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.
Windlaw's annual end of season presentation dance took place on Saturday and was another hugely successful night. A huge thank you to everyone who attended and made it a memorable ocassion. Also a big thank you to Stevie Thomson for carrying out the presentation and to Paul & Debbie McInally and Colin Carmichael for their hard work in organising the event.
Award Winners
Players' Player of the Year - Eck McCaig
Managers Player of the Year - Chris Kerr
Top Goalscorer - Danny McKenna
Outstanding Achievement - Bruce Tierney and Benny Carey
Monday night sees the curtain fall on a largely disappointing season for the club. A fifth place league finish was the best we could muster and our form mainly against the top sides has not been good enough. The trip to Summerston to face Crosslands also sees Benny Carey and Bruce Tierney finish their Windlaw playing careers after a very long and distinguished number of years in the colours. The Player Of The Year Dance is in Rutherglen on Saturday night.
Saturday's home league game at Maggies against Orchard Park Mount B was abandoned by referee Martin Keegan after 53 minutes with Windlaw 1-0 ahead. The official reason appears to be that it was too cold, as the pitch was certainly still playable and both teams wanted the game to be completed by that point. Some pre-match work on the pitch ensured it was playable after the rain started around noon and Windlaw took a 17th minute lead through skipper Eck McCaig after an excellent curled finish from just inside the box. The first half was quite even though with Orchard Park hitting the bar and John Lunny producing one excellent close range save before the referee ended proceedings eight minutes into the second half.
So what does this decision leave us with? A bill of almost £70 for staging the game, a pitch now pointlessly further damaged and two suspensions that remain unserved as a result of this. This remained the only fixture in our division that couldn't last the distance, so presumably the other games were played in tropical conditions outside Glasgow. Full credit to the management and players of both clubs for their commitment in trying to complete the game, sadly that commitment wasn't matched by all.
Saturday’s postponed game at Drumchapel United was our ninth postponement of the season with one game also being abandoned as the weather seriously effects not only our own fixture list but that of amateur clubs across Scotland. For that reason and with our last competitive game taking place on December 13, this Saturday’s home league match against Rannoch has now been switched to Glenconner Park in Royston Road. Blochairn Star have kindly arranged for us to play there with matches off being a rarity and our own pitch at Maggies being in poor condition lately, it makes sense to maximise the chances of getting the fixture played. The game will kick off at 2pm with all players to meet at Glenconner at 12.30pm.
On the injury front, good news is that Wullie Thornton is set to start light training soon after making good progress from his horrific shin break four months ago. Ian Baird though remains sidelined with knee ligament damage since the end of last season and a return in the near future looks unlikely while Paul McInally is recovering from a complicated adductor injury and should train this week. Training will be on Tuesday at John Paul Primary at 7pm and indoor at Holyrood Sports Centre on Thursday at 8pm.
Preparations for the race-night on February 28 at Goals in Shawlands continue and tickets and horses are now available. With the club’s return to a refurbished Barlia Complex on the horizon, securing funds from this night will be vital and total support is needed from everyone.
Finally, all the boys would like to congratulate George McGregor and his good lady on the birth of their first baby girl Katie last week. We wish them all the very best for the future
Archie McInally Memorial Charity Tournament Update
17 July
Windlaw's pre-season charity tournament was a huge success after over £1300 was raised for the Castlemilk Day Nursery. The stress and preparation beforehand was rewarded when the target of £1000 was surpassed. 8 teams took part in the tournament, including Legate, Futsal Wanderers, who travelled through from Edinburgh, Castlemilk Reunited, Windlaw, Tynecastle and eventual winners Blochairn Star. The club would like to thank all of those teams who participated and contributed to an excellent football tournament and fundraising event. Thanks also to Councillor's Sadie Docherty and John McKenzie for appearing on the day to lend their support and help with the presentation, Davie Andrews and May Neeson for organising the hugely successful raffle and the staff and kids from the Castlemilk Day Nursery for coming along and helping out too with their stalls. A huge thank you to Paul and Debbie McInally is also appropriate after the incredible amount of work they put into making sure this event was a success. A final thank you to everyone who contributed to raising a fantastic total, the money will be greatly appreciated by the nursery.
Windlaw Presentation Dance
8 June
The club enjoyed another fantastic end of season dance at Liptons Social Club last night as the individual awards for a long hard season were handed out. Details of the winners are listed below. A big thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the club fundraising, hopefully you all enjoyed a good evening. Thanks must also go to Councillor Sadie Docherty who attended and presented the trophies and to Martin Docherty who was our MC for the night. Finally, a massive thank you to the management, the players and the guys behind the scenes for your continuous effort throughout the season. Without you, there would be no club.
Trophy Winners
GGFL Player of the Year - Bruce Tierney
GGFL Players' Player of the Year - Benny Carey
GGFL Top Goalscorer - Benny Carey
SSML Player of the Year - Ian Baird
SSML Players' Player of the Year - Eck McCaig
SSML Top Goalscorer - David McGinlay
Outstanding Achievement Award - Wullie Thornton & Zanda Dougall
Windlaw '08' 6-3 Windlaw Old Crocks
7 June
Windlaw ended the season with a 'family' renunion as the old faces of days gone by teamed up with the present day squad to have an end of season exhibition match. The younger boys inevitably one the match but the sight of some Windlaw greats like Jim Brennan, Pat McLaughlin, John Fitzpatrick, Davie Chew, Chris Paterson, Marty Doc, Jim Currie, Rab Smith, Stevie Thomson and Shug Neeson all made an appearance and showed some flashes of their old selfs. Big John Fitz actually ran out of apologies at one point after chopping so many of the younger boys. It was a cracking occassion and one we will defintely look at holding on an annual basis.
Windlaw Resign From Strathclyde Saturday Morning League
19 May
The club are sad to announce that we will not be continuing our long running membership of the SSML at the end of the 2007-08 season. After consultation, the decision was taken to move forward with one team for the 2008-09 campaign in The Greater Glasgow Amateur Football League and build on our first season in afternoon football. Windlaw have been members of the morning league since the early 1990's and have won 10 major honours within that time. The league has gone from strength to strength during that period and the club would like to record a personal thanks to long serving and hard working committee members such as Willie Rutherglen, Dougie Anderson, John Sharkey and James Mullen for making the league the well oiled engine it is today. A number of excellent sides such as Blochairn Star, Tynecastle, Shawbridge and Greenhills have been great opponents over the years and a lot of enduring rivalries and friendships have been formed. We wish all of the clubs the very best for the future and thank the league for having us for so long. The club will soon be announcing their plans for the new season in The Greater Glasgow League where we'll return to our preferred status of underdogs in the hope of biting a few of the big boys legs.
Windlaw 2008 Player Of The Year Dance
6 March 08
The annual awards and fundraising night takes place on Saturday 7th of June at Liptons Social Club in Pollokshaws Rd. This is the third time Liptons has been the venue and the previous two have been excellent nights. Tickets are priced at a very reasonable £3 and all players will be issued with a limited number. Due to the increasing numbers, tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis and all ticked money MUST be handed in by no later than 30th April. Players are also asked for raffle prize donations.
Windlaw Make KitAid Contribution
The club have recently donated their old green and black home kit to KitAid, a registered charity in Hatfield. KitAid do a fantastic job by boxing up kits and delivering them to Developing Countries. Our kit is now due to be dispatched there around February 23rd. Any other clubs wishing to make a similar donation can do so by logging on by clicking on the KitAid link on our homepage.
Castlemilk Football Development Strategy Emerges
The club have been in meetings this week with Glasgow City Council and fellow Castlemilk teams with a view to improving the poor footballing facilities within Castlemilk. The main item discussed was the possible redevelopment of Barlia Sports Complex, hopefully in the near future. Windlaw will continue to be heavily involved in discussions on this subject and hope to be one of the driving forces to improve facilities that the whole Castlemilk community can benefit from. We will post any further news as it develops over the coming months
Baby Joy For Macky
Macky has become a dad for the second time after wife Debbie gave birth to a baby girl. Baby Sophie McInally arrived on 18th March and weighed a healthy 7lb 11 ounces. Mother and baby are well.
Change In Management For Windlaw GGAFL
24 Feb 08
Stevie Thomson and Benny Carey will now be taking sole charge of all team matters for the afternoon team with immediate effect. This will allow Macky to continue as the Match Secretary and also playing, however any enquiries regarding the afternoons should now be directed to Stevie and Benny for the remainder of the season
Windlaw Enjoy Race Night
The club enjoyed a decent turn-out for Saturday's event in Shawlands although the attendance could and should have been higher. A decent sum was raised for club funds and we would like to thank Sinky, Paul McInally and Allan Dougall for organising the night and Coco, Stevie and Debbie Mac for selling the horses throughout the night. We wouldn't have achieved anything without their efforts
Joy For Skipper As A Baby Panda Is Born
The club would like to congratulate Windlaw SSML skipper Zanda Dougall and partner Katie on the birth of their first son Lewis in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The wee man weighed in at a healthy 8lbs 8oz and there is absolutely no truth in the rumour that Zanda missed the birth due to work commitments!
Doc Returns To Our TV Screens
Those people wondering just what absent Windlaw midfielder Martin Docherty have been up to lately, can see some of the wee man’s recent work as he returns to BBC1 this Friday at 10.35pm in comedy series Dear Green Place. Marty stars in the show as Glasgow City Council worker Wallace alongside fellow actors Ford Kiernan and Paul Riley of Chewin The Fat fame plus River City stars Jenny Ryan and Carmen Pieraccini. The series will run for a total of seven episodes.
Club Honour McCabe Contribution
The club are sad to confirm the departure of John McCabe from the club last week. The attacking midfielder who joined the club in the summer of 2004 along with Wullie Wilson made 72 appearances for the club in his 3 seasons and scored 11 goals while collecting two League Cup Winners medals and one Division 1 championship winner's medal from the memorable 05/06 title triumph. Few people would appreciate the efforts that John made in commuting from Milngavie to Castlemilk while playing for the club without driving and sadly, that travelling has now made it impossible for John to continue his Windlaw career. The club would like to thank John for the superb service and commitment shown during his time with us and we all wish him, Laura and their young family the very best of luck for the future. John will, we understand, be going to Partick West AFC in the Greater Glasgow AFL, which is far more practical for him. Hopefully, we may see him once again in Windlaw colours one day in the future. Manager Martin Kerr said
"John had outstanding talent and was probably the fittest boy at the club. Undoubtedly, John will go on to have a big future in the amateur game and we're very sorry to lose a player of his calibre."
Archie McInally Memorial Charity Tournament Postponed
This years tournament has been postponed until further notice
Whitley Bay End Of Season Trip
Whitley Bay Bad Taste Day: Gallery
17 of the squad, plus Ennis, travelled down to Whitley Bay for a thoroughly enjoyable end of season blow-out. The highlights were plentiful and there's probably many that we can't remember for one reason or another! The bad taste competition on the Saturday was a real highlight and Manager Martin Kerr's outfit and wig were voted the best by the boys. The prize for winning the competition (which deserves a big mention) was donated by 'Mrs Windlaw' aka Debbie McInally and to Kerrso's delight, he was presented with 'a bendy bully!' Without naming any names, there were one or two other amusing incidents over the weekend, however you'll need to ask whoever was sober enough to fill you in on them! Roll on next year's trip and the blankety blank cheque book and pen
2007 Windlaw Presentation Dance
2 June 2007
Chris Kerr, David McGinlay and John Lunny
Windlaw celebrated another season at a very enjoyable presentation dance in Liptons on Saturday night. The event was well attended and the fundraising was very successful.
John Lunny collected the Players' Player of the Year, Chris Kerr collected the Managers Player of the Year and David McGinlay collected the top goalscorer award in his first season at the club. There was also an Outstanding Achievement presentation made to Paul McInally for the work he has put in to the club over the past 13 years.
Danny McKenna won the £100 tote raffle which was made after the tote wasn't won in the final 2 weeks of the season.
The club also continued it's fundraising for others and raised £100 for the St Martin's Nursery fund. The nursery was completely destroyed internally by vandals recently and had a public campaign to help them start again. It is only a small contribution but one that will on doubt help the nursery rebuild.
League Cup Final Pictures
14 May
These pictures are now online.
Gallery
New Windlaw Side Accepted To Greater Glasgow Premier AFL
Windlaw's newly formed Saturday afternoon team's membership application for the Greater Glasgow Premier AFL has been accepted at a Special General Meeting, held by the committee tonight.
Paul McInally and Allan Dougall represented the club at the meeting and presented their case for membership. The decision was a unanimous "yes" vote from all clubs in attendance.
It is fantastic news for the club and allows us to go ahead with our expansion to 2 teams, starting from next season.
Details of the GGPL can be found here
League Cup Final Win For Windlaw
28 April
.jpg)
Link to Presentation video
Link to Celebrations video
Windlaw claimed their 10th honour in as many seasons after beating Airdrieonians 4-1 on penalties after Danny McKenna scored the equaliser with the last kick of the ball.
It was a poor performance from Windlaw, however it doesn't matter how you win, as long as you win and the silverware is collected, that's all that matters.
It was a double celebration as Shug Neeson pipped Danny McKenna to the man of the match award aswell.
Match report online !!
Presentation video.
New Windlaw Side Gain First Win
24 March
Windlaw's newly formed Saturday Afternoon side got off to a good start with a comfortable 6-1 friendly win over Garnethill Rovers at Barlia on Thursday night. Stevie Thomson's return to the sharp end saw returning goal machine Scott Williamson roll back the years with a sublime finish early on and despite conceding an equaliser, the second half saw Windlaw cruise home with a brace each from Anthony Larkin and Kevin McCann and a rare goal from Wullie Thornton completing the rout. We'll continue to report on developments concerning the new side as they unfold.
Windlaw Unveil New Kit Sponsored By SMC Photography
16 April
Here is a sneak preview of our new change kit after clinching a sponsorship deal with our very own Steph McCann's business, SMC Photography.
The kit is literally hot off the press after a lengthy delay and proper promotional pictures will follow soon. The club hope to wear the new strip for the first time at home to Forest this Saturday if possible.
Steph McCann himself said of the deal,
'Its great to see the SMC name on the Windlaw jerseys and I hope the future holds even more success for both the team and SMC'.
Vale Utd Expelled From League
27 March
Further to an abandoned match between Vale Utd and AS Airdrie where a Vale player was alleged to have attempted to violently confront the referee, Vale Utd have been expelled from League Division 1 with immediate effect. This follows on from another recent disciplinary where Vale were sanctioned with a £75 good behaviour bond and a game deemed null and void. All games involving them have been deemed null and void and the league table has been amended accordingly.
It also has potential repercussions for Windlaw's 3rd round Strathclyde Cup tie, where we are paired against Vale Utd. More information will be provided once available
Windlaw Media Update
Following on from Windlaw's announcements regarding newspaper coverage of Wullie Wilson and his lovely wife Amanda, who both featured in a recent Daily Record Newspaper in the Amateur Footballers Wives section, the club has got hold of an exclusive picture taken at the interview
You can read the whole interview here
Windlaw Management Change
Further to a recent team meeting, Windlaw manager Gary Wilson has decided to step down from the position. The club were well aware of Gary's impending departure, however he felt now would be the right time to step down given his imminent knee operation. This is a joint decision between the club and Gary, who will now be replaced with Benny Carey, with Martin Kerr continuing as Assistant Manager.
The club would like to take this opportunity to thank Gary for all his efforts and hard work over the last 3 years as a player and manager and we wish him well for the future
Marty Doc Back On The Telly
Our very own celebrity player Martin Docherty will be appearing alongside Paul Riley and Ford Kiernan on our screens in the pilot episode of new show 'Dear Green Place' which can be seen on BBC1 on Friday 1st September at 10.35pm.
Another Famous Face Joins The Windlaw Ranks
William Ruane, who has appeared on our screens in River City, Sweet Sixteen, Tickets and most recently the hit film 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley' joins the ever increasing rank of famous Windlaw followers
Windlaw Strengthen Championship Winning Squad
Windlaw have secured the signings of 4 new players to add to last year's title winning squad. The advertising campaign and trials set up, no doubt ridiculed in some quarters, have proved very successful as Windlaw have recruited 4 top players. More details to follow soon
There has been a Nugent transfer merry-go-round as well. Hitman Alan Nugent has left the club, only to see his brother John head in the opposite direction and return for a second stint at the club. Everyone at the club wishes Alan well. Darren Campbell has also departed due to work commitments. It's a sad loss as Darren has been with the club for many years, but he assures us he'll help out if needed.
