Latest Thistle News...

22nd May 2011 - Relegation

Ellon Thistle's relegation was confirmed on Saturday when Nicolls Amateurs defeated Bervie Caledonian by a single goal. The odds were stacked against The Jags retaining their Division One status after picking up just 9 points from thirteen games before Christmas. The withdrawal of FC Geldie from the AAFA piled the pressure on but the return of manager Kevin Kennedy brought about a change in fortunes and instilled new belief into the team. With a target of 30 points set in order to stay up, Thistle lost just 2 of their remaining 11 league games to amass a points tally just two shy of their intended target. In the end, it was not enough and The Jags will compete in Division Two in season 2011/12 having won one less game than Stonehaven Athletic. However, if the club retain the majority of the squad they will no doubt be serious contenders to bounce straight back.

21st May 2011 - End of Season Awards

On the day Thistle's relegation to Division Two was confirmed, The Jags presented their end of season awards at Ellon Golf Club. Stephen Cruickshanks picked up the Player's Player of the year trophy for the third time in five years while Callum Duncan scooped the Committee Player of the Year award. The latter had been consistent throughout a turbulent season and was one of only three players who started the league opener versus Geldie and also featured in the season finale at home to MS United. Amongst the vast numbers of new faces to the club during the course of the season were Darren Bailey and Greg Gillan, who shared the Most Improved Player prize. Michael Wild reclaimed the Top Scorer award and Gary Robertson deservedly claimed the Clubman of the Year trophy, an honour he shared with Stephen Cruickshanks. Meanwhile, Ben Drummond was victorious in the return of the much loved Buzzword Bingo.

12th May 2011 - Cruden Bay Juniors 2 Ellon Thistle 3

Thistle travelled to Cruden Bay to play a friendly in which they came out on top by the odd goal in five.

20th March 2011 - Ellon Thistle 5 Ardallie 5

Thistle struggled to claim a draw against Summer League side Ardallie and at one point trailed 5-2.

14th March 2011 - Ellon Thistle 3 Hatton 2

Thistle faced Summer League side Hatton FC on the astroturf at The Meadows. The Jags recovered from 2-1 down to win the match with the last kick of the ball.

12th February 2011 - More New Gear

Andy Drummond of Container Company hands over new jackets and polo shirts to Ian Birnie and Michael Wild as the rest of the squad look on.

5th February 2011 - New Gear

Jim 'Rafa' Anderson of AXIS Well Technology hands over new training tops and kit bags to Thistle skipper Martyn Duncan, Bruce Alexander, Mark Cockburn, Stephen Cruickshanks, Steven Beaton and Ryan Birnie.

10th January 2011 - The Kevin Kennedy Years - Part II

All change at Thistle over the new year. Gone are manager Craig Sutherland and his young Formartine Utd proteges while in comes Kevin Kennedy for his second stint at the club as manager. Billy Dailly makes his biennial return before he returns to Panasonic FC in 2012. David Anderson has rejoined Thistle after a short spell with local rivals Ellon Amateurs while Martin Rennie and Mark Kennedy also rejoin after leaving at the end of last season. With The Jags languishing towards the foot of Division One North, coupled with the withdrawal of FC Geldie from the league, the new management team have their work cut out. However, a defeat in the North of Scotland Cup was soon followed by a more positive performance against Kintore in the Association Trophy and similar displays on a consistent basis will see The Jags retain their Division One status.

6th August 2010 - Ellon Thistle 1 Formartine Utd U19s 4

Thistle tasted defeat for the first time this pre-season when Formartine Utd Under 19's visited The Meadows. The United keeper was barely tested but did have to pick out a powerful Andy McLean header from a Bruce Alexander cross. Defensive blunders at the other end proved costly and the Under 19's ran out comfortable winners.

4th August 2010 - Westdyke 2 Ellon Thistle 2

Ellon faced Premier Division opposition on Tuesday night and came away with a 2-2 draw.

3rd August 2010 - Opening Fixture

Thistle will begin the new season at Inverdee against FC Geldie this weekend with a depleted squad as Bruce Alexander and Michael Wild are both suspended, Ryan Birnie and Steven Beaton have long term injuries and Martyn Duncan is unavailable due to work commitments. The unavailability of the Thistle veterans will allow the new recruits to stake a claim for a regular starting slot.

2nd August 2010 - Ellon Thistle 3 Ellon Meadows U19s 0

Thistle continued their preparations for the new season with a friendly against Ellon Meadows Under 19's. Goals from Martyn Duncan, Mark Cockburn and Simon 'Koeman' Cruickshanks sealed a comfortable win.

31st July 2010 - Ellon Thistle 3 Glentanar Reflex 2

Ellon Thistle hosted Glentanar on Saturday in the first of a series of pre-season friendlies. The Jags fielded a youthful side and deservedly came out on top after some comical goals at either end. Ron Weasley in the Glentanar goal unsuccessfully attempted to block a waist high Michael Wild effort with his feet before Thistle's second half goalkeeper Richie Milne saw a free-kick from inside the Glentanar half bounce over his head in the closing stages. In a new development, Ryan Birnie collected the match statistics for The Birnie Index. Full details will follow.....

19th July 2010 - New Management

After lengthy discussions on Saturday, Craig Sutherland has agreed to take on the managers role at Thistle replacing Kevin Kennedy who stepped down last month. It will be Sutherland's second stint in charge at Thistle and his first challenge will be to recruit a number of new faces to bolster a threadbare squad.

18th July 2010 - Season 2009/10 Updates

A full update of last seasons results, players stats and team performance has been completed.

17th July 2010 - Pre-Season Training & Management Latest

Turnout for each of the five pre-season training sessions has been poor but newcomers David Watson, Ben Drummond and Gary Shand have proved welcome additions to the squad. Still with no manager in place, Gary Robertson has managed to step into the coaching role and put the lads through their paces with a variety of drills. Developments have been made regarding the management team and an announcement is anticipated in the very near future.

16th July 2010 - This Seasons League Opposition

Thistle's opponents for the forthcoming season in Division One North have been confirmed:

Banchory
Bervie Caledonian
Ellon Thistle
FC Geldie
Great Western United
Hazlehead United
Insch
Lads Club Amateurs
Mearns United
MS United
Nicolls Amateurs
Rattrays XI
Stonehaven Athletic
West End

2nd July 2010 - Team Meeting

With the new season fast approaching, no manager in place and a playing squad of 9, Ryan Birnie & Bruce Alexander called a team meeting at the Bridge Bar on Thursday night to discuss the obvious issues. A shortlist of management candidates was drawn up while a more substantial list of possible players was compiled. It was agreed that pre-season training would begin on Monday 5th July at 6.45pm at the Gordon Park. Any interested players are more than welcome to come along. Other important issues regarding kit, training gear, sponsorship and fund raising were also discussed.

30th June 2010 - Manager & Players Required

The search has begun to replace manager Kevin Kennedy and the uncertainty surrounding the management position has made it difficult to recruit new players. The Jags completed the 2009/10 season with just 14 players and only a handful have re-signed for the coming season.