Category: Latest News

THORN ATHLETIC look to be in good shape ahead of the festive period after their hard graft continued to reap rewards.

The club are sad to announce that James ‘JD’ Donnelly has stepped down as senior team manager due to personal reasons.

It was with huge regret that the club’s management committee accepted his resignation following discussions last week.

OUR 2006 YFC side have bagged five tournament wins from the six they entered over the summer.

THORN ATHLETIC are delighted to confirm six new signings for the season ahead.

Manager James Donnelly has added a mixture of youth and experience to what was already an experienced squad.

Here’s a run down on the new faces for the season.

ALAN MUIR (Midfielder, 31) – former St Mirren and Elgin City central midfielder joins after a spell with Ardrossan Winton Rovers. He will be a great addition to the coaching staff and will hopefully return to fitness in due course.

THORN ATHLETIC’S 20th Anniversary celebrations were hailed a massive success after nearly 600 people joined in the party.

A bumper crowd of around 400 turned out in the sunshine on Saturday for the club’s Youth Academy Blitz followed by a Legends Match at the McMaster Sports Centre.

And nearly 200 people attended Johnstone Town Hall in the evening for presentations and a live band to mark two decades since the club’s formation.

It was an action-packed day for club officials and people from throughout the club’s 20 years in excistence.

Founder Mark McGee said: “We were overwhelmed with the turnout during the day and it was great to see so many people there to support us.

“The games attracted lots of interest and all the activities were well used. Both adults and kids seemed to have a great time.

“The evening event went smoothly and there were a number of highlights for those in attendance and it was also emotional for many of those involved for a number of years.

“We would like to thank everyone who made the day possible and demonstrated the support the club has in the town.”

The day involved exhibition games involving Thorn Athletic youth teams at 2006, 2007 and 2008 but there were many people there from throughout the club’s academy.

Afterwards the kids made great use of the bouncy castle, football shootout and face painting along with snack bar while the adults enjoyed refreshments from the bar.

A thrilling Legends match finished 4-3 to one of the Thorn teams captained by former skipper David Gallagher.

He was presented with the Breathing Space Cup at the Town Hall ceremony as the club were also involved in efforts to raise awareness of mental health on the back of their event.

Literature about tackling mental health issues was available at both the daytime and evening events.

Among the other special presentations retiring committee member Billy Gaw was honoured with a special recognition award and the club’s longest serving player Paul Young received a long service award.

Current club captain Ryan Crawford was also presented with his first Scotland cap in recognition of becoming the first Thorn Athletic player to receive international recognition.

And the club’s annual awards were also dished out with Tom Smith winning top goalscorer and Players’ Player of the Year with Joe Rae collecting the Player of the Year award for season 2017-18.

Guests were also treated to a number of pre-recorded interviews from figures from throughout the club’s history while the Jordan Murray Band kept the crowd entertained.

RYAN CRAWFORD became the first ever Thorn Athletic to be capped at international level after helping Scotland to beat Leinster 2-1 at Lesser Hampden.

FORMER Dumbarton, Pollok and Beith full-back Gary Wilson has signed for Thorn Athletic.

CLUB captain Ryan Crawford last week become the first player in the club’s history to be recognised at international level.

YOUNGSTER Nicholas McCallum has become the latest player from our academy to progress.

The promising goalkeeper joined the Rangers Youth Academy Under 11s development squad for a minimum one year term.

Nicholas, from Houston, is just the latest in a long line of former Thorn Athletic Academy players to be offered chances with the country’s top senior or professional clubs.

He has been around the club’s 2007 setup for almost three years and his coaches were delighted to see him progress to the Ibrox ranks.

Nicholas put pen to paper with the Glasgow side before their recent home Scottish Premiership clash with Aberdeen.

Everyone at the club wishes him well on his new football adventure.

THORN ATHLETIC are pleased to confirm that we have re-accredited for the Quality Mark Standard level award.

Representatives of the club were guests at Hampden Park recently to receive the recognition from the Scottish Football Association’s West Region.

Now the club have set their sights on reaching Development level when the next round of accreditation take place later in 2018.

In the meantime there is much work to be done in terms of coach education and forward planning.

But the current award gives peace of mind to everyone involved at the club that we are firmly heading in the right direction.

With the growth we have experienced in the past five years, it is vital that the infrastructure now matches the participation levels.

Quality Mark recognises the level that the club is at just now and rubber stamps the work we have done.

But Thorn must step up to the plate in recognition of the fact it is now one of the larger football clubs in the area.

Club secretary Mark McGee said: “Quality Mark is vitally important for our club. We recognise we have significant work to do.

“However, we have the skills and experience within the club to ensure that our progression continues both on and off the park.

“I would like to  thank all the team representatives throughout the club for their assistance and support during the re-accreditation process.

“We now look forward to working with the SFA to attain the next level.”