Latest news with #GlasgowUnited
The National
4 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Celtic cult hero finds new club as he arrives LATE for debut
The journeyman central defender has turned out for a multitude of clubs across the country throughout his lengthy career, including Hibs, Livingston, St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Greenock Morton and Queen of the South. Last season, he played for Workington AFC in England's seventh tier. Read more: Yesterday, Ambrose linked up with Glasgow United, who took on Ardeer Thistle. Efe Ambrose puts pen to paper and signs on for season ahead ....✍️⚫️⚪️🔴 — Glasgow United Football Club (@glasgowutdfc) July 27, 2025 In a rather bizarre turn of events, Glasgow were forced to begin the game with 10 men. Then, 12 minutes into proceedings, Ambrose turned up and debuted for his new club. 12' Not much to report other than Glasgow United starting the match with 10 men. Efe Ambrose has now turned up and takes his place in their back line. ARD 0-0 GU — Ardeer Thistle FC (@ArdeerThistleFC) July 26, 2025 In the end, the Nigerian and co lost by three goals to one as Kyro Crawford's hat-trick proved crucial for Ardeer. Ambrose has 51 caps for Nigeria, with his last coming nine years ago. He played 169 times during a five-year spell at Celtic, across which he won four Scottish Premiership titles, one Scottish Cup and a League Cup. Now 36 years of age, he featured in the Parkhead club's famous 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League back in 2012. It remains to be seen when, if ever, Ambrose will hang up his boots.
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
I am THE Celtic cult hero famous for my celebration now I play in the ninth tier and was late for debut
He's a well known figure in the Scottish game with his latest act involving turning up for a match AFTER kick-off He is a cult hero among the Celtic and Hibs faithful. And his latest adventure sees him turning out in the ninth tier of the Scottish football pyramid. As debuts goes, a 3-1 defeat in the West of Scotland Third Division opener at Ardeer Thistle won't go down as one to remember. But maybe turning up LATE for the kick-off and forcing your new club to start with ten men will. Have you guessed who we are talking about yet? If not, then it is the man himself Efe Ambrose. The defender burst onto the Scottish football scene at Celtic under Neil Lennon and went on to win the lot including multiple league titles and turning out in the Champions League at the top level for the Parkhead side. He then followed the man who took him to Parkhead to Hibs on an initial loan before penning a permanent stay. Since his Easter Road departure he's had numerous stints north and south of the border with Derby County, Livingston, St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Morton, Queen of the South, Bury and Workington. Now 36, the former Nigeria international, is in no rush to hang up his boots and has signed for the season ahead at Glasgow United. And he will be determined to make things right after a debut defeat and late arrival to the pitch. Tweeting updates from the clash on Saturday, the Ardeer admin took to the clubs social channels in the 12th minute of the game to state: "Not much to report other than Glasgow United starting the match with 10 men. Efe Ambrose has now turned up and takes his place in their back line." Sharing a picture of Ambrose with his new club colours, Glasgow United posted online: "He is here Efe Ambrose. Put the pen to paper and made his debut but there is still more to come" Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hibs cult hero makes shock Scottish football transfer as ex Easter Road loanee leaves Celtic
He's already made his debut for his new club as his football journey continues. Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Hibs and Celtic cult hero has made his latest transfer move - as a former Easter Road loanee departs Parkhead. The summer window opens up the possibility of weird and wonderful moves, with former players at various clubs amongst those completing switches. One such star is Efe Ambrose, who at the age of 36, has decided to extend his playing career with Glasgow United in the West of Scotland League third division. He has debuted against Ardeer Thistle in which the hosts won 3-1. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ambrose is one of Scottish football's brightest characters in the SPFL, having played with a host of clubs. Famed for his trademark backflip celebration, he featured at Celtic for five years and won four titles, before moving to Hibs and also becoming a cult hero there too en route to claiming Championship glory. After joining Hibs in 2017, he left in 2019 and has played for clubs like Livingston, St Johnstone and more in the lower leagues since. Efe Ambrose latest club Glasgow United said 'He is here, Efe Ambrose put the pen to paper and made his debut but there is still more to come,' when it came to signing the man who once had Manchester City trials before his Scottish football journey started. Ambrose told The Warm-Up during last season: "I was there, trained, and he (Roberto Mancini) was telling me, it's okay what he sees, but he needs to see me in a game to make a decision. "We (F.C. Ashdod) had a tough game on the Saturday with Hapoel Tel Aviv, my club called and said they wanted me back. They said there was no time for me to play on Friday, then go back on Saturday, they needed me. But I was there, I trained twice with Balotelli and the rest, Aguero and everyone! Because I was young I was naive, I never pushed. My agent was there, he told me we were off." Kwon leaves Celtic after Hibs stint Meanwhile, Kwon has left Celtic for Ligue 1 side FC Nantes. He spent last season on loan at Hibs and uncertainty surrounded him upon the end of his loan with Hoops minutes unlikely. He has now signed a three year deal to complete a move to France. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Nantes statement reads: 'FC Nantes and Celtic FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Hyeokkyu Kwon. The South Korean has signed a three-year contract (starting June 2028) with the Canaries. Hyeokkyu Kwon made his debut at Busan IPark, a club where he would also make his professional debut. 'In March 2021, the defensive midfielder was loaned to Gimcheon Sangmu, before returning to his former club in September 2022. During the summer of 2023, he arrived in Europe, more precisely in Scotland, at Celtic FC. Hyeokkyu Kwon will not play any matches with the Glasgow club, as he will be loaned consecutively to St Mirren FC, then to Hibernian FC during the 2024/2025 season. A defensive midfielder with an impressive build (1.92m), Hyeokkyu Kwon is strong in duels, but also very gifted technically since he is as comfortable with his right foot as with his left. He will strengthen the Nantes midfield, an area that has seen several departures during this transfer window.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Celtic cult hero Efe Ambrose sparks chaos on shock Scottish football return in NINTH tier as he turns up LATE for debut
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CELTIC cult hero Efe Ambrose is officially BACK in Scottish football. But he sparked a bit of chaos on his debut - after arriving LATE. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 5 Efe Ambrose took on Lionel Messi as a Celtic player Credit: Getty 5 He enjoyed plenty of silverware success at Parkhead Credit: Kenny Ramsay - The Sun Glasgow 5 Ambrose has played for several Scottish clubs including Queen of the South Credit: Kenny Ramsay Ambrose, 36, was with Celtic for five years between 2012 and 2017. He quickly established himself as a regular and won four league titles as a Hoops player, also winning both domestic cups once each. The former Nigeria international, capped 51 times for his country, was also part of the Celtic side that famously beat Barcelona in the Champions League in November 2012. Ambrose was somewhat an enigma during his time at Parkhead. Then Celtic manager Neil Lennon hit out at the defender after he ended up missing the team bus to training before a crunch Champions League clash with Juventus in 2013. Ambrose slept in and ended up having to get a taxi in Turin to make it for the session. While he was capable of a superb performance, Ambrose's showings were at times met with criticism too. He was ultimately frozen out of first team affairs when Brendan Rodgers replaced Ronny Deila as manager in 2016. Moves to Standard Liege and Blackburn fell through before he headed for Hibs on loan in February 2017. He would subsequently join the Easter Road club permanently before exercising an option in his contract to leave in January 2019, joining Derby. Rodgers' message to Celtic board, striker woes & huge Champions League risk After eight months without a club, Ambrose was back in Scotland again in February 2020 with Livingston. Becoming a bit of a journeyman, he then turned out for St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Morton and Queen of the South during a rather busy three-year spell. Ambrose went to England once again with Bury and spent the last year with Workington. But now, he's back in Scottish football again. This time, he's headed for the NINTH tier. Ambrose has joined West of Scotland League Third Division club Glasgow United for the upcoming season. The club have posted a picture of the defender holding his new kit. Ambrose has, in fact, already made his debut for his new team - and it was a bit chaotic. The West of Scotland League kicked-off on Saturday and Glasgow United headed for Ayrshire to take on Ardeer Thistle in their season opener. 5 Glasgow United confirmed Ambrose's arrival Credit: X/@GLASGOWUTDFC 5 Ardeer Thistle revealed the debut didn't quite go to plan! And a post on X from the home team revealed that Glasgow United endured a rather bizarre start to the game. That's because Ambrose showed up LATE - with his team starting with a man less! In the 12th minute of the game, Ardeer posted: "Not much to report other than Glasgow United starting the match with 10 men. "Efe Ambrose has now turned up and takes his place in the back line." Ten minutes later, Glasgow United had a man sent off and were once again back down to ten men. Ardeer won the match 3-0. After Ambrose's shock appearance, the club confirmed after the game that they'd signed the ex-Celtic man. On Facebook, they said: "He is here. Efe Ambrose put the pen to paper and made his debut but there is still more to come." Fans were stunned to see Ambrose back in the Scottish game. One fan said: "Efe Ambrose in Shettleston wasn't on my 2025 Bingo card." While another said: "Efe Ambrose, the gift that keeps on giving." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Record
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
David Templeton reflects on Rangers regrets and darkest point as he enjoys career twilight in ninth tier
Former Hearts and Rangers winger reckons he lost seven years' worth of his career to injuries. Just a few miles separate Ibrox Stadium from the lesser-known Greenfield Park in Shettleston. But in footballing terms the distance between Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow United might as well be the length of the country. To be precise there are NINE tiers of the Scottish football ladder between the two clubs. For David Templeton though, running out for the latter in the West of Scotland Third Division doesn't signify a career low point. Not by a long way. Not when he's back on the grass playing regularly and purely for the love of the game. And certainly not when he looks back at 14 years as a full-time professional and concedes half of them were wasted on the sidelines. Templeton knows his career should have been so much better. Every time the flying winger felt he was hitting his groove he would be brought crashing back down to earth by injury. Two games into his Rangers career for instance after he took the plunge to leave Hearts just a day after scoring the biggest goal of his career for the Jambos in a Europa League draw with Liverpool at Anfield. Ankle ligament damage in that draw at Annan was the start of an injury-ravaged spell after he joined the Gers' journey back to the top while they were at the very bottom. But never did those lows hit harder than nine years ago when, having missed almost the entirety of the last of those four seasons at Ibrox due to a knee injury, he found himself club-less and sinking into a depressing daily routine of alcohol, junk food and box sets on the TV. That difficult memory means Templeton - who recovered to pick up his career at Burton Albion and Hamilton before eventually giving in to injury aged 32 - will never take any 90 minutes playing the beautiful game for granted. After a two-year spell at Drumchapel United that followed his 'retirement', he's now playing with former Scotland striker David Goodwillie in a Glasgow United side looking to ascend the pyramid while spending his Sundays working as a scout for the Hearts academy under the eye of his old Tynecastle team mate Andy Webster. Templeton is still only 36. But when he looks back at his pro career one word sums it up better than any other. 'Frustrating,' he told MailSport. 'I did well but I feel like if I didn't have the injuries, I probably could have had a better career. 'Maybe I went to Rangers at the wrong time as well. Dropping down the leagues when I should have been wanting to stay in the top league. But I was getting forced out at Hearts because they were needing money. 'I was hoping Rangers were going to win three titles in a row and then my last season we would have been in the Premier and I'd get a new deal. But obviously that never panned out. 'The main frustration is the injuries. I only played 300-odd games my full career which is horrendous considering I made my debut at Hearts at 20. 'Only playing 300-odd games when there's maybe about 50 games in a season. You're talking about seven seasons' worth of games missed. I've probably had about seven years' worth of injuries, which is crazy. 'Looking back maybe I should have done more at Rangers in terms of more gym work and looked after myself better. 'But it's not until you're older that you have these regrets. The worst part is the mental part in terms of the rehab.' Just 86 of his 349 professional appearances came in that four year spell at Ibrox. Templeton picked up back-to-back league titles as Ally McCoist 's side eased from the bottom tier back into the Championship. But the lowest point of the winger's career arrived just as Mark Warburton put the pieces in place for the final step back into the top flight in 2015-16. Templeton said: 'Warburton had come in and everything was going well. But I done my medial ligament in the first league game against St Mirren. It was the deep part of the ligament but the scans weren't showing that up. 'I spent from August to the end of May when my contract was up not knowing actually what was up. 'They thought it was nerve damage, I tried tablets for my nerves, I got an operation in January which didn't work. 'It was horrendous. I was going in doing the same rehab stuff but I constantly had the same pain. 'I was ready to chuck it. I was just 27 and ended up in a bad place. 'A bit depressed. I was just going home, drinking beers, watching box sets with the curtains down. 'I never realised how bad I got until later in life when I think back to what my daily scenario was. I was just wanting to be by myself. 'My missus was working so it wouldn't be until she came home that the curtains would open again and it would be normal. 'Now I'd always encourage anyone going through similar to speak to people. The worst thing you can do is be isolated and try to deal with it yourself. You need people to help you. Never give up because it can always get better. 'It wasn't until I left Rangers that summer that Stevie Walker, the physio, found a report from Andy Williams, a consultant knee surgeon in London. 'It was about a deep medial ligament issue. I went to see Andy and it turned out that's what it was. I had an anchor put in to replace the deep part of the ligament to the bone again. 'I got the operation in the August - exactly a year on from when the injury occurred. Then I was without a club until the next March when I signed with Hamilton.' It's another 'what if' moment in Templeton's career. What if the problem had been diagnosed straight away and he'd been fit to help Warburton's side over the line to promotion and earned himself a new deal. Time never allowed for that and, after rebuilding his career at Hamilton, he won a move to Nigel Clough's Burton Albion where he helped The Brewers on a sensational run to the League Cup semi final against Manchester City in 2019 before returning to Accies after two seasons. The injuries mounted again though. Groin and hamstring issues eventually saw Temps call it a day at 32. Now he's enjoying football back at grassroots at Greenfield Park. But he said: 'People might wonder why but I just enjoy playing football. It's no different when I'm out there with Glasgow United in front of a hundred or so fans. I want to win. I still get annoyed when we lose, I still go home raging. 'I just love football, whether it's a job or not. I'm doing a bit of scouting for Hearts Academy on a Sunday. Webby (academy manager, Andy Webster) got me in. It's a brilliant academy and the facilities are superb. 'But I want to get back into coaching. I had two years coaching at Accies and I have my B Licence. Next year I hope to get my A Licence. 'My playing career was frustrating. But I love the game and want to stay involved.' Meanwhile, Templeton is convinced Russell Martin will get Rangers motoring again - five years after he was left running on fumes against his MK Dons side. The winger was in the final throws of his Burton Albion career when he came up against Martin in the new Ibrox boss' 10th game as a manager. Burton had thumped the Dons 3-0 in Milton Keynes earlier in the season. But Templeton was blown away by the transformation under Martin just three months later. He said: 'I played against Russell Martin when I was at Hamilton and he was playing at Rangers in that crazy 5-3 game in 2018. But I played against his MK Dons team in one of my last games for Burton a couple of seasons later. 'We'd played them earlier in the season before he was manager and beat them 3-0 at their place and they were terrible. 'But he took over before they came to us. We beat them 1-0 but they absolutely popped us! They were really good. They totally dominated the ball and we were absolutely exhausted by the end. 'It looked like a different team altogether, good movement, high pressing, good on the ball. From the first game to second game the difference was incredible.' Rangers are entering a fresh era under new ownership and with a new management team and sporting director in place. Supporters are hoping the US consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises can bring much-needed stability to Ibrox - something that was badly lacking in Templeton's time at the club. And Templeton said: 'It seems to be going well. I really think Russell Martin will do well with hIs style of football. 'He will definitely work on how to break teams down, those teams who sit in at Ibrox. He speaks well and having watched his teams before, they play good football. Hopefully he can take Rangers back to where they should be.' SCORE a Euro goal at Anfield on the Thursday night then sign for Rangers on the Friday. David Templeton won't ever forget the craziest 24 hours of his career that saw him stun Steven Gerrard and co in their back yard and have Hearts fans in Europa League dreamland for a few minutes before sealing a switch to Ibrox and facing Elgin City three days later. The winger's 25 yard hit which perplexed Pepe Reina to hand the Jambos a late 1-0 lead against Liverpool on August 30 2012 still pops up on his social media regularly. Luis Suarez levelled shortly afterwards to break Hearts and send them tumbling out. But less than 24 hours later the winger was getting a call on the team bus heading back north that would change the direction of his career. He said: 'Any time anybody speaks about me at Hearts it's always about the goal at Anfield. Even though it wasn't a great goal! 'I see it all the time on social media and the feeling was unreal, even now when you watch the video of the fans. 'It looks unbelievable. It was definitely one of the best moment of my career. 'But so was the next day, signing for Rangers. 'I played for Hearts at Anfield on the Thursday night and then I signed for Rangers on the Friday. 'We trained down in Liverpool on the Friday morning and then we travelled straight back up. 'I was on the bus when my agent phoned saying that Hearts had accepted a bid and basically I was to go and speak to Rangers. 'I had to go straight to the Hilton in Glasgow to meet my agent and we went from there to Auchenhowie. 'It was late on when I signed. Ally McCoist gave me the tour. And I was there til about one in the morning getting paperwork completed. 'We trained on the Saturday and then I played against Elgin on the Sunday. 'I knew some boys there like Ian Black and Lee Wallace which helped. 'But it was a bit of a whirlwind. Pretty crazy when you think back. Even though it didn't go as well as I would have wanted at Rangers, it was still an incredible feeling.'
