Ardrossan Winton Rovers 3
Saltcoats Victoria 0
Gate £5
Atten 100ish
View all Photos from Ardrossan
Ardrossan
has a population of around 11,000 and has close roots with
neighbouring Saltcoats and Stevenston. The town’s roots date back
to the 12th
century and the construction of its castle; the town grew in the 18th
and 19th
centuries due to its coastal situation based around exports of coal
and pig iron to Europe and North America. Ardrossan later became a
centre for shipbuilding of fishing vessels and small cargo boats.The
town also became known for the ferry services to Brodick on the Isle
of Arran which commenced in 1834 and which continue to this day;
later to Belfast and the Isle of Man which started in the late 19th
century and which have now ceased. These days Ardrossan is part of a
regeneration area, overseen by the Irvine Bay Regeneration Company
and there were plenty of positive signs to be seen as I wandered
around the town before the game. The seafront area is well
maintained, the beach was clean and many locals and tourists were
taking the opportunity to make the most of low tide while the
developed Marina area had signs of great potential.
Winton Park has been the home of Winton Rovers for most of their existence and was bought from Lord Eglinton in 1923 for £160. Today the whole place looked majestic in the winter sunshine. The pitch looked fantastic and the main stand looked over everything like a headmaster in school assembly. The welcome given by the club's officials was a genuinely warm one. They felt proud that someone has traveled long distance and taking interest in 'their' club. I was immediately offered a private tour of the ground which included sampling the award winning pies.
In this league there is no messing about both teams coming out together and shaking hands. They came out individually at 1.44pm and within under a minute the game was underway. The game itself in the first half was not the greatest with league leaders Ardrossan looking a bit sluggish according to the locals. The vernacular used by the locals clearly displayed their frustration. But the game heated up big style after half time as Ardrossan finally made the breakthrough after having a player sent off for hacking down a Saltcoats player who seconds before had chopped him in half. Ardrossan went on to score a second , have another player sent off and even manage a third goal after a 'keystone cops' moment in the Saltcoats defence. In the end the 3-0 scoreline made it look like a comfortable victory. But in reality it was far from that.
I loved Winton Street and the warmth given by the locals , even if i didn't understand what they were saying due to their strong accents.
Winton Park has been the home of Winton Rovers for most of their existence and was bought from Lord Eglinton in 1923 for £160. Today the whole place looked majestic in the winter sunshine. The pitch looked fantastic and the main stand looked over everything like a headmaster in school assembly. The welcome given by the club's officials was a genuinely warm one. They felt proud that someone has traveled long distance and taking interest in 'their' club. I was immediately offered a private tour of the ground which included sampling the award winning pies.
In this league there is no messing about both teams coming out together and shaking hands. They came out individually at 1.44pm and within under a minute the game was underway. The game itself in the first half was not the greatest with league leaders Ardrossan looking a bit sluggish according to the locals. The vernacular used by the locals clearly displayed their frustration. But the game heated up big style after half time as Ardrossan finally made the breakthrough after having a player sent off for hacking down a Saltcoats player who seconds before had chopped him in half. Ardrossan went on to score a second , have another player sent off and even manage a third goal after a 'keystone cops' moment in the Saltcoats defence. In the end the 3-0 scoreline made it look like a comfortable victory. But in reality it was far from that.
I loved Winton Street and the warmth given by the locals , even if i didn't understand what they were saying due to their strong accents.
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