Thorn Athletic’s perfect start to the West of Scotland First Division season came to an end after a 1-0 defeat to Kilsyth Rangers at Thorn Park on Saturday afternoon.
An early goal from Harry Kent proved enough to separate the sides in Thorn’s first home league match of the campaign.
Thorn manager Derrick McMillan made four changes to the side that defeated Neilston in midweek. Tennant, Moynihan, Watson and Adams came into the starting line-up, replacing McWilliams, Keenan, captain Clarke and Gray.
The visitors made the brighter start and took the lead through Kent in the opening stages. Thorn later described the first half as a frustrating, stop-start affair in which they had not really got going, and they went into the break trailing 1-0.
Thorn improved after the restart and searched for an equaliser but were unable to break down the Kilsyth defence, with the visitors holding on to secure all three points.
The result ends Thorn’s winning start to the season after successive victories over Cambuslang Rangers and Neilston.
Despite the defeat, Thorn remain well placed in the early First Division table. They sit second with six points from their opening three matches, having scored nine goals and conceded just twice. Kilsyth Rangers move up to ninth after recording their first league win of the campaign.
Speaking after the match, McMillan admitted it had been a frustrating afternoon but felt his side had coped well with what Kilsyth Rangers threw at them.
He said: “Very frustrating. I thought the boys stood up pretty well to everything that Kilsyth done to us. They obviously got the early goal and held on to it well. They’re good at what they do.”
The Thorn boss believes six points from the opening three matches represents a positive start, particularly given the changes made to the squad over the summer.
He said: “I looked at the start of the 11 today and there was only two boys here from last season, so we’re on a major rebuild.
“So to pick up six points out of nine, obviously I wanted nine out of nine, but if you take a step back, probably tomorrow I’ll be happy with the six out of nine.”
McMillan also believes there is more to come from his new-look squad as they continue to gel.
He said: “We’ve obviously brought in a lot of boys that have played a level or higher, so you’re looking to add that experience to the great young squad that we’ve got. So it’s going to take a bit of time to gel, but we’ll still be trying to win games while we do that.”
Thorn travel to Gartcairn next weekend.
Looking ahead, McMillan said: “I’m really looking forward to a full week’s training next week, to have Monday and Thursday on the pitch to try and embed a few more ideas. It’s been a hectic start, so a bit of a rest by this midweek.
“Gartcairn are probably one of the favourites for the league, as they should be, so I’m really looking forward to it. That’s the game we want to be in this league for. They’ve got a great surface to play on.”
West of Scotland First Division round-up:
Thorn Athletic’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end as they slipped to a 1-0 home defeat against Kilsyth Rangers. Harry Kent’s early strike settled the contest and dropped Thorn to second in the standings.
Lesmahagow Juniors moved to the top of the table after a 2-2 draw at home to Neilston. Dylan Fletcher scored both of Neilston’s goals from the penalty spot to earn the visitors a share of the points.
Threave Rovers recorded the biggest win of the afternoon with a 5-2 victory away to Blantyre Victoria. Harry Officer was among the scorers as Threave climbed to third, while Blair Pringle found the net for the home side.
Gartcairn made it two wins from three matches with a convincing 3-0 success at Cambuslang Rangers. Lee Colquhoun, Lewis Kenmore and Declan Black were all on target.
Bellshill Athletic also scored five away from home, defeating Maybole Juniors 5-1. Danny Burns netted twice, with Brady Craig, Lee Hadden and PJ O’Donnell also on the scoresheet.
Maryhill earned a comfortable 3-0 victory over Lanark United thanks to a double from Daly and another goal from Mina.
Bonnyton Thistle continued their strong start with a 2-0 win away to Thorniewood United, where Aidan McGee and Jace McCulloch scored the goals.
After three matches, Lesmahagow Juniors lead the First Division on seven points. Thorn Athletic sit second on six points, ahead of Threave Rovers on goal difference, with Bonnyton Thistle, Gartcairn, Bellshill Athletic, Maryhill and Thorniewood United all also on six points.
Results (Saturday 1st August 2026):
| Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Blantyre Victoria | 2-5 | Threave Rovers |
| Cambuslang Rangers | 0-3 | Gartcairn |
| Lesmahagow Juniors | 2-2 | Neilston |
| Maryhill | 3-0 | Lanark United |
| Maybole Juniors | 1-5 | Bellshill Athletic |
| Thorn Athletic | 0-1 | Kilsyth Rangers |
| Thorniewood United | 0-2 | Bonnyton Thistle |
Saturday fixtures:
| Home | Away |
|---|---|
| Bellshill Athletic | Blantyre Victoria |
| Bonnyton Thistle | Cambuslang Rangers |
| Gartcairn | Thorn Athletic |
| Lanark United | Whitletts Victoria |
| Lesmahagow Juniors | Maybole Juniors |
| Neilston | Kilsyth Rangers |
| Petershill | Thorniewood United |
| Threave Rovers | Maryhill |
League Table:
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesmahagow Juniors | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 7 |
| 2 | Thorn Athletic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 6 |
| 3 | Threave Rovers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 6 |
| 4 | Bonnyton Thistle | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 6 |
| 5 | Gartcairn | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
| 6 | Bellshill Athletic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 6 |
| 7 | Maryhill | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 |
| 8 | Thorniewood United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 9 | Kilsyth Rangers | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Blantyre Victoria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 3 |
| 11 | Whitletts Victoria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| 12 | Lanark United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 3 |
| 13 | Neilston | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 1 |
| 14 | Cambuslang Rangers | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 1 |
| 15 | Petershill | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 |
| 16 | Maybole Juniors | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 0 |