Winton Rovers were given an award in 1987.
MANPOWER SERVICE COMMISSION AWARD
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 30 January 1987
WINTON ROVERS 2 - HURLFORD UNITED 1
Winton’s match
against Hurlford on Saturday (24
January 1987) had enough needle in it to knit a blanket for
Ethiopia and many of those on the terracing felt
both sides would be better equipped to do so than
play football. Both sides
looked hungry for a win but it was obvious that this was a desperate
bottom-of-the-table clash rather than a fight between two title
contenders. Three fouls in
the first five minutes set the mood
for the game.
Winton’s Findlay Pirrie had the first real shot at goal from quite far
out in the twelfth minute and with the keeper struggling to make a save, had
there been any back-up, the home side would have taken
an early lead. A build up
between McNair and Robinson allowed Cameron to curl the ball in dangerously but
somehow keeper Marner got a foot to it and two minutes later Docherty, on the
left side of the field, floated in a
superb cross which Marner could only punch away.
The ball fell to McNair but
he couldn't convert the rebound.
Winton began to pile on the pressure and a Wark shot just skimmed over the bar
in the twenty-fifth minute.
Five minutes later, a move which started with Malcolmson in front of his
own goal resulted in Neil getting a shot on target but Hurlford’s Robert White
managed to stretch out his foot to tap the ball to the keeper.
Play swung from end to end and Mark Orr came close in the fortieth
minute. His shot from thirty yards
just caught the post and Orr seemed
shocked that his effort had not gone
in. Winton took the lead in the
fifty-fifth minute. Mark Orr played
the ball to Mick Neil who slipped a pass inside for Findlay Pirrie to score.
Hurlford came straight back and were
awarded a penalty two minutes later for a hand-ball infringement.
Donald McMaster scored from
the spot.
The home side secured both points in the eightieth
minute though. Orr looked as
if he had not got a lot of power
behind his header but somehow it squirmed under the keeper’s body.
Three Winton players were booked - Willie Snowdon for hacking down Robert
Hamill as shown below, Mark Orr for a similar foul on Donald McMaster and Kevin
Wark for his protest at the Hurlford penalty award.
Willie Snowden of Winton pulls down Robert Hammill of Hurlford at Winton
Park on Saturday.
Snowden was booked for his troubles.
The Winton team was Marner, Malcolmson, Snowden, Wark, Newman, McColl,
McGeachie, Halley, Pirrie, Orr and Neil with substitutes Cruickshanks and
Rorrison.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 30 January 1987
Marner the Hero as Winton go
through
Winton named new signings Craig Berry and William Thompson
for the second round West of Scotland Cup tie (on 31 January 1987).
On a flat but hard slippery surface both sides took time to settle.
Yoker could have taken an early lead through McGurk but his eight-yard
shot was well stopped by Marner who proved to be a real hero for Winton.
Winton’s first chance fell to McGeachie whose fierce eighteen-yard volley
from a Neil cross was inches too high.
Throughout the first half, Winton had the best of the play but the home
side were always dangerous on the break. In the thirty-sixth minute, Marner
again foiled Yoker when he saved a fine George attempt to keep the half time
score blank.
Within four minutes of the restart, Yoker were ahead.
A corner from the right was missed by a number of players before McGurk
beat Marner with a six-yard shot. Although
Winton kept up the pressure, it was not until the sixth-ninth minute that they
got their equaliser. Rorrison
released Neil with a fine long pass and the former Cumnock player coolly slipped
the ball past the advancing keeper.
Within five minutes, Winton got the winner.
A cross from Neil was headed against the crossbar by McGeachie and
Rorrison ran in to head the ball home despite a desperate effort by keeper
Workman to beat it away. In the
dying minutes, George was denied a chance of a replay when his eight-yard header
was knocked over by Marner.
The Winton team was Marner, Malcolmson, Snowden, Wark, Berry, Orr,
Thompson, McGeachie, Rorrison, McColl and Neil with substitutes Montgomery and
Bruce.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 6 February 1987
Winton proved
again to be the thorn in Kilbirnie's side and their victory on Saturday (14
March 1987) has seriously jeopardised Ladeside’s chances of winning the league.
The home side got off to an excellent start with Willie Thomson just
heading wide in the second minute- and two minutes later, Jim Montgomery had a
chance with a free kick which went straight to the keeper.
Ladeside took time to settle but in the eighth minute George Coll sneaked
in with a diving header. Jim Marner
saved confidently though. The
Winton keeper also pulled off at great save from Morton Milne
minutes later. Montgomery broke
clear in the twentieth minute but found it necessary to indulge in the age old
sport of jersey pulling with George Coll.
A free kick was awarded and Mick Neil was booked for his protests.
Only nine minutes later, the second Winton player went
into the referee's book. McColl
tackled Billy Muir who in turn kicked McColl.
McColl, who had been niggled by Muir all afternoon, retaliated and was
hooked. A couple of minutes later,
Muir was carried off and replaced by Gordon Mills.
Kilbirnie began to push more men into attack but Paul Halley at sweeper
mopped up everything that was thrown at him.
The visitors created plenty of chances at the start of the second half
with Marner having to save from Milne and Hugh Lyden but Winton's
Mark Orr was looking dangerous at the other end though.
As frustration crept into Kilbirnie’s play, Winton began to dominate and
in the seventieth minute, Orr broke free and hammered the hall past Tony Bryden.
From then until the end of the match, Kilbirnie pressed for an equaliser
but the Winton defence held out for a confidence-boosting
victory - their second over Ladeside in the league this season.
Two other players were booked, Kenny Lynn of Kilbirnie for dissent and
Winton's Franny McGeachie for a foul on Alan Pirrie.
The teams were
Winton Rovers - Marner, Montgomery.
McColl, Halley, Berry, Malcolmson, Wark, McGeachie, Orr, Thomson and Neil with
substitutes Snowden and Cruickshanks.
Kilbirnie Ladeside - Bryden, Pirrie,
Lynn, Lyden, Feeney, Rennie, Coll, Conway, Milne, O'Rourke and Muir with
substitutes Mills and Howie.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 20 March 1987
Orr off but Neil goal is killer
Winton elected to kick with the strong wind in the first half
of this third-round clash in the West of Scotland Cup (on 4 April 1987) and, in
truth, the wind was one of the most important factors in the match.
Both sides took time to adapt and the home side had the best of the early
chances. In eleven minutes, a good
run by O’Donnell down the right beat the Winton defence and his
cross to Quinn eighteen yards out resulted in a powerful shot which Marner did
well to hold. Winton’s only real
chances of the first half came after thirty-nine minutes and they scored from
it. Thomson crossed to Neil and his
fifteen-yard effort looked netbound but keeper Storie somehow managed to turn it
behind for a corner.
The relief of the home support was short-lived though.
Neil took the corner kick and his cross was caught by the wind and the
ball crept in at the near post. The
second half was basically a containing game by the visitors as Forth, with the
wind now at their backs pushed forward.
As the game proceeded without further scoring, tempers began to fray and
Winton's Thomson and Forth’s O’Donnell were booked for squaring
up to each other. After
seventy-seven minutes, Forth made their best chance of the game when McDowall
broke clear but his fierce shot was inches too high.
Five minutes later, Dunn was booked for a foul on Orr.
With two minutes left, Orr ran on to a long pass but the keeper saved
well. In the dying seconds, Orr was
ordered off for retaliating in an
off-the-ball incident
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 10 April 1987