Kirkconnel has rarely been known as a “big village”.

But unbelievably, Dumfries and Galloway, in combination with the neighboring country Kelloholm, have more than four times as many inhabitants than the small town that Tony McNally worked during his time in Sweden.

The Kello Rovers boss joined Ytterhogdal IK, a Swedish team at the fourth level, which plays from Ytterhogdal – which has a population of only 530.

So incredible Kirkconnel and Kelloholm dwarf the Swedish area with a population of 2172, which seems mastodon compared to Ytterhogdal.

And 35-year-old McNally, who joined the Nithside Park side in September, has had an incredible journey that included coaching at Annan Athletic and Dumbarton before heading to Scandinavia.

And he admits that it was easy to take the step to move to Europe already in 2018.

He spoke exclusively to Ayrshire Live and said: “It was completely in the air, someone sent me a message saying that there was a club in Sweden that was looking for an assistant manager.

“I contacted the boss directly through the contacts I had, I managed to get hold of him.

“I asked what the situation was and if he had anyone in mind. But he said it was an open application so I sent it in and he called back within a week and said I was the outstanding candidate because of my experience and qualifications. .

“I then did a FaceTime interview with him, and within 48 hours everything was ready and my flight was booked.”

He added: “At that time, my personal circumstances suited me to go abroad, so it was one of those, I had to learn a new language and new culture.

“But it was a challenge, I went there and put my teeth into it and immersed myself in it.

“We gave the club the most successful season in their 100-year history, so it worked very well.

“We won a cup, we reached the final in another cup and we came second in the league that took us to a playoff, but unfortunately we lost in the final of it.

It was a really challenging job, they came from a village with 500 people so trying to attract people to move to a rural area in Sweden was tough.

“Trying to convince guys from the UK or Europe to make their first move abroad was difficult enough.

“But the football model in the club was to bring in young players who had been released from academies and give them a second chance at football.

“So we targeted that market, it worked really well for us. Not every recruitment worked, it never does, but most of the recruitments we did had what it took and they were successful.”

McNally admits that the weather was the biggest shock in Sweden because he did not expect it to be really as cold as it was.

He said: “The first shock I got was when I got off the train and my nose stuck that it was so cold!

“It was about -36 degrees when I got there, and the boss came and picked me up, and I was dressed as if I were in Scotland, it was a bit of a shock!

“But what I will say is that they are well prepared for the weather over there, the snow does not stop training or matching.

“I remember the night before our semi-final in the playoffs there was no snow, but we woke up the next morning and there was 10 cm of snow.

“But the game progressed, it just shows how important the preparation is because they are used to it.

“They had snow plows out on the field, geothermal energy and there was even a snow plow in front of the team bus on the way to the match that cleared the road.”

McNally says the Kello job was one that stood out to him in the form of a project, and he felt it fit perfectly after talking to Chairman Mark Keggans.

Rover’s gaffer said: “It’s a tough job, there’s no doubt about it just because of the location.

“But it’s a challenge, and one thing I always like is a challenge, and I enjoy it.

“I commute from Glasgow, so it’s a bit of a hike!”

“Mark’s chairman gave me a phone call, I came back from Sweden and a friend of mine who was previously head of Kello, John Quinn, had recommended me for the job.

“When I came back from Sweden, I got a couple of offers but they did not suit me, but I talked to Mark about the job and I felt that it suited me.

“It’s a project I can put my teeth into, I see it more about building a club than a team.

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“The club’s potential is great, I have had meetings with the committee and we have good ideas on how we want to implement things in the future.

“The project will take a few years, this year we will just try to stabilize the ship and win as many matches as possible.

“But it’s more than just putting 11 players in the park when you manage a team like Kello.

“Even the logistics of getting players to Kirkconnel from Glasgow are a challenge, especially with the budget here, there is not much money.

“Trying to get players who are committed to the cause and of a good standard is not easy, but with my contacts I have brought in four or five who will help at least this season.

“The Kello Committee said to me ‘oh how about travel?’, But I was on Annan for a while and traveled from Glasgow to Annan four times a week, getting to Kirkconnel is not so bad.

“The trip is a big thing for players, but for me it does not bother me, when I was in Sweden we went to Gällivare which took 18 hours, so I do not mind commuting.”

McNally was forced to retire before his career even began.

He was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 18 and decided to hang up his boots at just 19 years old.

He said: ‘I played when I was younger, I went to Middlesbrough for a few years before I came back.

“I then played with a few teams up here like Partick Thistle, Queen’s Park, Clyde, but I was always prone to injury.

“I had to make the decision not to cut myself eventually, and it did not help that I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 18, so I had seizures during training and matches.

“I felt it was unfair to myself and my teammates to expose them to it.

“I decided to go in as a coach at that time, I made that decision at the age of 19.

“I was taken out, I have always been good at football since I was a little boy, but the attacks did not get better so I had to call and coaching was the next best thing.”

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