Milngavie Wanderers

With the exit of a number of players from last seasons squad, the Wanderers are on the look out for new players for all positions for the current season.  

Please contact: Robert Baxter: Tel 07906186274

The club play in the preimier division of the Caledonian Football League – home games take place at the show park  Stany Brigg Milngavie on a Saturday afternoon.  Training is on the latest 3G floodlight astro grass.   You would be made to feel very welcome and enjoy some of the best football facilities in Amateur football.

William Turner Challenge Cup Final

4^th June 2011

Venue – Wee Hampden

Glasgow University 1 – 2 Milngavie Wanderers Football Club (AET)

Scorers: McKellar Rodgers

MOM: Berto Halliday

Team: Meeky, Berto, O’Hara, Robb, F Maxwell, P Tait, McGonagle, M Maxwell, McKellar, Rodgers, Tum.  Subs: Sweeney, K Tait, McKeevar, Malone,  Simmy

Match Report

The Wanderers lifted their first piece of silver for over 10 years – in what turned out to be a great game of free flowing attacking football from both sides.

For the whole of the first 45 minutes the Wanderers dominated every position on the park, commanding performances from Ross Robb and Francis Maxwell at the heart of the Wanderers defence set the benchmark for the rest of the match.  Early indications suggested the Wanderers were going to over run the uni boys – every first and second ball being convincingly challenged for and won.

Berto Halliday was the outstanding player on the day and his early crazy left wing runs – from left back on a pitch the size of Hampden – left the large crowd of spectators mesmerised at his efforts.  Needless to say it was on one of these forages in up the left in the 10^th minute that seen the ball crossed into the box to be met by that boy with the fancy hair cut Gary McKellar.  His shot rebounded off the helpless Glasgow University keeper and into the open net to give the Wanderers a well deserved lead.

The Wanderers piled on the pressure with McGongle and Maxwell in total control of the centre of the park allowing the wide players to get forward at every opportunity.  Any time the ball was to break for the Glasgow Uni Boys O’hara playing in his usual right back slot would perform heroics cleaning up any loose ball.  The Uni best chance of the first half was from a corner that seen a excellent header hit the top of the bar as it sailed over and out for a Milngavie goal kick.  With the first half coming to an end the Wanderers had a few more chances to get a second goal that would have put the game beyond the Unit boys but it was not to come with Paul Tait, Mickey Rodgers and Tum all having chances that on another day could well have finished up in the back of the net.

With the score 1-0 at the interval the uni made some positional changes and pushing higher up the park to ensure the Wanderers did not have the same time on the ball that they had in the first half.  Although the Uni now had more of the ball they failed to really test Meeky with shots on goals kept to long distance seldom hitting the target.  The uni with a number of their boys well over 6ft resorted to throwing high balls into the box as time was running out.  On the 70^th minute against the run of play the uni got their equalizer.  A free kick wide left was fired into the wanderers box and for the first time in the match the Wanderers failed to clear their lines properly with the ball nicely dropping to the unmarked Uni forward who scored on his second attempt having seen his first shot cleared off the line.

Game on – at this point the uni got a great lift and went all out for the winner.  In the 76^th minute the uni broke from defence quickly and ball ended up in the Milngavie box with the uni forward with only Meeky to beat seen a fantastic save being made to keep the wanderers in it.  In typical never say die fashion the wanderers got a second wind and for the last 10 minutes of the game missed 2 golden opportunities to kill the game off, the first seen Tum uncharacteristically knock the ball a foot too far ahead of him with only the keeper to beat allowing the oncoming keeper to knock the ball to safety.  The second seen an excellent pass by Berto find the back post for McGonagle to rifle a header into the top corner of the net only for the assistant ref to flag for offside.

All square at full time, extra time was pretty much the same as the first 90 minutes with end to end football with Milngavie always looking the likely to edge it.  Simmy a second half substitute missed an excellent opportunity to kill the game off when a great ball by Sweeney went across the penalty box for Simmy to hit first time with only the keeper to beat was put off at the last second by a desperate lunge by the uni defender and the ball skidded away to safety.  Simmy a few moments later did see a spectacular left footed shoot – that was heading for the top right hand corner of the net – put over the bar by a acrobatic save to keep the game level.

With penalities looming the winning goal came with 3 minutes left on the clock.  The Wanderers won a free kick just inside the Uni half after excellent work by Sweeney.  A cross into the box saw Rodgers get up first – rising above the Uni defence – to flick the ball into the bottom corner of the net to seal the victory send the large Milngavie following home happy.   With no time left for the uni to respond the full time whistle went a few mintues later to see the Wanderers crowned champions.

Gartcosh 3 – 4 Milngavie Wanderers FC

 Scorers: McKellar 2, Tum , Franie

 Disappointment!

 The Wanderers turned up at Gartcosh to be told the news that Bearsden Amateurs who were playing Dazleil High School could not field a team and 3 points would be awarded to Dazleil giving them the 1^st division title.  The Wanderers have been in this sort of position before but wonder if Bearsden could have done more earlier to avoid this scenario being played out.  

The Wanderers Management team did their best to motivate the boys especially with the cup final to look forward to on Saturday but it was clear from the kick off that the boys minds were elsewhere.  Proof of this point was the fact that the Wanderers scored two own goal and concede the 3^rd from a deflected cross rather than a shot.  

An excellent chip shot by Frannie in the first half provided the equalizer after Berto shot into his own net to level the score at 1-1 at half time.  The second half kicked off with the Wanderers more focused and goals from McKellar and Tum seen a better performance.

The game finished with both teams playing at 50% and happy to see the game out. The Wanderers wished the management and the team from Gartcosh all the best for next season and maybe a game against them in one of the cups.

Milngavie Wanderers 2-2 Drumchapel FP

Scorers: Crerand & Berto

MOM: Ross Robb

Milngavie Wanderers went into the match knowing any slip  ups and the league title was probably going to end up with Dazleil High School FP.   With Drumchapel needing 3 points to secure promotion then it was always going to be a tough game against the local rivals.  Drumchapel fielding a weaker team than normal with one or two key players missing from were fired up by their manager Pele keen not to allow the Wanderers to take all 3 points for the second time this season.

The game kicked off as expected with the Wanderers battering the Drumchapel goal – hitting the post twice and the bar once in the opening half an hour.  Every time the Wanderers went up the park they looked like scoring but the Drum hung in hitting the ball off the line one more than one occasion to keep the score level at half time.

The second half was pretty much the same with Maxwell and Mckellar pushing hard to find the break through.  Berto scored in the 64^th minute direct from a corner kick to put the Wanderers on top and looking good for all 3 points.  The Wanderers continued to press to find their second goal but credit to Drumchapel who kept things interesting by throwing on a few forwards in search of the equalizer.   In the 78^th minute a long ball caught out O’hara that resulted in the ball being swung into the box with headed into the corner of the Milngavie net leaving Meeky rooted to the spot.

The game opened up with the score 1-1 the Drum now looking like they might sneak a winner but to be fair to the boys playing for the Wanderers – there never say die attitude – that has been with us all season came to the forefront again with Crerand rising unchallenged in the 89^th minute to send a great header into the open goal to send the large Milngavie crowd into jubilation thinking the 3 points were secured.

In the 93^rd minute excellent work by Mikey Rodgers seen the ball break to Maxwell who sent a looping shop goal bound to make it 3 but seen the ball rebound off the bar and the oncoming Crerand failed to capitalise sending his shot against the legs of the static Drumchapel keeper. 

In the 95^th minute with the game all but over – one final piece of good play by the Drumchapel midfield seen the recently added Joe Preston raise into space and connect with the through ball sending it low into the corner of the net to make 2-2 – despite the Wanderers protests for off side – the ref allowed the goal to stand.  The kick off seen the ref blow for full time so there was no hope of the Wanderers scoring again.

Deflated, the Wanderers new that they had missed a golden opportunity and handed the initiative back to Daziel again to win the 1^st division.  One small consolation is the fact Drumchapel who everyone at the Wanderers have great respect for basically secured their promotion in 3^rd place.

Milngavie Wanderers FC 4 – 1 Newton Mearns Rovers AFC

H/T: 2-0

Scorers: Tum, McKellar, Rodgers & Maxwell

MOM: Chris Sweeny

The Wanderers secured promotion by taking all 3 points in the re-arranged fixture against NMR AFC who themselves are going for the 3rd place promotion spot.   With the league officials in attendance both teams and club officials put behind them the previous ill tempered encounters and engaged in a thrilling game of football. 

For the first 20 minutes the game was evenly balanced with equal amounts of possession being had without either team carving out a goal scoring opportunity.  The Wanderers decided to take a chance and play “Berto” struggling with a groin injury and it was his powerful running down the left hand side that eventually turned the game in favour of the Wanderers on the half hour mark.  His wicked front post cross surprised the NMR keeper who fuddled the ball, dropping to Tum who half volleyed the ball into the net to make it 1-0 to the Wanderers. 

The second arrived 5 minutes later –  good work down the right seen the ball fall in the box to Mckellar who tucked the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0.  (What about the wee mans celebrations) A mention has to go to Meeky in goals for the Wanderers who pulled off a fantastic save with only a few minutes of the half left diving at the feet of the MNR oncoming midfield player to put the ball out for a corner when it looked liked NMR where going to claw a goal back.

The second half started with a number of positional changes by NMR as they looked to force themselves back into the game.  The Wanderers strategy from the onset was to stop the ball from reaching the impressive MNR forward line.  Player of the match Chris Sweeney operating initially in midfield and then in defence carried this out with expert precision.  He was everywhere on the park – not allowing the NMR players any time on the ball or time to get their heads up and pick a pass.

Needless to say the 3^rd goal came from a lung bursting run down the left from Sweeny whose expert cross into the box met the oncoming Mickey Rodgers who simply passed the ball into the goal past the helpless NMR keeper.  With the score 3-0 credit to NMR as Nani their player of the year scored to make the score a little more respectable at 3-1. The final goal was the best of the lot with only 2 minutes left – Maxwell doing what he has done so many times this season sent an unstoppable shot into the top right hand corner of the net from 30 yards out to seal the points and the victory for the Wanderers.

The Wanderers with 2 games to go will be hoping that NMR can take points off Dalziel and likewise NMR will be hoping that the Wanderers can take the points off Drumchapel FP.  Good luck for the rest of the season.

What a difference the amateur game of football would be in having both referees and referees assistants (linesmen) at games.  It is something for the Caledonian League to consider for the future for sure – once again the Caledonian League could be at the heart of raising the level of professionalism that was achieved on the onset when the Caledonian League was established by Douglas Smith all these years back.