PERS. INFORMATION

CLUB HISTORY

• Dumbarton FC | Youth – 2012
• Petershill FC | 2012 (on loan)
• Greenock Morton FC | 2012 – 2014
• Queen’s Park FC | 2014 (on loan)
• BSC Glasgow | 2014 – 2015
• Nairn County FC | 2015 -2016
• East Fife FC | 2016 -2017
• East Kilbride FC | 2017 – 2018
• Annan Athletic FC | 2018 – 2019
• Clyde FC | 2019 – 2021
• Gartcairn Juniors FC | 2021
• Annan Athletic FC | 2021 – 2023
• Dumbarton FC | 2023 – …

INTERVIEW

Introduce yourself…

Tony Wallace, born in Glasgow and currently playing for Dumbarton FC in Scotland.

During your first spell at Dumbarton, you experienced a promotion to the Championship in 2012. Can you share what that achievement meant to you at the time and how it influenced your career trajectory?

It was incredible starting out to win promotion into the championship and play a part in that is something I don’t think I fully took in at the time how big it was, it gave me a determination and hunger to have more experiences like that because a lot of people go through their careers without any success or promotions so it was a real bonus to do it so early in my career.

Scoring on your debut for Greenock Morton FC must have been a great confidence boost. What do you remember about that goal and your mindset heading into that match?

I actually scored in my league debut and cup debut at Morton, I scored 3 goals in my first 3 games and to be honest I wasn’t even expecting to be starting but it originally gave me belief that if I worked hard I could score goals in the Championship. It was almost like a weight off the shoulder scoring early into a new club and settling in but my mindset was just the same try and be yourself, work hard and rewards will come.

Tony, how did you mentally handle the uncertainty of being loaned out, and what did you take away from your time bouncing between Morton and Queen’s Park?

Being loaned out was something I wanted to do, I felt unfairly treated at the time as I wasn’t getting any chance or game time considering the club was down the bottom of the league I believe I should have been given an opportunity but I wasn’t, so I wanted to go on loan and get back enjoying football and I done that at Queen’s Park. I wanted to go back to Queen’s Park as I knew I wouldn’t play at Morton and they were struggling at the time so I was happy to get back out on loan.

At Nairn County, you mentioned that finding a club that “felt right” was crucial. What factors contribute to a club feeling like the right fit for you, and how did that influence your decision to join Nairn?

With Nairn as I said I had two seasons in the Championship where I would play for 4 or 5 games and then as soon as we had a bad result I’d be out the team so I really wanted to go somewhere that I felt wanted, I would play and had a good ambition to do well and the club was one of the most professional I had been at. We reached two cup finals and were just unfortunate we lost in both but we had a good team and I really enjoyed my time there.

After being released by East Fife, many players might struggle with motivation. What kept you going during the periods between clubs or contracts, and how did you stay focused on returning to the professional ranks?

To be honest I was out of contract at East Fife and had ruptured my acl during the season so I wasn’t fit for the season starting so I knew I’d have to wait till I was fit to find a club so I just had to focus on that and my main focus was make sure my knee is right and I can still run and play football first and foremost then see what happens after that.

After contributing to Annan Athletic’s promotion, you returned to Dumbarton and played a pivotal role in their own promotion campaign. What motivated your return, and how did it feel to achieve success with your boyhood club once again?

Exactly that I was actually wanting to come back to Dumbarton at some point in my career but I had been succesful at Annan and really enjoyed a few seasons there where I had scored double figures in a couple of seasons, so I knew going back to Dumbarton I was confident I could score goals again and help the club so again it was just relief and joy that I done it the first season back scoring 16 goals.

In the 2023–24 season, you scored 16 goals from midfield, leading the team in goals and assists. What factors do you attribute to this standout performance, and how did it compare to previous seasons?

Like I said before I was confident from my time at Annan I had scored double figures in more than 1 season and had reached the play off final 3 times with them finally succeeding in the last one, my highest return was 18 at Annan where I scored 16 then another two in the Play offs so I always aim for double figures and once I achieve that I then set out to beat 18 and hopefully I will reach the 20 goals mark. Hard work and the basics and the harder you work the luckier you get is something I have believed in for a while now.

Your career has taken you across various leagues and clubs, including Greenock Morton FC, Queen’s Park FC, and Annan Athletic FC. How have these diverse experiences shaped you both as a player and as a person?

I think I have played in every league in Scotland outwith the spl (top league) and I have scored goals at every league. I think just going out and experience different managers and styles helps you adapt to any team or position or scenario you are in. When you are travelling all over the country you appreciate the time and effort everyone puts in every week to commit to that after working so I think it’s definitely helped both as a player and a person due to the fact I’ve met so many characters and players throughout my career and I think that I will help the younger boys and have already helped younger players due to the experiences pros who helped me in my career when I was starting out and travelling the country.

Tony, what’s one piece of advice you wish you could give to your younger self back when you were a bit-part player at Dumbarton FC or during your early Morton days?

Just keep working hard forget what other people think and keep working hard, you’ll improve the more you play and train especially if you give 100% in training and games. It’s important to not be affected by one manager or coaches perception of you because everyone’s opinion is different and you can’t please everyone so work hard and it will work out in the end.