It was a mixed bag of results for the various Ants teams over the weekend with 2 wins and 2 losses from the 4 matches we took part in.

The Under 20’s got the weekend off to a flier on the Friday night where a Daniel Gallanagh opener was added to by a Kyle Smith double, including one from the Pelanty spot and then Ben Smith, taking part in his first competitive match in over a year and a half netted a 4th in a fine 4-1 away victory over Rossvale at Huntershill.

The Men’s first team was up next as they welcomed Kilsyth Rangers to McKenna Park in the Greenversity WoSFL Second Division. Despite dominating large parts of the match we couldn’t convert any of our chances including Martin Mullaney seeing a pelanty saved by the visiting keeper and lost out 0-1 to a Mina strike after 16 minutes. A harsh scoreline for the boys given the effort they put in but a stark reminder that you don’t win games if you don’t score goals.

The Ants 2009’s have been quietly blazing their own trail this season and on Sunday they faced Airdrie CC for a place in the Scottish Cup Quarter Finals. A fine 1-3 victory away saw the Antlings book their QF spot where they will face Dundee United for a spot in the semi’s.

The Ants Ladies were facing second placed Bishopton in the SWF West with an injury list that saw no fewer than 6 players who would have been fighting for starting positions standing at the side and only 2 subs available. This proved to be our downfall. We fell 2-0 behind before goals from Amy Cattrell, Morgan McCafferty and Rachel Osborne put us 3-2 ahead. Further injuiries during the game saw us limp over the line having lost 3 goals in the last 15 minutes to lose out 5-3 but it was a great effort from the girls given the injury crisis.

With neither the Men or Women taking part in competitive action this week the focus will be on the Under 20’s and 2009s in our Weekend Preview due on Friday.

Big thanks to Rachel Osborne and Patryk Rudnicki for the men and womens photographs in the gallery

It’s been a while but the Ants are finally back in competitive action. The youth section see’s our 2009’s take part in the last 16 of the Scottish Youth FA Inspire Scottish Cup away to Airdrie CC. Hopefully in the roundup we will be reporting on a win for the Antlings!.

In the men’s section the Under 20’s and First team play their first matches since the 13th of December and 8th of December respectively with the Young Team losing out 3-4 to Petershill and the first team winning 4-2 in what would turn out to be Johnny Fallon’s last match in charge with his decision to move to Bellshill.

The Under 20’s have a couple of suspensions and long term injuries don’t help what could be a much changed line up but will be hoping to pick up all 3 points in a tough match away to Rossvale at Huntershill on Friday the 17th with an 8pm Kick Off.

The men’s first team saw 4 players put pen to paper this week to join the club. Goalkeepers Stephen Mather, who had played the last 2 matches for the Ants as a trialist and Calum Dillon who’s last club was Cambuslang Rangers signed up along with Tony Hampson, who left the Ants for Kilsyth a couple of seasons ago before re-joining from Halfway St. Anthony’s and fit again Ben Smith who picked up a bad injury playing for the Under 20s but has impressed in training and re-signed.

Interim management team of Paul McKay and Graeme Crawford should have a full squad to pick from as we face Kilsyth Rangers at McKenna Park on Saturday 18th at 1:30pm and will be hoping the boys can show the same form they did last time out at home to Cambuslang.

The Ants Ladies have been idle even longer than their male counterparts with their last match coming away back on the 1st of December when they beat local rivals Benburb 0-5 at New Tinto and we have come back to an absolute stormer as we face Bishopton Ladies, who sit 1 position and 3 points ahead of us in second place in the SWF Table. The Queen Ants will need to be at our very best  to take anything from this one and it promises to be a cracker at Park Mains High with a 3pm Kick Off.

We’ll be back with a full round up of all things Ants on Monday.

Following the departure of the Men’s 1st team manager Johnny Fallon the club is now inviting applications for the position.

The deadline for applications will be Saturday 1st of February.

Please email any application over to info@theants.co.uk

The club is disappointed to announce the departure of Manager Johnny Fallon and his backroom team after he accepted the managers role at Bellshill Athletic FC.

Ants 1st team coach Paul McKay and player coach Graeme Crawford will make up the interim management team whilst we undergo the process of recruiting a successor to Johnny.

The club would like to thank Johnny and his team for all their hard work these past 6 months or so and wish them well for the future.

We will begin the recruitment process shortly and will be inviting applications. More information will be shared regarding that process tomorrow morning.

On the face of it a 5-1 defeat away looks like one side has run away with the tie but it was a lot closer than the scoreline suggested at Robertson Park yesterday as the Ants WoS Cup dreams were put to bed for another season.

The Ants had come into this one buoyant from their 2-1 win last week at home to Bellshill but with Thorniewood sitting in the top half of the division above it would be no small task to advance to the third round of the competition. A couple of enforced changes saw Mark McKillop move back into defence and Findlay Provan recalled to the starting line up having missed out last week.

The Ants had the first real half chance of the match when Welsh found last weeks two goal hero Chris Reilly out on the right hand side of the penalty box, the big man cut inside but his shot was held by Lane. McKillop then did really well to cut out a dangerous looking Kalala cross with Kindlan waiting to knock the ball into the net. The match was flowing from end to end with Reilly again forcing a save from Lane and a Carswell header blocked as it headed goal wards then Provan just failing to get on the end of a Kirkpatrick cutback.

Thorniewood took the lead in the 23rd minute when Dan Kindlan, who appeared to be marginally offside was put through on goal by Archer and the ‘Wood midfielder avoided a sliding tackle before slipping the ball through McInaw’s legs to make it 1-0 to the home side. Credit to the Ants though they didn’t let this setback get their heads down and Welsh again tested Lane from distance but once again the young Hamilton Accies loanee did well to smother the shot with Kirkpatrick waiting to pounce. Kirkpatrick himself then tested Lane with a powerful drive that he could only parry, Prior picked it up and his cross found Kirkpatrick again but the striker was off balance and lashed the shot past the post. They then had claims for a penalty waved away as a Thorniewood defender threw himself infront of a shot which rebounded to Welsh who then fired just over.

The Ants did get level in the 31st minute when Kyle Bunch nipped in to steal a short Lane pass and with the Keeper at the edge of his 18 yard box the Ants midfielder produced a lovely dink over his head and into the net to make it 1-1. Two minutes later and Thorniewood almost re-took the lead but Ross Forbes’ free kick was an inch or two wide. Thorniewood did retake the lead in the 35th minute when Leighton’s ball down the wing found Bobby Barr who raced towards the box from out wide, McInaw came racing out of his goal but the experienced Barr just chipped the ball over the keeper and into the empty net to make it 2-1. Reilly’s personal battle with Lane continued up the other end as the young keeper parried away his free kick and Welsh just couldn’t get on the end of the rebound and 2-1 is how we went in at the break.

The opening stages of the second half saw the some wasteful passing from both teams as the park began to cut up heavily with few chances being created until Thorniewood made it 3-1 in the 57th minute. A ball over the top saw Kindlan and Barr both go for the ball, Kindlan had looked offside as the ball was played but he left it for Barr who’s cross eventually found it’s way to Blair MacDonald, who had only just came on as a sub, at the back post to fire the ball into the roof of the net from close range. The Ants to their credit kept pushing to get back into it and could have had a pelanty when Sideserf appeared to handle a Reilly cross but the ref judged his arm to have been in a natural position despite the video showing him moving his arm towards the ball and a corner was the outcome.

Reilly then thought he had reduced the deficit in the 83rd minute when his hit on the volley looked to be flying in but it hit Mullaney on the line and bounced to safety. Thorniewood eventually got the ball cleared and they found Ally Miller who raced through on goal and gave McInaw no chance to seal the tie at 4-1 in the 85th minute. Bobby Barr added a 5th in the last minute to put a ribbon on the scoreline for the home side and see the Ants crash out of the cup for another season

Full time Thorniewood 5 v 1 Ants.

You are Cordially Invited to Welcome our new loan signing from Bellshill Athletic Reece Wotherspoon*. The 18 year old will be hoping that his loan spell at the club wont just be A Wrinkle in Time. The Best Laid Plans sometimes become Fear inducing but there are no Cruel Intentions as we hope his development continues having caught Manager Johnny Fallons attention whilst he was at Bellshill 20s. McKenna Park we hope will become like Sweet Home Alabama for Wotherspoon, he may even hear The Crawdads Sing in the foilage surrounding the pitch. You don’t have to be Legally Blonde to see the ability the young man has, although will he be able to Sing his way thru his welcome initiation.

However you say it even the man on the moon can see we haven’t walked the line with this announcement and we were delighted to see him make his debut in last nights 2-1 win over Caledonian Locomotives. That wont exactly make The Morning Show but who knows what the future holds. The loan is only until this Christmas, and not Four Christmases although it will be revisited before then if the youngster impresses as Johnny Fallon knows the Importance of Being Earnest

*We also loaned Reece’s signing graphic from Bellshill due to the quick turnaround!

The club are delighted to announce that former Thorniewood, Shettleston and Newmains United manager Johnny Fallon has been appointed as the successor to Danny Taylor and become the new Saint Anthony’s Manager.

The 42 year old comes with a wealth of experience both as a player where he played for Motherwell, Stranraer Bellshill and Linlithgow Rose before retiring at 29 with his home town team Thorniewood United. Upon retiring he took up the reins at Robertson Park and led them into the SJFA West Region SuperLeague First Division for the first time in the clubs history before leaving the club stable position in the league as he started a family. He returned for short spells to help rebuild at St Rochs and Shettleston and also led Newmains to their highest league finish ever.

Johnny stepped away from the game for a few years through work and family commitments but has stayed in touch with the game and has helped out recently at Bellshill Athletic with their under 20’s and some help with recruitment.

He is no stranger to the Ants having made his competitive debut in mens football at just 15 when he came on for the Ants as a sub against ironically Thorniewood as a trialist and has always had a soft spot for the club.

Having applied on the Sunday night, the executive committee invited Johnny for a chat yesterday afternoon and by the end of that conversation it was unanimous that we approach Johnny and offer him the job. We were delighted when he accepted and he will meet the players for the first time tomorrow night ahead of our pre season friendly in the Mark Ritchie Memorial match v St Roch’s at McKenna Park.

Speaking to the Ants website the new gaffer said “I am absolutely delighted to be back in the game at St Anthony’s, a club I’ve always had a good relationship with and one who is forward thinking and progressing forward to continue to add to the already sound infrastructure” I can only thank Martin, Felix and the committee for the opportunity to continue the good work done by Danny Taylor who has punched above his weight in what they have achieved over the last 4 years . The timing is not great with only a week before the league starts but we will hopefully hit the ground running Mon the Ants 🐜!”

Ants Club Secretary Martin McKenna is delighted to bring Johnny on board. “Having spoken to Johnny at length on Sunday night and hearing his passion and philosophy on how he wants the game to be played I am excited to see how the team turns out this season. The executive committee were of the same opinion when they invited Johnny over for a chat yesterday and by the end of that meeting we were unanimous that Johnny ticked all the boxes and a couple of extra ones as well. We can’t wait to see him in the dugout”

We will confirm the backroom team over the next couple of days.

We would also like to thank Graeme Crawford and Njabulo Ndlovu for stepping up as the interim coaching team. The boys will take the team on Wednesday night and also for the opening league game of the season away to Kilsyth Rangers to give Johnny time to meet the boys whilst maintaining a bit of continuity given the upheaval of the last couple of days.

Here’s to a new era at McKenna Park.

Our new amateur side Halfway St. Anthony’s have negotiated a deal with local pub The Kirkhill Bar to be their new home strip sponsor for their inaugural season. The friendly local is a popular venue in Cadoc Street in Cambuslang and is under new management after Emma Barnes took over the license. Emma and the team are delighted to be Halfway St. Anthony’s first ever sponsor. “It’s a Great opportunity to support a local team and to be their first ever sponsor is something we are proud of”. Wishing the team well Emma is looking forward to showing you some Kirkhill Bar hospitality in the coming weeks and month “Good luck for the season & I look forward to welcoming you all Into The Kirkhill Bar”.

Halfway Ants manager James Cairney thanked Emma for agreeing to partner with the team as he looks to build a good squad for his first season under the Ants umbrella. “I spoke to Emma about what it is we are trying to do with Halfway Ants and she was as excited with the plans as I was when we first spoke about the team being set up midway thru last year. It’s a great wee pub and we hope that the partnership is beneficial for both of us” James then turned his attention to the coming season “I’m really looking forward to getting started with the Halfway Ants and we are hopefully building a squad that can compete, and also provide players for the 1st team in the West of Scotland Football League”.

Ants club secretary Martin McKenna echo’d James’ thoughts on the partnership and added that it’s partnerships like this that are vital to clubs and helping them grow “We felt that with the community spirit we are trying to build at the club and Emma looking to do the same with the pub that it was a great fit for us as a partnership. Investment in our clubs from local businesses is vital to seeing the team grow and hopefully bring some success to the local community be it on or off the park”. Speaking about the inaugural Halfway Ants season Martin continued “We’ve never had an amateur team before and it’s something that we felt could plug the gaps between the 20s and the first team as well as give us a wider catchment area for players that we can bring through the pathway. I’ve known Jim a long time and his passion for the game and his desire to see his players make the step up to the first team is second to none. Hopefully we will see a Halfway Ant or two pushing for the first team this season, that would be ideal”

For the past 20 years, Ants legend Ronnie McDonald has been an almost constant feature around McKenna Park be it as a player, manager or coach but pre season 2024/25 will have a slightly different feel to it with Ronnie deciding that due to other commitments he would have to step away from the backroom team.

Ronnie was signed by James McKenna back in 2003 as a young midfielder who found it hard at first to break into a strong Ants side but he bided his time and when the chance came to cement a starting place he took it with both hands and made himself a first pick for several Ants managers over the next 12 years before taking over the reins himself with Tony Kane for season 2016/17. Despite that not going as well as hoped he stayed on at the club working with John Doyle after Tony had stepped away at the end of that season. Ronnie’s commitment to the club saw him remain as one of the backroom team as a coach after John Doyle left, helping out John Kelly before his current role as Assistant Manager to current boss Danny Taylor.

A popular character around McKenna Park, Ronnie’s coaching, work ethic, determination, sense of humour and his experience at this level will be missed but we wish him all the best with his future endeavours.

Speaking to the Ants website Club Secretary Martin McKenna said “Ronnie has been a great servant to the club over the past 20 years and we are sad that he has chosen to step away as we look to continue to grow the club but having spoken to Ronnie, I totally understand his reasons for stepping away. He’ll be a big miss in and around the place although We expect we’ll still see him around McKenna Park from time to time. We would like to wish him well in his future endeavours and as the saying goes Once an Ants man always an Ants Man”

Thanks for everything over the past two decades Ronnie and good luck

The club are delighted to announce that we have become members of Sported, a UK wide charity promoting fairness and equity for young people through grassroots sport and physical activity. They deliver support and resources that will help us thrive as a club and we are looking forward to working with them to help us reach both our short and long term goals.

We will be looking to re-organise our club structure and put in place a plan that will hopefully help us continue to grow in a sustainable structured manner as well as access funding streams through Sported that will help us with our planned growth over the next few years.

It’s an exciting time for the club as we move into a new era and with Sported behind us the future looks increasingly brighter.

Ants Club Secretary Martin McKenna said “I’m excited to sign the club up to Sported membership. Their army of volunteers can help us get to where we want to be as an organisation and the Sported team have been really helpful since we made contact with them. I can’t wait to get started on a new chapter for the club and see where it takes us”

We Can’t wait to see how this partnership helps shape our future and look forward to working with the team at Sported and their amazing network of volunteers.

For more information on Sported, Visit their website at www.sported.org.uk