logo
James McGarry set for Aberdeen exit as he agrees transfer

James McGarry set for Aberdeen exit as he agrees transfer

The National19-06-2025
McGarry has been on loan at Greek side Athens Kallithea since January but will now exit Pittodrie permanently and head back to Australia.
He moved to Scotland in the summer of 2023 after impressing in the A-League for Central Coast Mariners but was never able to hold down a regular starting spot, injuries and the form of Jack MacKenzie both playing their part.
The New Zealand international played 28 times in total for Aberdeen and scored one goal, in a Premier Sports Cup group game against Dumbarton.
'Sometimes things just don't quite go the way everyone plans when a player makes a move, and I think that is the case here.
'He has a lot of experience in the A-League, and with a fresh start, I am sure he'll do well there. He leaves with our thanks and best wishes for his future career.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Are Falkirk going to rub Scottish football's face in its own faeces?
Are Falkirk going to rub Scottish football's face in its own faeces?

Glasgow Times

time3 hours ago

  • Glasgow Times

Are Falkirk going to rub Scottish football's face in its own faeces?

Utter woke nonsense? Not really. The practice is now believed to be ineffective, inhumane and unhygienic. Positive reinforcement methods, such as lavishing Fido with praise and treats for answering the call of nature outdoors instead of inside, are recommended these days. But could Scottish football benefit greatly from having its face shoved into its own faeces in the season ahead? If Championship champions Falkirk flourish in the Premiership using predominantly homegrown players and deploying an attacking brand of football in the coming months, will our elite clubs realise their actions have been wrong, learn invaluable lessons, be shamed into making changes and reconsider their strategies going forward? That very much depends on how John McGlynn's side, who achieved a second successive promotion and clinched a long-awaited return to the top flight after a 15 year absence amid scenes of mass euphoria in Forth Valley back in May, fares during the coming months. Read more: McGlynn, the vastly-experienced former Raith Rovers, Hearts and Livingston manager who is now in his 64th year, has shown no signs that he is going to abandon the laudable philosophies which have served him and his club so well in the past couple of campaigns in recent weeks. His starting line-up in the Premier Sports Cup group game against Spartans at the Falkirk Stadium last weekend contained no fewer than 10 Scots and one Canadian – Dechmont-born Scott Arfield. Taking on Dundee United, who finished fourth in the Premiership last term and qualified for the Conference League, at home tomorrow in their league opener will be, even with a bumper crowd roaring them on, a far more difficult outing for his men than that encounter with fourth tier opposition. Still, he is sure to once again put his faith in the local lads who have served him so well in the past after refusing to go down the route which so many of his fellow managers do and swell his squad with foreign imports during the summer. He has brought in Scott Bain and Brian Graham on free transfers after the goalkeeper and striker departed Celtic and Partick Thistle respectively. He has also landed Lewis Neilson on loan from Hearts. (Image: Craig Williamson - SNS Group) Henry Cartright, an English midfielder, has joined from Leicester City until May. But the promising 20-year-old is one of just three non-Scots in the Falkirk squad. Arfield and Ghanian forward Alfredo Agyeman are the only others. The contrast with United couldn't be any greater. The make-up to the Tayside club's XI in their European qualifier against UNA Strassen of Luxembourg last week was alarming and depressing in equal measure. Jim Goodwin fielded footballers from Ukraine, Australia, Moldova, Hungary, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ghana, the Republic of Ireland and North Macedonia. But not a single Scot made it into his side. Goodwin, who brought on young Owen Stirton and Craig Sibbald in the second half of the 1-0 win over Strassen, has done a phenomenal job as manager at Tannadice and only a fool would bet against him replicating the success which he has savoured to date this season with the overseas acquisitions he has brought in To a large degree, his reliance on professionals from his homeland, mainland Europe, Africa and further afield is understandable. Academies here are having their outstanding prospects plundered at an early age for a pittance by English rivals who are unable to sign kids under the age of 18 from the Schengen Area because of Brexit. There is no longer the same quality coming through the youth ranks. Read more: The Irishman is not alone in turning to foreigners in an attempt to achieve his ambitions. They are far more readily available and much more affordable than Scots. All of his contemporaries have taken an identical approach. To do anything else would be nothing short of lunacy. Wouldn't it? If McGlynn succeeds in keeping Falkirk up in the Premiership this season it will show that homegrown talent is undervalued, unappreciated and underused and underline that clubs and managers should be promoting native footballers far more than is currently the case. Of course, if the promoted side, as many observers are predicting, bomb spectacularly, quickly become embroiled in a relegation dogfight in the bottom half of the table and ultimately suffer relegation then it will have entirely the opposite impact. (Image: Craig Williamson - SNS Group) It will, too, be interesting to see how the promoted side get on if, as looks very likely on the evidence of their competitive run-outs of late, they continue to try and dominate possession, create scoring opportunities using intricate passing combinations and clever movement and place a major emphasis on entertaining paying punters. Most teams of their size and stature defend in numbers and seek to score on the counter when they come against the likes of [[Celtic]], Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian and Aberdeen. Will [[Falkirk]] pay a high price for throwing caution to the wind? Will they be rewarded for their bravery? Will it end up leaving them right in the s***? It will be fascinating finding out. Every dog, so the old saying goes, has its day. Anyone who cares about the future of the game in this country and the national side should be hoping that Falkirk are able to stick to their guns and maintain their upturn in fortunes this season. It will maybe give Scottish football a little food for thought if they do.

‘He was a beast' – Barnet star recalls being outmuscled by Spurs ace at Wembley as side return to EFL after 7-year break
‘He was a beast' – Barnet star recalls being outmuscled by Spurs ace at Wembley as side return to EFL after 7-year break

The Sun

time3 hours ago

  • The Sun

‘He was a beast' – Barnet star recalls being outmuscled by Spurs ace at Wembley as side return to EFL after 7-year break

ANTHONY HARTIGAN was once taught a tough lesson at Wembley by Tottenham 'beast' Victor Wanyama as a skinny 17-year-old. But the Barnet captain is hoping to put that and all his EFL experience to good use as the Bees return to League Two on Saturday after a seven-year absence when they host Fleetwood. 3 Hartigan, 25, clocked 118 appearances in League One for AFC Wimbledon and another 20 for Newport (on loan) and Mansfield in League Two before dropping into non-league with Barnet. And he has also played at Wembley twice — including taking on Mauricio Pochettino 's Spurs in 2018 with the Dons while their new stadium was being built. He told SunSport: 'We got drawn away against Tottenham in the FA Cup so I had a unique chance to play at Wembley. It was an incredible experience to take on Premier League stars live on TV. 'I was only 17 and it was my breakthrough year. I'd only made my senior debut that season so to be walking out under the arch alongside the likes of Harry Kane was surreal. 'Tottenham had a great team then. They also had Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Jan Vertonghen, Kieran Trippier, Mousa Dembele, Son Heung-Min, Victor Wanyama, players like that. 'I was up against Alli and Wanyama. I've got a photo of me trying to get the ball off Wanyama, which is funny because I'm like a skinny little boy and he was just a beast! I didn't stand a chance! 'Our manager Neal Ardley told us the next morning, 'That's the standard you must reach if you want to make it to the top.' "They just do everything so well technically, tactically, physically and mentally. It's frightening how big a gap it is from our level.' 3 3 Hartigan was also on the losing side in the 2021 League Two play-off final with Newport when they were beaten after extra-time by Morecambe. Not only was the day soiled by the result but the crowd number was limited to only 9,083 because of Covid restrictions. Hartigan feels he has unfinished business in the EFL, having played regularly for the Dons. But when he joined Mansfield three years ago, a shoulder injury wrecked his first season there before he was loaned for a year to Barnet, a move he made permanent last July. However, he has found a home at the Hertfordshire club, starting 89 of his 90 league appearances — and winning the National League title in May. Now he cannot wait to get his EFL career motoring again with the Bees. He said: 'I had a bit of bad luck going to Manfield. It was the right club for me at the wrong time — but Barnet has definitely proved to be the right team at the right time. 'I've excelled here because there are good people around me, I'm getting games under my belt again and the whole environment has been excellent. 'We don't fear the jump into League Two because this team deserves to be here. 'On a personal level I want to reach the highest level I can and enjoy my football. I'm enjoying my journey with Barnet.'

Marcus Fraser backs Richard King to pass the Celtic Park test
Marcus Fraser backs Richard King to pass the Celtic Park test

Daily Record

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Marcus Fraser backs Richard King to pass the Celtic Park test

The 30-year-old defender, who was once a youngster at the Hoops, believes the Jamaican defender has all the right attributes to succeed in Scotland Richard King's defensive partner Marcus Fraser has backed him to pass the Celtic Park test in St Mirren's Scottish Premiership opener. ‌ The Saints pitch up in the east end of Glasgow tomorrow afternoon to face Celtic, where they will kick off the Premiership campaign in search of a fourth top-six finish in a row. ‌ It is a match that is identical to the curtain closer last season where Stephen Robinson's boys were minutes away from a famous win against the Hoops before James Forrest netted a late equaliser to make it 2-2. ‌ A host of new signings have walked through the front door at the SMiSA Stadium this summer, but one player who has already made his mark in the Premier Sports Cup group stage is Jamaican defender King. Fraser is impressed with what he has seen from his new team-mate in a short space of time, saying he has everything a modern-day defender needs. 'Playing alongside Richard, you can see the attributes he's got,' he said ahead of the season opener. ‌ 'It's still early doors for all the boys. We've not seen a lot of them in games. Everything is positive with them all. 'But Richard, as he's been in the longest of all the new boys, has stood out. It's good to have all of them on board. I look forward to working with them.' The former Ross County defender is entering his sixth season with the Buddies after joining in the summer of 2020. ‌ However, he was once on the books of the Green and White when he was a youngster after making his professional debut against Stade Rennais in the Europa League in 2011. Now, 14 seasons later and having experienced the heat of Celtic Park as an opponent on countless occasions, Fraser believes the experience of playing in front of 60,000 fans tomorrow could be a boost for the highly-rated Jamaican defender and all the new signings. But Fraser said all Saints players are travelling to Parkhead on a mission to cause an upset. ‌ 'I'd imagine when Richard first walks into the stadium there will be the 'wow factor',' he said. 'There will be 60,000 fans on flag day and a party atmosphere. 'But it's up to us to ruin that. 'We'll look to do a lot of things that we've done well in recent seasons at Celtic Park.' ‌ The 30-year-old is also taking inspiration from last season's match against Brendan Rodgers's side. He said: 'We wouldn't have got Europe even if we'd won. But it would have been nice to have won there and gone out on a high on the last day of the season. 'We got a draw and, on the day, probably deserved to win. I don't think Celtic had a shot on target for the first 45 minutes, which is rare at Celtic Park. 'There are a lot of things we need to do well on Sunday and replicate that last game.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store