Winton Rovers won the Dennis Donnelly Memorial Shield in 2014.
WINTON
ROVERS 4 – SALTCOATS VICTORIA 3
Winton Cash in with thrilling win
Star
striker Ian Cashmore bagged a dazzling double and fellow debutant Sean Hainey
was also on target as Winton saw off the Seasiders in a
pulsating derby clash.
Rovers had their Cashmore and
Hainey in the starting eleven but were without the injured Jared Willet for this
important local derby.
Winton were looking to keep
in touch with the top of the league while Vics were aiming to get back to
winning ways.
The early part of this game was played
in heavy rain but both sides went for it from the kick-off and on six minutes
Michael Wardrope made a good save from a Paul Monan shot from the edge of the
box.
A few minutes later, a powerful header from Billy
Gilmour, from a corner, flashed wide of the Vics goal.
The opening exchanges were fairly even but it
was Rovers who took the lead on fifteen minutes when Hainey,
out on the Winton right, beat the offside trap and ran on into
the box before rounding Catterson and slotting the ball home for his debut goal.
The lead only lasted five minutes when Vics
won a corner and although Mark Murray kept Ally Patrick’s header out, the ball
came to David Gregory who forced the ball home at the near post to make it 1-1.
The play was end-to-end stuff without any real chances until the thirty-second
minute when a cross into the box fell to Patrick almost on the penalty spot and,
despite Callum Walsh’s efforts, Patrick was able to fire in a low shot past
Wardrope to put Vics ahead for the first time.
Ian Cashmore then had a great chance to
equalise when a clearance from the defence came to him twenty-five yards out
and, spotting Catterson off his line,
he tried to chip him but the keeper pulled off
a great save to parry the ball then gathered it. Saltcoats increased their
lead on thirty-eight minutes in an almost identical move to their second goal
which saw the ball land at the feet of former Winton man
Matthew Santos who fired home from about ten yards to give Saltcoats a two-goal
cushion.
Winton kept pressing to get back
into the game and a couple of minutes before the interval, got their reward when
the ball was played to Ian Cashmore who squared the ball to Lee McCrea in the
box and he fired a low shot past Catterson to make the half-time score 3-2 to
Vics.
Rovers came back out in a
determined mood and while Saltcoats had edged the first half, Winton
were the better team in the second.
Seven minutes in, Ben Carson went on a run at
the defence before shooting wide.
Five minutes later, Carson had another chance
to get the equaliser after Joe Young laid the ball back to him following some
good play down the left by Cashmore but his shot from the edge of the box went
well over the bar.
On the hour, Joe Young went on a mazy run into
the Vics box before turning and shooting wide.
Saltcoats were still in the game and a minute
later, a weak header out of the Winton defence fell to Mark
Ferris but he shot wide of Wardrope’s goal on the hour.
A couple of minutes later, Cashmore brought
out a good save from Catterson as Winton piled on the pressure.
On seventy-five minutes, Matthew Santos went on a run down the right wing before
cutting in to the box and shooting but the ball went well wide of the goal.
A minute later, Greig Mitchell replaced Young
who had been on the end of some tough tackling throughout the game.
Almost immediately, Rovers
got back on level terms when Sean Hainey did well to win the ball out on the
right wing after a tussle before he hit an accurate cross into the box to
Cashmore whose first time shot from fifteen yards went low into the corner of
the net for his first goal for the club on eighty minutes.
A couple of minutes, later Greig Mitchell
picked up a throw in out on the right side of the box before turning and
shooting.
The ball took a slight deflection and was just
missed by Cashmore coming in at the back post.
Incredibly, with five minutes left
Winton clinched it when Lee McCrea after some good play down the left
swung a cross into the box where Cashmore was on hand to blast it into the net
from fifteen yards on eighty-five minutes.
While Winton looked to hold on to their lead,
they still created chances and Greig Mitchell was booked for kicking the ball
away in frustration at a tight offside decision before only a great save from
Catterson denied Cashmore a debut hat-trick.
The teams were:
Winton Rovers - Wardrope; Hay, Murray, Biggart, Walsh, Gilmour,
Hainey, Carson, Cashmore, Young and McCrea with substitutes Kennedy, Mitchell,
Bonner, Walker and Wilson.
Saltcoats Victoria - Catterson; Forde, Easdon,
Gregory, Patrick, Hercus, Monan, Santos, Smith, Davidson and Ferris with
substitutes Lundy, trialist and Knight.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 1 January 2014
Hotshot Ardrossan Winton Rovers
striker Ian Cashmore saluted his team after blasting back from 3-1 behind to
topple derby rivals Saltcoats Victoria in a classic derby.
The new signing from Kilwinning Rangers bagged
a glorious double as his side boosted their promotion challenge with a vital 4-3
win in the District League match.
They now look forward to a New Year derby away
to leaders Ardeer Thistle on Saturday.
Cashmore told Sportscene “The guys showed
great spirit coming back from behind and it was nice to get a couple of goals
although I could have had a hat-trick.
I feel we deserved to win in the end although
Saltcoats are a good side.
We can’t afford to drop many more points.
It’s a big game for us at Ardeer and we really
must aim to win the match as we can’t afford to drop many more points.
The guys are up for it and hopefully we can do
it.”
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 1 January 2014
ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS 3 – RUTHERGLEN GLENCAIRN
1
Rovers Leave Best To The Very End
Winton ended
their season as they has started it with a win against a Glencairn side needing
three points to have any hope of overtaking Kilbirnie for automatic promotion.
This was probably Rovers’
best performance of a disappointing season and continued the improvement in
results and performance in recent games.
The crowd was boosted by Kilbirnie and Largs
fans turning up as the result would have an effect on both of their teams’
promotion hopes.
Although the Glens pressed from the kick-off,
it was Winton who took an early lead on three minutes when Lea
McCrea beat Willie Galloway down the left before squaring the ball into the area
where Dean Muir failed to clear it and Stephen Reid took the ball off him before
shooting past Bell in the Glens goal.
Five minutes later, the dangerous Bren Agnew
had the first of a number of chances for him to score but Kenny Pollock raced
from his goal to save at Agnew’s feet and the ball was cleared.
On fifteen minutes, Mark McCarry wasted a
free-kick, hitting it from twenty-five yards well over the bar.
A few minutes later, he had a weak header over
the bar after he got on the end of a Keiran Downs cross.
Donaghy then had a shot deflected into Kenny
Pollock’s arms after he had been played in by Agnew on eighteen minutes.
Glens had the ball in the net on twenty
minutes but it was ruled out for offside.
Winton then came back into it when Nikki Smith
did well to win the ball then keep possession of it down the right before
crossing to David Cunningham and his well hit angled shot was put round the post
by Bell for a corner.
Winton had a good spell of
pressure on the Glens defence but could not increase their lead.
On thirty-two minutes, Agnew drove the back
across the face of the goal which was missed by both sets of players before
Pollock denied him twice in quick succession, firstly getting down well to save
a close-range shot
then, once the ball had been crossed back in,
he got down and saved Agnew’s downward header.
Four minutes later, following a good punch
from Pollock, McGuire tried to chip him but he managed to get back and catch it
without much trouble.
With half-time fast approaching, Glens seemed
to have been given a lifeline when Stuart Wilson was adjudged to have fouled
Agnew as he went for the ball and the referee pointed to the spot.
Scott Houston was booked for his protests.
However, McCarry’s spot-kick was no better
than his free-kick earlier in the game and went miles over the bar and out of
the ground.
From the restart, McCarry squared the ball to
Agnew whose shot was well saved by Pollock.
As in the first half, Rovers scored three
minutes in.
Scott Adam did well to ride several challenges
and force his way into the box and played the ball to Reid who, after drawing
out the keeper from his goal, cut the ball back into the middle where it was
dummied by Adam and broke to Bob Hay who fired home from ten yards.
The Glens then more or less laid siege to the
Winton goal and Downs went close after holding off several
challenges before shooting wide.
Agnew had the ball in the net on the
fifty-eighth minute but, as in the first half, it was chalked off for offside.
Glens then went three at the back and three up
front as they continued to try and salvage something from the game.
Winton brought on Sean Kennedy for Reid on
sixty-five minutes and less than five minutes later, trialist Gary Bickerton
replaced Scott Houston who had gone down injured and took a while to get off the
pitch.
Glens put the Winton defence under a
lot of pressure but they defended well and the Glens could not find a way
through before Rovers ensured that their season would end on a
high note with a third goal with fifteen minutes remaining when a free-kick was
rolled out to Bickerton who swung in a cross which Kennedy, froma difficult
position, heded the ball down over Bell’s outstretched arms and into the net
from ten yard to put Rovers three-nil in front.
The Glens luck in the match was out once again
when Agnew fired a Ballatyne cross off the bar and behind on seventy-seven
minutes before McAlpine saw a goal-bound volley headed clear by a defender.
A minute later, Bell had to stretch to catch
what was a strong clearance out of defence on the left by Nikki Smith which
looked as if it might go over the keeper’s head as he was well out of his goal.
With a minute to go, Winton’s
hopes of ending the season with a shut-out ended when a defender headed out a
dangerous cross only as far as Agnew whose first-time volley from the edge of
the box went in off the right-hand post to make the final score three-one.
The Winton team was Pollock,
Smith, Houston, Gilmour, Wilson, Shanks (trialist), Cunningham, Hay,
Reid, Adam and
McCrea.
The substitutes were Kennedy, Gallagher,
Milligan and Markie.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 22 May 2014
WINTON
ROVERS 2 – PORT GLASGOW 1
Winton went into this first friendly
of the new season (on 19 July 2014) with a lot of anticipation and with most of
their new signings on show.
Greig Mitchell who was on loan with the club
for a short time last season partnered Ryan Caddis up front in a team with three
at the back.
Rovers
started brightly and Greig Mitchell had a shot saved by the keeper
in the first minute.
Almost immediately, Lee McCrea played a corner
short to Sean Hainey and his cross to the back post was headed wide by Mitchell.
Winton did however take a
deserved lead on six minutes when John Johnston played a good ball into the box
and Greig Mitchell ran onto the ball and hit a shot past the keeper and in off
the far post from fifteen yards for 1-0.
On ten minutes, Ryan Caddis went on a good run
down the right before playing the ball out to Jared Willet but his cross was cut
out and cleared.
At this time,
Rovers were in control and playing some nice football and on
1nineteen minutes Ryan Caddis made a good run down the right and played in Sean
Hainey whose cross was met by Greig Mitchell but the keeper saved his header
comfortably.
On twenty-seven minutes, a great cross field
pass from Jared Willet was brought down well by Ryan Caddis on the edge of the
box and although he worked his way towards goal he carried it too far and the
keeper was able to save the ball.
The keeper then made two good saves in quick
succession from Ryan Caddis before the Port had their first real chance of the
game bringing out a good save from Kenny Pollock on thirty-three minutes.
Two minutes later, Winton
doubled their lead when Greig Mitchell rose to meet a Lee McCrea corner on the
right to head home strongly for 2-0 from about ten yards.
On thirty-eight
minutes, it was almost three when the ball broke to John Johnston just outside
the box and his first time shot hit the post and was cleared.
The Port created another chance which saw a
low cross flash across the face of Kenny Pollock’s goal but one of their
forwards was unable to connect at the far post. Lee McCrea then had a long range
shot saved by the keeper just before Port Glasgow pulled a goal back in
spectacular fashion on forty-four minutes.
Their number nine went on a run down the right
wing, got past George Bonner and crossed into the box.
The ball wasn’t properly cleared and the Port
number ten scored with an overhead kick from about ten yards.
Although Port
Glasgow came more into the game in the second half, Rovers
should have put the game out of their reach on fifty-three minutes.
Ryan Caddis played the ball into John Johnston
in the box and he was brought down by a clumsy challenge from the keeper.
Greig Mitchell, on a hat trick, stepped up to
take the kick but the keeper guessed the right way and saved with his feet.
The loose ball broke to Sean Hainey about
twenty yards out and his well hit shot was well saved by the keeper.
Greig Mitchell
then picked up a loose ball on sixty-three minutes just outside the box and with
the keeper out of position his lobbed shot went just past the far post.
A couple of minutes later John Johnston hit a
twenty-five yard shot just wide of the goal following a good pass into him from
Ryan Caddis.
Graeme Hamilton then replaced Greig Mitchell
on seventy minutes and started winning a good few headers.
Port
Glasgow were not out of the game and created chances but the Rovers
defence stood up well to the pressure.
Winton went close to getting
a third when a Lee McCrea corner out on the right came back to him inside the
box and he volleyed the ball goal wards and was unlucky to see his shot hit the
post then the keeper and go out for a corner.
From this corner Graeme Hamilton had a good
header saved by the keeper.
Ian Cashmore
then replaced Jared Willet on seventy-three minutes a couple of minutes before a
Robbie Cochrane free kick to the edge of the box was headed back by Ian Cashmore
to Ryan Caddis but his shot went just wide of the goal.
This
was the last real action of the match with Callum Walsh replacing Ryan Caddis
for the last five minutes.
This was a good
result and a good performance from the whole squad.
It could have been a more comfortable win but
the sharpness missing in front of goal will come with more games.
Up next is a trip to Cumnock on Wednesday then
the Dennis Donnelly match against Benburb at Winton Park next Saturday.
The
Winton team was Kenny Pollock, Bob Hay, George Bonner, Ben Carson,
Robbie Cochrane, John Johnston, Sean Hainey, Lee McCrea, Greig Mitchell, Ryan
Caddis and Jared Willet with substitutes Callum Walsh, Ian Cashmore, Graeme
Hamilton and Michael Wardrope.
Winton
Rovers Website, 19 July 2014
CUMNOCK JUNIORS 0 – WINTON ROVERS 1
The visiting fans turned out at sunny Cumnock (on 23
July 2014) to see how the new-look Winton would fare against
stronger opposition in the form of Super League Premier Division Cumnock.
With Kenny Pollock, Robbie Cochrane and Jared
Willet unavailable from Saturday’s line-up, in came Michael Wardrope, Callum
Walsh, Billy Gilmour and Conor Browning to the starting eleven.
The
first ten minutes or so of the game were fairly evenly balanced with neither
side creating any real chances.
Then on the ten minute mark, Michael Wardrope
came out to the right hand side of his box to chase down a ball which the
Cumnock number eleven got to and chipped the ball towards the goal and it took a
good header from captain George Bonner from under the bar and then another good
header out of the box from Sean Hainey to stop the home side from going in
front.
A couple of minutes later, Hainey, Callum Walsh and
Graeme Hamilton combined well down the left but Walsh’s weak cross cum shot went
wide.
With
five minutes to go to half-time, Lee McCrea went on a good run down the left
before hitting a shot from just inside the box that went across the face of the
goal and out for a bye-kick.
Almost on half time, he and Callum Walsh
combined well down the left and Callum’s cross was headed back to him by a
defender and although he headed the ball back across face of the goal, a
defender managed to get the ball out for a corner.
Ben
Carson came on for Conor Browning at the start of the second half and
Rovers suffered a huge blow five minutes into the half when Graeme
Hamilton, who had been having a really good game and winning a lot in the air,
had to be carried off the pitch after a Cumnock player kicked his ankle in a
late challenge.
Hopefully, it is not serious and he will be
back very soon.
Ryan Caddis then replaced him partnering Ian
Cashmore up front.
On
fifty minutes, John Johnston, who was playing against his old team, burst
through the defence out on the left running on to a good through ball but he was
unable to get the ball under control well enough and the defence was able to
clear the danger.
Winton were beginning to get on top in the
game and Ryan Caddis was causing problems for the defence who were saved several
times in the second half by some doubtful offside decisions against
Rovers players.
It was
almost 2-0 on seventy minutes when Ryan Caddis played the ball into Lee McCrea
after a good run down the left and he squared the ball to the back post where
Ian Cashmore, sliding in at the back post, could only find the side netting
under pressure from a defender.
A couple of minutes, later he was replaced by
Greig Mitchell.
Cumnock were now pressing hard for an
equaliser but the defence were playing well and on eighty-five minutes,
Rovers had a great chance to put the result beyond doubt when another
great cross from Ryan Caddis out on the right came to Lee McCrea at the back
post and although the keeper blocked his first shot and the ball came straight
back to him, instead of heading the ball home Lee tried another shot which went
wide.
Rovers almost paid for this missed chance when
Cumnock went down the pitch with a couple of minutes left and won a free kick
just outside the box.
It took a superb one handed save from Michael
Wardrope to keep the ball out of top corner of the goal and the game finished
with Winton the victors.
This
was another very good performance and a great result and if this level of
performance can be sustained the prospects for the coming season look good.
The defence, Callum Walsh, Bob Hay, George
Bonner and Billy Gilmour were solid at the back as well as starting a number of
the attacking moves.
Up next is the Dennis Donnelly Memorial Trophy
match against Benburb at
Winton Park
on Saturday with a 2.00pm kick-off.
Winton Rovers Website, 23 July 2014
WINTON ROVERS 7 – BENBURB 0
Rovers went into the annual match
with Benburb looking to continue their good start to the season and to win the
Dennis Donnelly Memorial Shield for the first time.
In the past, matches the games have been very
tight and in the first half it looked like it would be the same again.
Colin Webb, signed during the summer from
Irvine Victoria made his debut after recovering from an injury, replacing the
unavailable John Johnston while Ryan Caddis and Greig Mitchell led the line
again.
Winton
almost took the lead in the first minute when a free kick was played to Ryan
Caddis out on the right and he squared the ball to Greig Mitchell and his shot
was fumbled by Lynch in the Bens goal but the keeper recovered the ball at the
second attempt.
The first ten minutes of the game were fairly
uneventful with neither side creating any clearcut chances.
On twelve minutes, some good play down the
left by Lee McCrea saw his cross into the box reach Conor Browning but his
attempted volley hit off a defender before being cleared.
Benburb hit back and on fourteen minutes, they
won a free kick which was deflected out for a corner and it took a good header
from Callum Walsh to clear the danger from this corner.
From
then until the half hour, both sides created openings and half chances without
looking like scoring before Bob Hay went on a run down the right before playing
the ball to Conor Browning whose cross was only partially cleared and caused a
goalmouth scramble before the ball was put out for a corner.
From Lee McCrea’s corner, George Bonner had a
good header well saved by Lynch.
A few minutes later another good run down the
right from Ryan Caddis saw him lay the ball off to Colin Webb but he shot over
the bar.
On
thirty-nine minutes, Caddis, who was to torment the defence the whole game,
again went on a run down the right before cutting in to the edge of the box
flicked the ball to Greig Mitchell who beat the keeper to the ball before he cut
the ball back into the goalmouth from the bye-line but no Rovers forwards could
get on the end of it. The opening goal was only delayed another minute when Bob
Hay played a good ball out to Conor Browning on the right and his pinpoint cross
into the six-yard box was met by Greig Mitchell who shot home from close range
for 1-0 to the Winton.
With half- time approaching, Rovers doubled
their lead on forty-three minutes when Ben Carson played a ball straight through
the Bens defence and Greig Mitchell ran on to the loose ball ran
on into the box before shooting low past the
keeper for 2-0.
Few
people will have seen coming what happened in the second half as Rovers
took total control of the game and overran the Bens and at the same time playing
some nice football.
It was, however, the Bens that had a great
chance to pull a goal back when Barbour went down the left and fired a dangerous
low cross cum shot across the face of goal which hit the far post before being
cleared by the defence.
From then on, it was almost one-way traffic
with Michael Wardrope only having a few saves to make.
Rovers
were forced to re-organise at the back when Bob Hay picked up an ankle knock on
forty-eight minutes.
He was replaced by Sean Hainey and this saw
Callum Walsh move to right back and Lee McCrea drop back to left back.
The forecast rain came down in torrents for
much of the second half but had little effect on the game.
On fifty-six minutes, Winton made it 3-0.
Sean Hainey played a good ball out to Ryan
Caddis who then played a reverse pass to Ben Carson who shot low into the far
corner of the net from about ten yards.
Ian
Cashmore then replaced Callum Walsh, who had picked up a knock in the first half
on fifty-eight minutes.
This saw George Bonner move to right-back and
Colin Webb move into the centre of the defence.
It was almost 4-0 on the hour when Greig
Mitchell cut in from the left and played a one-two with Ian Cashmore but before
he could shoot the keeper smothered the ball at Cashmore’s feet almost on the
goal line. Minutes
later, it was 4-0 when Ryan Caddis yet again won the ball before playing it into
Ian Cashmore inside the box and he made no mistake firing into the far corner of
the net from about fifteen yards on sixty-two minutes.
Calvin
Smith then came on for his first game of the season, replacing Conor Browning on
sixty-four minutes.
Winton then went close with a
twenty-five yard free kick before they made it 5-0 when Sean Hainey played a
great cross field ball to Ryan Caddis on the left side of the box and with the
keeper off his line he chipped the ball goalwards from a tight angle and,
although it seemed to be going in, Greig Mitchell made sure, tapping the ball
home from a couple of yards for his hat-trick and fifth goal of the season on
seventy-nine minutes.
A minute later, it was 6-0 and probably the
goal of the match when Sean Hainey picked the ball up twenty-five yards out went
into the box and past two defenders before side-footing home.
On
seventy-six minutes, Graeme Hamilton replaced Ryan Caddis and it was good to see
him fully recovered from what had looked a bad knock on Wednesday.
Almost immediately, he and Sean Hainey
combined well down the left on eighty-one minutes, before Sean’s cross into the
box was headed down by Calvin Smith into the path of Ben Carson who got it under
control before slotting the ball home from about ten yards for his second and
Winton’s seventh and final goal of the match.
Although Rovers continued to
press, there was no more scoring.
This
was another great performance from the whole squad and the defence again looked
solid despite the enforced chopping and changing.
Ryan Caddis is going to be a real handful for
defenders this season and Greig Mitchell is looking sharp up front.
Up next, is the biggest test yet with Junior
Cup winners, Hurlford United, the visitors on Wednesday.
The
Winton team was Wardrope, Hay, Walsh, Gilmour, Bonner, Webb,
Browning, Carson, Mitchell, Caddis and McCrea with substitutes Cashmore, Hainey,
Smith, Hamilton and Pollock.
Winton Rovers Website, 26 July 2014
Rovers
faced their toughest test yet when Junior Cup winners Hurlford United visited
Winton Park. Winton had a full squad available and made a few changes from
the team on Saturday with Kenny Pollock in goal, Colin Webb replacing Bob Hay at
right back, Robbie Cochrane returning to centre – half and Ben Carson and John
Johnston switching midfield positions. Up front, Ian Cashmore partnered
Ryan Caddis.
United
were on the attack from the start and caught the Rovers defence
cold on just two minutes when a deep cross from the Hurlford right from Paul
McKenzie reached an unmarked Stevie Masterson at the back post and he volleyed
the ball into the roof of the net to make it 1-0 to the visitors. The
first ten minutes or so saw United put a lot of pressure on the Winton
goal with first Chris Robertson with a header then John Dempster with a long
range shot went close to increasing their lead. At
this point Rovers were still finding their feet and struggled
to get their passing going but with about fifteen minutes gone they had fought
their way back into the game and were starting to play some nice football.
On fifteen minutes, a good move saw Callum Walsh go on a run at the defence
before playing the ball into the area which Ryan Caddis dummied allowing John
Johnston to run on to the ball and his well hit shot from about fifteen yards
was only parried by Ally Brown in the visitors' goal but the defence was able to
clear. On twenty-four minutes, there was another good chance for
Rovers when a good Sean Hainey cross from the right was flicked on by
Ian Cashmore but the onrushing Conor Browning was just unable to connect at the
far post and the ball went out for a goal kick. A minute later, it looked
as if Winton would get the equaliser when Ryan Caddis ran on to
a ball through the defence took the ball into the box before shooting but his
shot went just wide.
The
Ford, however, were still dangerous and it took a great save by Kenny Pollock to
keep out a shot from the edge of the box by Masterson after Stuart Kean had
headed the ball to him on twenty-nine minutes. A minute later, the same
player fired a thirty yard free kick over the bar. He then hit the outside
of the far post from the goal line after he got on the end of another deep
McKenzie cross from the right. Kenny Pollock then made a great save on
thirty-nine minutes to keep out a thirty yard Gus Cochrane shot and a couple of
minutes later, he was there again to deny Masterson. Winton
had the last chance of the first half
on forty-four mintes when Rovers won a free kick out on the
right almost in line with the box. Ben Carson’s free kick was flicked on
by Sean Hainey to Ryan Caddis in the box but his shot went wide of the target.
Rovers
had matched their Premier Division opponents in the first half and had played
some good football. The second half saw Winton the better
team looking solid in defence and dangerous going forward. They certainly
played the better football and restricted Ford to chances from set-pieces and
long range shots. They got their deserved equaliser just five minutes into
the second half in a flowing move that saw Callum Walsh play a great pass across
the pitch to Conor Browning out on the left. He ran on into the box and
rather than shooting he hit a low ball across the face of Brown’s goal to where
Ian Cashmore was on hand at the back post to tap the ball home for 1-1.
Winton
were now on the front foot and on fifty-five minutes, a good ball from Callum
Walsh to Ian Cashmore saw him lay the ball off to John Johnston on the edge of
the box but his well hit shot was comfortably saved by Brown. On
fifty-eight minutes, Conor Browning was brought down about thirty yards out
following some good play. Ryan Caddis’s free kick went just wide of the
goal. On the hour, Rovers won a corner following a good
run down the left by Ryan Caddis. From Conor Browning’s corner, Callum
Walsh rose above the defence and headed just wide. On sixty-six minutes,
another free kick this time from Ben Carson was played to Callum Walsh inside
the box and although he brought the ball under control his shot went over the
bar.
The
game went from end to end with United pressing hard for a winner but the defence
stood firm and both sides created chances during the rest of the half.
Rovers brought on Jared Willet for Ryan Caddis, George Bonner
for Callum Walsh, Greig Mitchell for Sean Hainey and Graeme Hamilton for Ian
Cashmore towards the end of the half but there was no more scoring and
Winton earned a well-deserved draw.
This
was another great performance
from the whole squad against one of the top Junior sides and they more than
matched their opponents and played some great football. Up next is the
final friendly against Ashfield on Saturday. Kick off is at 2.00pm.
The
Winton team was
Pollock, Webb, Walsh, Gilmour, Cochrane, Carson, Hainey, Johnston, Cashmore,
Caddis and Browning with substitutes Bonner, Willet, McCrea, Mitchell,
Hay, Hamilton and Wardrope (GK).
Winton Rovers Website, 30 July 2014
WINTON PARK IN WORLD WAR II ROLE FOR ROYAL NAVY
Ardrossan Winton Rovers are widely
known across the junior football spectrum and most of the local community could
point you in the direction of
Winton
Park.
But some locals may not know what the park has
been used for in the past - or the troubles that the team encountered throughout
the years. Starting back when World War II was being fought, we look at
the trials, tribulations, success and challenges faced by Ardrossan's junior
football team.
During the Second World War,
Winton
Park was used as a Royal Navy training and recreation base for HMS
Fortitude which was based in Ardrossan.
The 1950s was a time for
regeneration and modernisation as the wooden sleepers were removed and replaced
with concrete ones in the terracing.
In 1955, a new stand and dressing room were
built and were amongst the best in the junior game with the team on the pitch
also showing their worth.
A new
social club was built in Ardrossan's Bute Place in 1975 but this lasted only
seven years and closed in 1982.
Also during the 1980s, local man Willie Kean
took over as manager.
Willie had previously been the boss at the
Metallic side and along with Ian McQueen they brought a new ethos to the side,
bringing in both local and experienced players including Frankie Clark and Derek
Frye.
In 1991, the floodlights were used for the first time and in 1992 major
structural changes were implemented, with the old committee set-up changed.
Ardrossan Winton Rovers
Limited was introduced with the help of local businesses and supporters.
An initial share capital of £20000 was raised
and things were going from strength to strength.
Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown organised one of
the first SFA play-ball schemes played at
Winton
Park and Partick Thistle, under the management of Jim Fleeting,
played a number of reserve games in the Ardrossan ground.
At this time
there was a real threat to the traditions of Ardrossan Winton Rovers
and there was talk about the park moving to Dalry Road or to the park
near to Central Avenue.
Fast forwarding to this season, top management side of Chris Strain, John
McCall, George Watt and kitman Jimmy McNeil have big ambitions.
They have won just about every trophy in the
junior game, with the exception of the Scottish Cup.
The club are now confident that they can
progress through the leagues and will be announcing the support of new major
sponsors on Saturday 4 October.
Assistant chairman, Pat Breen, said “With the
support and assistance of sponsors we can eventually see Winton
playing at the highest level of junior football and have a team that the town
and community can be proud of.”
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald,
WINTON ROVERS 5 – GIRVAN 1
Although Rovers (on 31 December
2015)
expected a harder game than Lugar had had last week against eight men they made
hard work of it, especially in the first half, against a Girvan team with a
mixture of youngsters and some experienced players who made a real game of it.
Winton had Gareth Turner signed on loan from Troon for
the rest of the season on the bench and made a couple of changes to the team
that had beaten Annbank
Rovers
almost took the lead inside the first minute when Robertson in the visitors’
goal made a good save from a Conor Browning volley after the defence had failed
to deal with a cross from the left and the ball landed at his feet at the back
post.
On three minutes, a Craig
Breen cross from the right reached Ian Cashmore at the back post but the he
couldn’t get off a shot and the ball went out for a bye-kick.
Five minutes after that, Ryan Caddis flicked the ball on to Jared Willet
but his cross was blocked and cleared.
Rovers
were forced to make a change on ten minutes when Craig Breen was injured keeping
the ball in and was replaced by Darren Miller.
A couple of minutes later, Michael Wardrope comfortably saved a snap shot
from Kyle Russell as Girvan created their first real chance of the game.
Robertson made another good save from Ian Cashmore after he got on the
end of a Ryan Caddis cross at the back post.
Although Rovers had the majority of the possession and
chances they were struggling to put the ball in the net and on twenty-two
minutes, Jared Willet had a shot deflected for a corner after some good play
down the left and he worked his way into the box before shooting.
A minute later it was 1-0 to Rovers when the
resulting corner from Lee McCrea was cleared out only as far as Matty Bennett
about thirty yards out and he hit an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner of
the net.
Jared Willet then went
close again following some good play down the right between Ryan Caddis and
Conor Browning.
On thirty-five
minutes, Ryan Caddis ran at the defence and broke into the box but his finish
was comfortably saved by Robertson.
A couple of minutes after that it was almost 2-0 after a cross from the right
deflected off a defender and almost crept in at the near post.
It was, however, 2-0 on thirty-nine
minutes when David McVitie handled a Conor Browning cross in from the right and
was booked.
Ryan Caddis stepped up
and beat Robertson with a chipped spot kick.
Although it had been almost all Winton for forty
minutes, Girvan had been making a game of it and had had a few breaks down the
pitch and with a minute to go to half time they pulled a goal back when a cross
from the Girvan right was missed by the defence and fell to John McLaughlin who
was unmarked and he turned and shot home from about fifteen yards to make it
2-1.
The last action of the half saw
John Johnston rather harshly booked.
Robertson
then made a good save on sixty-three minutes from a Ben Carson free kick awarded
after Ryan Caddis had been brought down just outside the box after a run from
midfield.
The ‘keeper also blocked
the follow up before a third shot went well wide of the goal.
Rovers finally got the third goal on 66 minutes when
after some good play down the right Conor Browning played the ball into Jared
Willet who fired home from fifteen yards.
Gareth
Turner then replaced Ryan Caddis and Girvan brought on Calum Hamilton for Jake
Smith just before Rovers made it 4-1.
Some great play down the right between Gareth Turner and Conor Browning
saw the ball come to Browning and he hammered the ball home from about
twenty-five yards.
With ten minutes
left to play, a good move involving Gareth Turner and Calvin Smith who had just
replaced Ian Cashmore ended with Robertson making another good save from Jared
Willet.
On eighty-three minutes, it
was 5-1 when Lee McCrea did well to control a cross ball from the right on the
edge of the box before playing it to Jared Willet who fired home for his second
of the game.
With time running out,
it took a good double stop from Robertson to deny firstly Calvin Smith then
Gareth Turner on eighty-seven minutes and a minute later Robbie Cochrane went
close with a header just before the final whistle.
This was a tougher game than many expected and all credit to
struggling Girvan for making a game of it.
With the Buffs dropping two points, we are now three points behind with a
game in hand and the next two games are both real six pointers and wins against
both Lugar and Whitletts would put a real dent in their promotion hopes but both
will be very tough games.
The
teams were
Winton Rovers - Michael Wardrope, Craig Breen,
Matty Bennett, Ben Carson, Robbie Cochrane, Conor Browning, Ryan Caddis, John
Johnston, Ian Cashmore, Jared Willet and Lee McCrea with substitutes Darren
Miller, Gareth Turner, Calvin Smith, Colin Webb and Sean Hainey
Girvan -
Colin Robertson, William McMichael, Jake Smith, Sean Scobie, Darren Cunningham,
Conor Gracie, David McVitie, Sandy
Robertson, John McLaughlin, Jamie McAvoy and Kyle Russell with substitutes Calum
Hamilton, John Murray and Conner Davidson.
Winton Rovers Website, 3 January 2015
WINTON ROVERS 5 – GIRVAN 1
Winton Work For
Victory
Winton
ultimately overwhelmed the basement side (on 31 December 2014) but took a long
time to break them down.
Although Rovers expected a
harder game than Lugar who hammered a depleted Girvan side who had just eight
available players 14-0 the previous week, they made heavy weather of it
especially in the first half.
They were up against a team with a mixture of
youngsters and some experienced players who made a real game of it.
The hosts had Gareth Turner signed on loan
from Troon for the rest of the season on the bench.
Rovers almost took the lead inside a minute when Robertson made a good
save from a Conor Browning volley.
Chris Strain’s hosts were forced to make a
change in ten minutes when Craig Breen was injured keeping the ball, to be
replaced by Darren Miller.
A couple of minutes later, Michael Wardrope
comfortably saved a snapshot from Kyle Russell as Girvan created their first
real chance.
Robertson then saved well from Ian Cashmore
after he got on the end of a Ryan Caddis cross at the back post.
Winton broke the deadlock in twenty-three
minutes when a Lee McCrea corner kick was cleared only as far as Matty Bennett
thirty yards out and he hit an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner.
They doubled the lead in thirty-nine minutes
when David McVittie handled a Browning cross in from the right and was booked.
Caddis stepped up and beat Robertson with a
chipped spot-kick.
Although it had been
all Winton for forty minutes, Girvan had been making a game of
it and a minute from half-time, pulled a goal back.
A cross from the right was missed by the
defence and fell to their trialist who was unmarked and turned to shoot home
from fifteen yards.
Just after the break, Cashmore then had
another two attempts before Caddis hit the top of the bar with a header in
fifty-seven minutes.
Michael Wardrope then denied Girvan’s best
outfield player, Connor Gracie, with a flying save.
Robertson then made a good save in sixty-three
minutes from a Ben Carson free-kick.
The keeper also blocked the follow-up before a
third shot went well wide.
Rovers finally got the third goal in sixty-six minutes when, after some
good play down the right Browning played the ball into Willet who fired home
from fifteen yards.
Turner then replace Caddis just before Rovers
made it 4-1. Some
great play down the right between Turner and Browning saw the ball come to the
latter and he hammered the ball home form twenty-five yards.
With ten minutes left, a good move involving
Turner and Calvin Smith ended with Robertson making another good save from
Willet.
In eighty-three minutes, former Girvan man McCrea did
well to control a cross ball from the right on the edge of the box before
finding Willet who fired home for his second.
The Winton team was Wardrope, Breen, Bennett, Carson, Cochrane, Browning,
Caddis, Johnston, Cashmore, Willet, and McCrea with substitutes Miller, Turner,
Smith, Webb and Hainey.