Windlaw 3 - 5 Shawbridge
Windlaw welcomed old rivals Shawbridge to barlia after a 3 year absence for another thrilling clash between the two teams. Windlaw went ahead when Carey converted from the spot but Shawbridge hit back twice before half time. Another two goals shortly after the break put the visitors in the driving seat but a spirited Windlaw clawed it back to 4-3 through McCaig and Lynch before Scally smashed past Allan Dougall in goals, who had taken over from the injured Nicol, to finish the game at 5-3.
Garnock Valley 2 - 2 Windlaw
Goals from James Donnelly and Chris Hepburn were enough for Windlaw to leave Elderslie with a point and a slim chance of qualification to the last eight of the league cup. The home side went ahead however Donnelly rifled a 35 yard free kick home before Hepburn converted from the spot to put the visitors ahead. Garnock equalised with 20 mins remaining and the match ended 2-2, which was just about a fair reflection over te 90 mins.
Windlaw 4 - 3 Yoker
An enthralling seven goal thriller was served up at barlia on Saturday morning as Windlaw bounced back from a midweek hammering. A gritty performance, full of determination and hard work, was enough to overcome Yoker and record a much needed 3 points. Goals came from James McCaig (2), Chris Lynch and Chris Hepburn. It sets the boys up for a midweek clash against old rivals Shawbridge, where a win would give us an outside chance of qualification.
Windlaw 3 - 2 Weir Rec
The afternoon side rounded off a good day for the club with a well earned 3-2 victory over 1st division Weir Rec. Steph Docherty opened the scoring with an outstanding overhead kick in the first half, however Weirs struck either side of half time to go ahead. Steph Docherty and James Donnelly struck again later in the second half to set up a thrlling midweek encounter with Garnock Valley.
Rannoch 'A' 1 - 2 Windlaw
Windlaw had a goal disallowed inside two minutes when James Donnelly's ferocious left foot shot from the edge of the box was ruled out for offside against Steph Docherty. Windlaw had the better of the first half and should have gone in front on several occassions. They were however caught on the break by a sucker punch after a long punt caught out the defence and the forward sped away before squeezing a shot past the advancing John Lunny. Parity was restored in the second half when Steph Docherty did well to dink up a looping cross that the Rannoch keeper caught at first then spilled on the way down and Chris Hepburn stayed alert enough to toe poke the loose ball home. The winner came on 68 minutes when Hepburn doubled his tally by crashing home Paul McInally's deep back post cross past the keeper. Windlaw hung on grimly for the win and another difficult trip to Eddlewood Bowling Club lies in wait on Wednesday night in our second game of the section.
Man Of The Match: Chris Hepburn
Team: Lunny, McInally (C.Docherty), Thomas, C Kerr, Quigley, Baird (Lynch), J Kerr (Semple), Hepburn, McCaig, Donnelly, S.Docherty
Windlaw 2 - 1 Tantallon Victoria
Windlaw recorded a much needed pre season victory courtesy of two first half goals from Chris Lynch. It was a costly day overall though as James McCaig and Scott Carr left the field after less than 5 minutes of action each and Ciaran Docherty was also taken off after a sickening clash of heads in the second half. The morning side have a free weekend on Saturday but kick off their competitive action next midweek with a game against fellow newcomers Victoria Croftfoot.
Beechwood 0-7 Windlaw
Windlaw cruised to victory at Greenfield on Friday night against Sunday Central AFL opposition. Three goals from James Donnelly, two from Danny McKenna, one from Steph Docherty and a Chris Hepburn penalty were enough as Windlaw tore the home side apart almost at will and should have hit double figures. The game ends the pre-season schedule with the team now set to travel to Bearsden to face Rannoch 'A' next Saturday in their League Cup Section opener. A very depleted squad will travel with three suspensions three injuries and one player on holiday however the players will relish the chance to return to competitive action.
Windlaw 1 - 6 St Marys
A disasterous second half display from Windlaw saw visitors St Marys rack up a comprehensive 7-1 victory at barlia earlier today. A fairly even first half saw Windlaw go in 2-1 down but very much in the game. Then a mad 20 minute spell in the second half where Windlaw lost all shape and organisation resulted in 4 goals conceded through a combination of poor defending and clinical finishing. The young side need to learn the lessons from this and quickly bounce back for the visit of Division 1 side Whitefield Rovers at barlia next Saturday, 10am kick off.
Windlaw 5 - 3 West End Villa
Windlaw just edged out the visitors from Paisley with a very unconvincing display this afternoon at barlia. The visitors looked nervous at the back and Windlaw could have scored 3 goals in the first 5 minutes. However it was the visitors who opened the scoring after a break saw 4 or 5 Villa players in the Windlaw box before converting past Lunny. The visitors continued to attack in numbers with pace but it was Windlaw who levelled through Steph Docherty. The pattern of the game continued into the second half as Dann McKenna then James Donnelly brought Windlaw level twice. Chris Hepburn converted a penalty before Danny McKenna's neat lob sealed the win in yet another game which raises more questions about the shape of the team.
Windlaw 2 - 4 County Thistle
A very evenly matched contest saw Tam McAvoy's side just edge out Windlaw in this competitive game at Barlia. County went ahead after a shot was pushed onto the bar by Jamie Nicol then forced home but Windlaw equalised with a fine goal after Benny Carey crossed for Chris Lynch to head home. County then went ahead after another fine cross was finished but another Lynch header levelled matters. County then added two more goals to win the game but manager Colin Carmichael will be happy with the display of his young side against a very good well established SSML team. The team's pre-season continues against Premier side St Marys at Barlia next Saturday, kick-off 10am.
Glenpark Thistle 0 - 8 Windlaw
A depleted Windlaw squad chalked up a very comfortable win in Edinburgh at Saughton Complex. An early injury though to striker Greg Johnstone was worrying and adds to the team's current injury list that now includes Wullie Wilson, Thomas Taylor and Chris Carr. James Donnelly was the outstanding player on show as he notched a hat-trick and struck the bar and post. Danny McKenna also got three but special mention goes to Chris Lynch who had to help out the squad and he scored two after scoring two headers for the SSML side in the morning. The win was too much for the home side and at times some very poor challenges went unpunished by a local referee and Windlaw were happy to get back down the M8 without any further injuries.
Windlaw 6 - 2 Houston
New season, same old story for Greg Johnstone who hit five goals to put Windlaw on course for victory in this friendly against a talented young Houston side at Barlia on Saturday. With James Donnelly and Danny Quigley making their home debuts, the team struggled initially but created some fine goals as Houston's passing caused problems. It was 5-0 at the interval before a raft of substitutions for both sides in the second half. Danny McKenna notched Windlaw's other goal. Houston had ex St Mirren and Hibs star Barry Lavety in their ranks and the big striker possessed a lovely touch and scored a late consolation. The one major downside was second-half injuries to subs Thomas Taylor and new boy Derek Semple who now join Wullie Wilson on the sidelines. A more depleted squad will now head to Edinburgh next Saturday to play Glenpark Thistle of the LEAFL at Saughton Sports Complex as the pre-season continues.
Bosco Juniors 3 - 1 Windlaw
The newly reformed morning team faced Bosco Juniors for the second time in just over a month and the progress and improvement is clearly evident after a decent display in Milton. Although going down 3-1, the scoreline was not really a true reflection of the game as the visitors had the majority of good play and chances in the first half. Duncan McGregor's curler hit one post and rolled along the line to hit the other and denying him the opening goal. McAllister went close and Windlaw should also have been awarded a penalty in the first half when Lynch was scythed down. 0-0 at half time before a couple of defensive errors gave Bosco a 2-0 lead. Lynch pulled one back but the post prevented Windlaw yet again before slack passing in midfield allowed Bosco one final attack and socre a third goal. Overall, a very decent performance from the new boys and much to be positive about. Next week sees Premier Division County Thistle visit barlia in the continuation of a very tough pre season schedule.
Billy Hepburn has made his first move to strengthen the squad for Division Two by signing highly rated James Donnelly from Cambuslang Rangers. The 23 year old attacking midfielder (pictured) scored seven goals for the Somervell Park side last season and Windlaw have pulled off a major coup in securing his signature for the new season. He will undoubtedly add goals from midfield and is a real threat from free kicks around the opposition area. In other news, the team's final league game at Busby which was abandoned in the 84th minute has now been upheld as a 4-2 victory for the home side. This was despite Windlaw having the ball on the penalty spot at the time of the abandonment. Both clubs attended the disciplinary hearing on Tuesday and significantly, no action has been taken against either club. A large majority of the players will be enjoying their well earned end of season weekend away this Friday ahead of the Club's Player Of The Year Dance on Saturday June 5 at Goals in Shawlands
Windlaw claimed the title of Division 3 Champions after a thrilling game at Northolm Park, home of Giffnock North. Windlaw made a fantastic start in 3 mins when a magnificent Chris Hepburn cross was nodded back across the goal and into the net by Greg Johnstone, who made it 46 for the season. Windlaw were clearly up for it and doubled their lead on 20 mins when Chris Hepburn, who would go on to put in an outstanding display, drilled one into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Windlaw were in control and should have made it 3-0 but the post prevented Gr
eg Johnstone extending the lead. Windlaw started the second half well and tested the Craigneuk keeper to the full, requiring him to make 4 or 5 excellent saves and keep his team in the game. Craigneuk were resilient though and got back in the game with a goal from a poorly cleared free kick before equalising with 10 mins remaining. Windlaw went back on the attack and came close a few times. The match seemed to be heading for extra time but Kevin McCann thought he'd have one last attempt at winning the game for Windlaw. He won possession of the ball in the centre circle and took a few touches to bring the ball under control before smashing a left foot missile into the keepers top left hand corner from fully 30 yards with only 30 seconds remaining. Cue the madness and delerium!!! When the play restarted, Craigneuk's frustration boiled over as Chris Hepburn was the victim of a shocking kick which was correctly met with a red card from referee Colin Simpson.
| Weekly Diary |
| GGPL League Table | ||
| Team | Pl | Pts |
| Craigneuk | 0 | 0 |
| EBC | 0 | 0 |
| Garnock Valley | 0 | 0 |
| Glasgow Uni | 0 | 0 |
| GGPL Top Scorers | ||
| Player | Pld | Gls |
| S.Docherty | 2 (1) | 2 |
| Hepburn | 3 | 2 |
| Donnelly | 3 | 1 |
| Lynch | 1 (1) | 1 |
| SSML League Table | ||
| Team | Pl | Pts |
| Bengal Lancers | 0 | 0 |
| Bridge AFC | 0 | 0 |
| EK Town | 0 | 0 |
| Inverclyde Utd | 0 | 0 |
| SSML Top Scorers | ||
| Player | Pld | Gls |
| McCaig | 3 | 3 |
| Lynch | 2 | 1 |
| McGregor | 1(1) | 1 |
| Hepburn | 1 | 1 |
| Club Charter |
In 1991, Windlaw AFC was
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