Anthony Patrick McParland (born 20 September 1982) is a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

, who played for Irvine Meadow in the

Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region The Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region was one of three regions of the SJFA which organised its own distinct league and cup competitions. The SJFA used to be split into six regions, but in 2002 they decided to reform into three (Ea ...

. He has previously played senior league football in England and Scotland. McParland can play as a defender or as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, although he started out as a winger. McParland is a former Scotland under 17, 18 and 21 international player.

Career

McParland started his career as a youth player with

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

from 2003 until 2006, playing as a winger. McParland failed to break into the first team during his time at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium and the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic F.C., Celtic, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest List of football stadiums in Sco ...

. In the January 2006 transfer window McParland signed for

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

where he made 8 league appearances as a substitute without scoring a goal. In the 2007 January transfer window McParland signed for

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...

, initially on loan, before signing a permanent contract in February 2007. McParland made 4 league appearances for the club without scoring a goal, before being released at the end of the 2007–08 season. McParland signed for

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

on a two-year deal at the start of the 2008–09 season. McParland was then released by the club on 20 November 2009, having his contract terminated after he failed to break into the Livingston first team during the 2009–10 season. McParland made 40 league appearances for the

Almondvale Almondvale Stadium, also known as The Home of the Set Fare Arena for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium, located in the Almondvale area of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Liv ...

club and scored 3 goals. On 12 December 2009 McParland was an unused trialist in a league match at

Cappielow Cappielow, also known as Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology UK for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Greenock Morton, w ...

against Morton that Queens won 2–1. On 26 December 2009 McParland appeared as a trialist in a league match at

Firhill Firhill Stadium, also known as Wyre Stadium at Firhill for sponsorship reasons, is a football and former rugby union, rugby league and greyhound racing stadium located in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland which has been the home of Partick ...

against

Partick Thistle Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland and currently plays in the . Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not ...

that ended in a 2–2 draw. McParland replaced

Willie McLaren William McLaren (born 6 November 1984) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Scottish Junior club Forth Wanderers, who plays as a midfielder. He has played for several Scottish clubs throughout his career which started in 2003. ...

in the second half after 68 minutes. In the January 2010 transfer window, McParland signed for Queen of the South. McParland's first match as a signed player was on 16 February 2010 at Palmerston in a league match against

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the , the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is The Honest Men, fro ...

that ended in a 3–0 win for Queens. McParland replaced

David Weatherston David Weatherston (born 25 August 1986) is a Scottish retired professional footballer who played for Queen's Park, St Johnstone, Queen of the South, Falkirk, Stirling Albion, Alloa Athletic, Brechin City and Verdal IL. Career Queen's P ...

in the second half after 72 minutes. He also played in two matches against

Airdrie United Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in the . They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United Football Clu ...

but was released by ''Queens'' at the end of the 2009–10 season. McParland moved to

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

football with

Arthurlie Arthurlie is an area of the town of Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, Scotland. History of Arthurlie The lands of Arthurlie were held in medieval times by the Stewart family, a branch of the noble Stewarts of Darnley. Later the lands became the prop ...

after leaving Queen of the South but returned to the

SPFL The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As well ...

with Queen's Park in 2012. He returned to the Junior game with Irvine Meadow in July 2014. He went on to have spells at Kirkintilloch Rob Roy, Glenafton Athletic and St Cadoc's before retiring in 2022.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McParland, Anthony 1982 births Living people Barnsley F.C. players Celtic F.C. players Scottish men's footballers Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players Livingston F.C. players Queen of the South F.C. players Arthurlie F.C. players Queen's Park F.C. players Irvine Meadow XI F.C. players Kirkintilloch Rob Roy F.C. players Glenafton Athletic F.C. players Scotland men's under-21 international footballers Scottish Football League players English Football League players Scottish Junior Football Association players Footballers from Rutherglen Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders 21st-century Scottish sportsmen