.jpg) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1993-03-20)20 March 1993 (age 32) | ||
| Place of birth | Irvine, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender,midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kelty Hearts (player/manager) | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2008 | Rangers | ||
| 2008–2010 | Kilmarnock | ||
| 2010–2011 | Bonnyton Thistle | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2018 | Greenock Morton | 174 | (19) |
| 2018–2021 | Partick Thistle | 23 | (1) |
| 2021– | Kelty Hearts | 80 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 2011 | Scotland U18 | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2025– | Kelty Hearts | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:29, 19 December 2024 (UTC) | |||
Thomas O'Ware (born 20 March 1993) is aScottish professionalfootballer who is theplayer/manager ofScottish League One clubKelty Hearts. O'Ware, who plays as adefender, has previously played forGreenock Morton andPartick Thistle.
Born inIrvine, North Ayrshire,Troon resident O'Ware attendedQueen Margaret Academy inAyr.
After beginning his career with hometown team Troon Thistle boys club, O'Ware spent five years in theRangers youth system atMurray Park, then a further two atKilmarnock.[1] He then signed for youth sideBonnyton Thistle,[2] where he was part of the team that won the Under-19 Scottish Cup final.[3]
O'Ware joinedGreenock Morton in 2011.[2] He made his début at left back in aScottish Cup tie againstDeveronvale on 19 November 2011.[4] O'Ware also had a trial atEFL Championship sideMiddlesbrough.[1] He broke into the Morton team at left back due to an injury toRoss Forsyth.[when?][citation needed] In January 2012, O'Ware suffered a stress fracture to his tibia making him miss at least a month of Morton's season.[5] O'Ware agreed one-year extensions with Morton in 2013,[6] 2014[7] and 2015.[8]
In April 2016, O'Ware's good form resulted in him being awarded a two-year contract extension with the club.[9] He won theScottish Championship Player of the Month award for October 2016[10] and was twice named in the Scottish Championship Team of the Year in successive seasons. He also finished season 2016/17 as Europe's top scoring defender with 11 goals.[11]
This form brought him to the attention of a host ofScottish Premiership clubs, and he was linked with a move to his boyhood heroesCeltic in the summer of 2017, asBrendan Rodgers looked to solidify his back line.[12]
After the sacking of managerJim Duffy in May 2018, O'Ware left the club seeking "a new challenge".[13] Thomas featured at full-back, centre-back, centre midfield, and occasionally as a striker during his seven seasons atCappielow.
O'Ware signed a two-year contract withPartick Thistle in June 2018.[14] He scored his first goal for the Jags on 14 August 2018, opening the scoring in a 5–0 win at Stranraer in theScottish Challenge Cup.[15][16] On 25 August 2018, O'Ware was substituted four minutes into the game against Dundee United due to a knee injury,[17] and it was later revealed that he would miss the remainder of the season as a result.[18]O'Ware scored his first league goal for Thistle in the final game of the decade, scoring the winner against his former side Greenock Morton in a 2–1 away win.[19] O'Ware signed a two-year contract extension with Thistle in January 2020.[20]
After leaving Partick Thistle on 29 July 2021, O'Ware joined newly-promotedScottish League Two sideKelty Hearts on 30 July 2021 ahead of the2021-22 campaign.[21][22]
O'Ware represented Scotland at schoolboy level in 2011.[23]
During his playing career, O'Ware began his coaching career by working with the Greenock Morton academy. After rupturing his ACL at Partick Thistle, O'Ware helped out with the coaching staff under then managerGary Caldwell, and spent matchdays in the dugout as part of the non-playing staff.
O'Ware was appointed as Head Coach for theTroon F.C. Development Team in August 2020, who will be competing in theLowland Development League (West) in season 2020–21.[24] In November 2021, O'Ware joined the coaching staff atRangers, coaching the club's under-16 team.[25] In May 2023, O'Ware was appointed the new head coach ofQueen's Park's development squad, known as Young Queen's Park.[26]
He was appointedplayer/manager ofKelty Hearts in May 2025, having previously filled the role twice on a caretaker basis.[27]
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Greenock Morton | 2011–12[28] | Scottish Division One | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2012–13[29] | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14[30] | Scottish Championship | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2014–15[31] | Scottish League One | 34 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | 42 | 5 | |
| 2015–16[32] | Scottish Championship | 33 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 41 | 5 | |
| 2016–17[33] | 35 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 3[b] | 1 | 48 | 12 | ||
| 2017–18[34] | 33 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||
| Total | 174 | 19 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 211 | 26 | ||
| Partick Thistle | 2018–19[35] | Scottish Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1[a] | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| 2019–20[36] | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21[37] | Scottish League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021-22[38] | Scottish Championship | - | - | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 2 | ||
| Kelty Hearts | 2021-22[38] | Scottish League Two | 28 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | 31 | 2 | |
| 2022-23[39] | Scottish League One | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 29 | 2 | |
| 2023-24[40] | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| Total | 64 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 77 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 261 | 24 | 23 | 4 | 27 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 328 | 33 | ||
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Kelty Hearts |  | 11 April 2025 | present | 29 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 027.59 | |
| Career Total | 29 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 027.59 | — | |||
Bonnyton Thistle
Greenock Morton
Kelty Hearts
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Kelty Hearts | May 2025 | Present | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 027.27 | |
| Career Total | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 027.27 | — | ||
