Athlone’s Antony tries to plot downfall of Glasgow Rangers

When Fraserburgh face mighty Glasgow Rangers in the Scottish Cup on Sunday, Athlone’s Antony Sherlock will be in the dugout as the Highland League outfit aim to create a sensational upset.

Sherlock is the first team coach with Fraserburgh who take on Rangers in the Scottish Cup fourth round at Ibrox on Sunday, kick-off 2.15pm.

Originally from Baylough in Athlone, Antony has been based in Scotland for over a decade and he has been involved with Fraserburgh since October 2013.

Having worked as a physical education (PE) and business studies teacher, Antony spent a year in England before moving north to Scotland.

Located in Aberdeenshire, Fraserburgh is about 40 miles north of Aberdeen and the journey to Glasgow for the showdown with Rangers will take about three hours.

Fraserburgh operate in the Highland Football League which is at level five in the Scottish football pyramid. They currently lie ninth in the table of 18 teams with Sherlock admitting that they have “drawn too many games” to mount a challenge for league success this season.

Last season they finished third and they topped the Highland Football League in the 2021-22 season, but lost out in a play-off against Bonnyrigg Rose to decide who would move up to League Two.

“There are a lot of ex-players from clubs like Aberdeen and Ross County so the standard is pretty decent, and it’s only geography that makes it hard for some lads to play at a higher level,” said Antony.

Sherlock describes the standard in the Highland League as something similar to the “top end of the First Division in the League of Ireland”.

To reach Sunday’s fourth round clash against Rangers, Fraserburgh defeated Rothes 8-0, Turriff United 3-1 (after extra-time) and then Annan Athletic 2-0.

“We played Rangers at home in a cup game five or six years ago, but being drawn away is actually much better for the club. We will get half the gate receipts, half the merchandise and half of the TV money. The club will be on a sound financial footing for the next couple of years. We can’t afford to pay the sort of big money that some players can command,” Sherlock told the Westmeath Independent.

Antony is also keenly aware that if Fraserburgh did move up to the Sottish League Two, the travelling and financial commitments involved might make it very difficult for people like himself to stay involved.

“The cost of buses is very expensive for the club. It’s very hard to get buses here so the bus companies can charge what they like,” he said.

The Fraserburgh manager is Mark Cowie who has been in the role for about ten years. Antony had become somewhat disillusioned with adult football and was more interested in working with underage players, but he said Cowie was persistent in urging him to get involved with Fraserburgh and eventually he relented.

Antony said he generally favours “an aggressive style of play with a high press” but he admits Fraserburgh will cut their cloth to suit their measure when it comes to taking on Rangers.

In addition to his role with Fraserburgh, Antony continues to work as a teacher. His official title is ‘Principal Teacher, Flexible Provision’ with Peterhead Academy. He explains that his role is to work with students who are at risk of dropping out of education for various reasons such as personal or family issues, or difficulties relating to drugs or social deprivation.

Sunday’s game will be shown on BBC Scotland and while the Fraserburgh contingent might have been hoping for the Sky Sports cameras, they will still be very much in the limelight.

Sherlock is keen to stress the “incredible commitment” of the semi-professional Fraserburgh players, pointing out that 38-year-old club captain Willie West has been with the club for 18 years.

“We have a number of lads who have had testimonial games (which are generally accorded to players with ten years’ service) which is kind of unbelievable. You wouldn’t need a motivational speaker for these guys; it’s intrinsic to them and that makes my job much easier,” he said.

“When I was with Athlone years ago, I wouldn’t say there was a drinking culture as such, but it wouldn’t have been frowned upon for lads to go on the beer.”

In terms of rising talent in Fraserburgh, Antony points to Flynn McKay, a schools international with Scotland, as someone to possibly watch out in the future.

“He reminds me of Robbie Benson as I coached Robbie all the way up, but of course he’s not as good as Robbie yet,” he says.

Antony’s family is well regarded in sporting circles in Athlone and further afield. He’s a nephew of the late John Sherlock, who was hugely respected for his work with the Roscommon & District Football League, while his first cousin, Mark Sherlock, has played for Athlone Town and St Peter’s.

Antony was first team coach when Dermot Lennon was Athlone Town manager and he retained this role under Brendan Place, with Place’s departure bringing Antony’s time with Athlone to an end.

Though Antony is based in Scotland for work reasons, his partner Francesa Carberry, a sister of Andy and Adrian Carberry, still lives in the Athlone area. This might seem an unusual arrangement to some people, but the couple manage to make it work.

“If I was anywhere else in the world, it would probably be absolutely undoable but it’s something that lots of people do here. Some people work in jobs connected to the oil and gas industries and they might work for a week and then have a week off. I get home as much as I can,” he said.

Antony worked as a substitute teacher in the Marist College and indeed he coached a young soccer team from the Athlone school all the way to national success. It was a team which featured future rugby stars and Ireland internationals, Robbie Henshaw and Jack Carty.

“Jack Carty and Robbie Henshaw were the two centre-backs on the team,” Antony recalled in matter-of-fact fashion. “I know the pull of other sports like rugby as could be seen with Robbie and Jack. At home there is also the GAA and I played with Clann na nGael myself. Over here there is really only football and that does makes things easier for us as a club.”

In addition to coaching Marist College teams, Antony coached ADSL teams in the Kennedy Cup. He coached Athlone Town U17 and U21 teams alongside Padraig Moran (who remains a close friend, along with another well known local coach, Tony O’Sullivan).

As a Celtic fan, Antony would of course love to be heading to Parkhead for a cup tie against the men in the famed green and white hoops. Yet all involved with Fraserburgh are relishing the task of facing Celtic’s old foes in blue.

Interestingly, after Rangers play Fraserburgh, their next game will be against Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday, January 23. It’s not bad company Fraserburgh are keeping these days.