2001 was not one of Winton's better years.

ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS 4  - DARVEL JUNIORS 4
Darvel proved to be party poopers (in this Stagecoach League Division 3 game on 15 December 2001) as they roared into a first minute lead when Bennett found himself in space down the right flank and drew Hoy off his line before lobbing the ball into the net.  Winton were caught cold but only took three minutes to level when Gilroy's long ball was expertly head flicked on by Calum Campbell to Owen Quigley and he ran on to dispatch a left foot shot past Greenwood.  On nineteen minutes, Kyle and Quigley combined for the latter to fire in a shot at Greenwood but he gathered the effort okay then two minutes later, Derrick Hoy dived a full stretch to tip a Bennett shot past the post for a corner.  Winton were playing the better football at this stage but Darvel were always dangerous on the break so it came as no surprise when Winton took the lead on thirty-one minutes and again Campbell was instrumental, flicking the ball into the path of Stuart Kyle only this time Kyle beat his man to create the space in the Darvel box before cracking a shot past Greenwood.  One minute into the second half, Campbell failed to control a cut back from Quigley to stretch the Winton lead but it was Darvel who scored an equaliser on fifty-one minutes when Shanks‘ cross on the right was met by Kelly but his effort was blocked and Bennett followed up the loose ball to make it 2 - 2.  Winton were stunned by this and struggled to break down the Darvel defence who were buoyed by this goal.  Winton rang the changes taking off Quigley and Campbell and putting on Dougie McGregor and David Ross on sixty-seven minutes.  The stalemate was almost broken on seventy-five minutes when after some Winton pressure a corner from the right was met by Stevie Jackson but his header crashed off the bar.  Darvel's George Kelly then displayed some individual brilliance in midfield a minute later to create space for himself thirty yards out then fire a shot high and wide past the despairing Hoy and into the net.  A minute later it was 3 - 3 when, from a Kyle free kick, Darvel failed to clear their lines and Robert Walker fired home a low shot through a ruck of players.  Winton pressed and pressed and in eighty-six minutes, after Hughes had a shot saved by Greenwood at the near post, he then lobbed the loose ball over to McGregor and he headed it back into the danger area only for Shanks to head past his own goalkeeper to give Winton a late lead.  Disaster was to strike veteran keeper Hoy in the last minute when a speculative low cross into the box from Burns deceived him and the ball went through his legs for a last gasp equaliser for Darvel.
The Winton Rovers team was Hoy, Gilroy, Jackson, Graham, Walker, McGinn, Kyle, Hughes, Campbell, Quigley and Wilson.  The substitutes were Pollock, McGregor, Ross and Meighan.
                           Winton Rovers programme, 22 December 2001