Gavin Friels (born 3 August 1977) is a Scottish football forward who is currently player-manager at Dalry Thistle 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 took the decision to reform into t ...

. He has previously played in the

Scottish Football League First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 to replace the old Scottish Football League Division Two, as t ...

with

Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of Wigtownshire. It lies on the shores of L ...

Career

Friels started his career with Queen of the South but did not make any league appearances for the club. He dropped to

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

level at his hometown side Dalry Thistle before moving to

in December 1996. With the Galloway club, Friels won the

Scottish Football League Second Division The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SF ...

championship in 1997–1998 and the following season made 19 appearances in the

, scoring once in a 7–1 defeat to

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, 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 ...

in September 1998. Friels left Stranraer for Junior side

Auchinleck Talbot Auchinleck Talbot Football Club is a Scottish football club based in Auchinleck, East Ayrshire. They currently play in the . The club is also a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and have won the Scottish Junior Cup on a reco ...

in the summer of 1999. After scoring two goals against

Maryhill Maryhill ( gd, Cnoc Màiri) is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road. The far north west of the area is served by Maryhill railway station. History Hew Hill, t ...

on the final day of the season to help save Talbot from relegation in 2004, Friels moved on to

Pollok Pollok ( gd, Pollag, lit=a pool, sco, Powk) is a large housing estate on the south-western side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The estate was built either side of World War II to house families from the overcrowded inner city. Housing 30,0 ...

the following season. During his time at 'Lok, Friels was capped for the Scotland Junior international team in the 2005 Quadrangular Tournament. He stepped up to the

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...

again for a short spell with

in 2006 but was soon back in the Juniors, firstly on loan to

Glenafton Athletic Glenafton Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club, based in New Cumnock, Ayrshire. Members of the Scottish Junior Football Association, they play in the West of Scotland Football League. The club has won the Scottish Junior Cup twice ...

in November 2006 then permanently to Auchinleck Talbot in February 2007 after being released by Ayr. Friels failed to settle at Talbot a second time and joined Irvine Meadow in November 2007. Friels was out of the game for a period of fourteen months following an injury suffered in a game against Arthurlie in January 2009, returning to action in March 2010. The player joined Cumnock Juniors in February 2011 before signing for Kilbirnie Ladeside in 2012. Friels was announced as player-manager of Dalry Thistle in March 2013.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Friels, Gavin 1977 births Living people Queen of the South F.C. players Stranraer F.C. players Dalry Thistle F.C. players Auchinleck Talbot F.C. players Glenafton Athletic F.C. players Pollok F.C. players Ayr United F.C. players Cumnock Juniors F.C. players Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C. players Footballers from Irvine, North Ayrshire Scottish Football League players Scottish Junior Football Association players Scottish footballers Men's association football forwards Scottish Junior Football Association managers Scottish football managers