasico win and get the league campaign off to a good start . Long term absence Ross McIntosh is still not fully fit and striker Jason McKay has left for Bellshill although he didn’t feature in the Ants last two games, with Willie Duncan taking his place in the side for those games. Kick Off is at 2pm and entry is £4 Adults £2 OAP/Conc/Children

MAJOR MEETINGS

Scottish Junior Cup
1955/56 round 2 St Anthony’s 0 Lesmahagow Juniors 1

West of Scotland Junior Cup
1970/71 round 1 St Anthony’s 2 Lesmahagow Juniors 3
1988/89 round 3 Lesmahagow Juniors 6 St Anthony’s 1

The Ants and the ‘Gow have met in League competition very rarely.
Until 1968 Lesmahagow operated in the Lanarkshire Junior League, but
even after this League was incorporated into the new Central Region,
meetings were few and far between as they were usually a division or
two above us. More recently, under Central District League auspices,
we have finished above the ‘Gow a couple of times in the Division One
table, and one season they were in the division below.

Come along and get behind Cotter and his Ants team in the league curtain raiser

Its an Ants Thing

Its here once again, the game that gets the blood flowing, the heart pumping that little bit faster and the nerves jangling more than a  wind-chime factory in a hurricane. Its time for the Govan version of El Clasico as The Ants take on local rivals The Bens in the Euroscot Sectional League Cup and possibly more importantly for the bragging rights in Govan till the next meeting. Last season a Paddy Cullen hat-trick saw the Ants record a 4-2 victory at Tinto Park coming from 2 goals down after only 14 minutes in the Sectional League Cup, The Bens won the first league game of last season between the two sides by 3 goals to 1, taking the victory after Miller had put the Ants ahead just after half time and the final meeting of the clubs ended in a 0-0 draw at McKenna Park.

These games usually aint for football purists and are more blood and thunder occasions. Both teams have yet to record a win in the Section this season, The Ants losing 2-1 to Neilston and 3-1 to Arthurlie, while the Bens have lost 2-1 to Arthurlie and 4-1 to Pollok and they would love nothing more than to get their first points on the board against their biggest rivals.
The action kicks off at McKenna Park tonight where unfortunately due to illness there will be no matchday programme available

Entry is £4 adults and £2 OAP/Conc/Kids

Come along and get behind Cotter and the team as we look to get our first competitive win of the season and secure the bragging right

It’s an Ants Thing!!!

The Ants face the short visit to Dunterlie on Saturday looking to get their first competitive win of the season after a 2-1 opening day defeat v Neilston against an Arthulie side who have taken maximum points in the section in the two games they have played so far winning both games 2-1 v Benburb and big rivals Pollok. Last season’s fixture saw Arthurlie run out 4-2 winners at McKenna Park and Ants manager James McKenna will be hoping that history does not repeat itself this time around. The Ants’ last visit to Dunterlie saw the Ants come from behind and earn a 2-1 win two seasons ago in the same competition, here’s hoping that is some history that does repeat itself.

Arthurlie have added 7 players in the summer, Ritchie Barr comes in from Pollok, Kevin Green and Kyle Rafferty have made their loan moves last season permanent from Stranraer and Albion Rovers respectively. Danny Burns who played against the Ants last season from Lanark, Rhys Devlin from East Stirling, Connor McGlinchey from Peterhead and Michael White from Petershill. Players who left Dunterlie in the summer include Craig Holmes, who was on loan at the Ants last season, who has left to join Bellshill, Steven Dymock (Cambuslang), Pedram Ardallany, Graeme Ramage (Clydebank), Graeme Barbour (Benburb), Shaun Dillon and Paul Allum. Former manager Mark Cameron has also re-joined Gavin Duncan’s backroom staff as a coach.

They will be without striker Paul Stewart who misses out due to suspension after a straight red in the first half v Benburb and former Ants man Ryan Jordan who is still recovering from a long term injury, which all at the Ants hope he bounces back from soon and gets back on the park ASAP

The Ants hope to have Jonny Duncan back to make his debut, although Ross McIntosh is still sidelined through illness.

Heres hoping it’s an entertaining match and that the Ants get their first points of the season on the board

Kick Off is at 2pm, lets get behind Cotter and the team and cheer them on to another piece of Dunterlie Delight and always remember

#ItsanAntsThing