Winton Rovers' financial position improved and they reached the semi-final of the League Cup in 1983.
WINTON ROVERS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Winton Rovers are on the road to
recovery - but they still face a long uphill fight for survival.
At the end of last year, the club - one of the
oldest in Ayrshire - looked on the verge of extinction with massive debts
hanging over its head.
Now after months of hard work. the tide seems
to have turned at last in favour of the Rovers.
A run of success on its field has pulled the
Rovers up the Ayrshire Junior League second division and
brought increased optimism to the band of dedicated club officials who have
guided the club through the worst of their financial crisis.
In recent years, Winton Rovers
- formed in 1900 - has been one of the more financially stable clubs in the
north of the county with a thriving social club pumping money into its coffers.
When the social club was forced to close its
doors, the club was left to stand on its own two feet.
Club treasurer Mr Sam Morrison said “For the
first time we had to ask for the support of the people of Ardrossan.
We have organised raffles, held nearly new
shops, secured donations from local businesses and arranged other fundraising
events which have helped us pay our week-to-week expenses.
Yes, we still have a long fight ahead but we
are confident that given time and understanding we can survive.”
That long fight includes paying off a £4500
overdraft they still owe to the bank - but the club does have its week-to-week
running expenses under control.
Mr Morrison said “We have a great bunch of
lads who play for the team.
During the worst times when we couldn't pay
all their expenses, not one player asked for any money they were due.
They knew the position and were willing to
wait until we could sort everything out.”
Mr Morrison also paid tribute to the hard work
of the fourteen committee members and a few friends who have helped the club
during the worst time in its history - but there is still a lot of work to be
done and Mr Morrison made a plea for more volunteers to come forward to help
with fundraising events.
The club's next big event will be a summer
fete in
Winton Park on Sunday 19 June.
It is hoped to arrange for a football
personality to open the day's events.
Mr Morrison said: “If anyone can help in any
way to convene a stall, bake or undertake any handicraft work for sale we would
be delighted to hear from them."
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 29 April 1983
DALRY THISTLE 1 - WINTON ROVERS 2
Perfect
Start Clinches Rovers’ Victory
Needing a
win to clinch section four of the League Cup, Winton got off to a good start
against Dalry on Saturday (8 October 1983).
With only four minutes played, Joe Miller
floated over a perfect cross and Calum Campbell shot the visitors into an early
lead.
In the following minute, Clarke and Gault both had
good chances for Dalry with Gault only being denied by the width of the Winton
crossbar.
Stevie Lee almost made it 2-0 with twenty-two
minutes played when he crashed in a shot from twenty-five yards which Cochrane
just managed to touch on to the crossbar – but ten minutes later, Dalry levelled
the score when former Winton players Davie McIlroy and Jim Clarke combined well
before Clarke neatly lobbed the ball over Munro and into the net.
The home side pressed hard for another and McMillan came close when Munro just
managed to punch his powerful header over the top.
The second half began at a brisk pace and both
teams managed to create some good chances.
Within ten minutes, Rovers were back in
front.
Again, Miller provided the cross but this time it was
Ricky Gillespie who scored with a powerful header past Cochrane.
Miller almost made it 3-1 soon after when he
intercepted a poor passback but Cochrane narrowed the angle and the striker
blasted the ball high over the bar.
Dalry came close to equalising late in the
game but Winton held out for a win which takes them into the semi-final for the
first time.
The teams were
Dalry - Cochrane, McFarlane, Gault, Bain, MacMillan,
Anderson, McIlroy, Hodge, Clarke. MacHarg and Smith with substitutes Telford and
Conway.
Winton Rovers - Munro, Stirrat, Halliday, Lee, Jewell, Murray,
Campbell, Ferguson, Miller, Clarke and Gillespie with substitutes Montgomery and
Brownlee.
Saturday’s game resembled an
encounter between past and present Winton Rovers' teams.
From the eleven players who started
the game for Dalry, eight have played for Winton at some time in the past with
goalkeeper Cochrane, McFarlane and MacMillan the only players not to have been
at
Winton Park.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 14 October 1983
WINTON’S JOY – ROVERS CLINCH SEMI-FINAL PLACE AT LAST
Ardrossan Winton Rovers, perhaps
North Ayrshire’s most improved team this season, have every reason to be
celebrating this week.
Saturday’s 2-1 win at Dalry gives
Rovers a place in the semi-final of the League Cup for the first time and
a bumper tie against holders and section three winners, Irvine Meadow.
As far back as 1972, Winton
did qualify from their section which was then made up of only three teams -
Rovers, Saltcoats and Ardeer.
At that time however, the League Cup sections
produced eight quarter-finalists and the Ardrossan side drew
holders Hurlford in their tie.
Rovers lost 5-2 in the first leg at Hurlford
but gave the visitors a real fright in the return match at
Winton Park. They got off
to a great start with a goal from Quinn after only three minutes and further
counters from Cardno and Hood gave Winton a 3-1 lead at
half-time, making the aggregate score 6-5.
Despite intense pressure in the second half
though, Rovers could not break down the Hurlford defence and,
in fact, the visitors scored a second goal to make the final aggregate score
7-5. The Rovers team that day was Dick; Baillie and Welsh;
Sanderson, Smith and Dalling; Tracey, Hood, Quinn, Cardno and Dickson.
Ardrossan’s decision to rebuild the side towards the end of
last season has obviously paid off and while Kilbirnie and Beith, normally the
two top challengers in the section, have tried many different line-ups this
year, Winton's settled pattern has paid dividends.
Only two or three players have been added to
what is basically a young pool.
Joe Miller, released by Irvine Vics, has been
a valuable addition and his striking partner Craig Donnelly has also been among
the goals.
Frankie Clarke has also contributed to their
success this season with his experience obviously a valuable asset.
“We are probably still a bit short on the experienced side but what the players
lack in that department they more than make up for with a tremendous amount of
commitment and skill. They are a great bunch of lads at
Winton Park and they are
prepared to work hard to get some success" said team manager Willie Kean.
Willie has also brought a new coach along to
Ardrossan this season - Ian McQueen, the former Dairy, Irvine Vics and Beith
trainer.
Looking forward to the semi-final against Meadow, Ian
commented
“Obviously Meadow will start favourites for
the match but in a one-off situation anything can happen.
Our players won't need to be psyched up for
this one. They know that they will have to play well to beat Meadow."
There was more good news for Winton this week. Their Scottish Cup first-round
tie against Fraserburgh has been switched to Ardrossan.
Winton's opponents have had trouble with the
surrounding wall at their ground and the Scottish Junior Football Association
has declared that the game can't go on there.