The team that brought Wishaw to a standstill celebrate 60 years
“There’s only one team in Wishaw!”
That was the cry as hundreds of Wishaw High School Former Pupils players and fans marched the Scottish Amateur Cup up Main Street in 2011.
The club had dramatically won the biggest amateur trophy in the land just hours earlier on penalties after a thrilling 1-1 draw - in front of more than a thousand fans.
And now as the club’s committee prepare to celebrate their 60th anniversary later this year, they have fondly looked back on the day they brought their town to a standstill.
Long- time committee member Gus Boyle remembers it like it was yesterday.
“There was about a thousand fans from Wishaw that went through to Livingston that day,” he explained.
“We were t aking on Drumchapel United and it was 1-1 in regulation time.
“Our goalkeeper Paul O’hara saved a penalty in normal time and then when it went to penalties he saved three more.
“Safe to say he had a few drinks bought for him that night!
“The celebrations lasted for about a year to be fair.
“There was about 600 teams entered so it was some achievement for the town to win it.
“When we got back to Wishaw we stopped the traffic and marched the trophy up Main Street to the Waverley Bar.
“I don’t think the town had seen anything like it before and we were all singing ‘There’s only one team in Wishaw!’”
The 2011 cup win remains the brightest point in the club’s history.
One member who has been there and seen it all since the start is Rusty Clark. The much-loved Overtown man was one of the founding members back in 1959.
And he has seen some famous faces come through the ranks, as well as encountering some strange difficulties on the pitch.
He said: “When we started up we had our own park at Dimsdale. There was a path running over it and the referee used to stop the game to let women with prams through every now and again!
“We then went to King George the V’s by the hospital for awhile. At least we only had to stop occasionally there for the helicopters.
“We’ve had some impressive players in the past too. Tommy Gemmill from Craigneuk was a fantastic player. I used to go to Sunday School with him.
“Joe Wark was another who played for Motherwell. Ian Clinging was another who played a lot for them.”
The club now play their games at Wishaw Sports Centre. As well as a standard team, they also have an over 35’s side which allows players to keep active for as long as possible.
Current manager Harry Hadden has held the reins for the last three years, helping the club win the CSAFL First Division in 2017/18 before establishing them in the Premier League last season.
He said: “Our aspiration is to establish the club as a top four Premier League side and get the club competing again in the latter rounds of the major cups.
“We will also continue to bring the best young local talent in the area through the club to mix with the experience we have in. That is massive for the ongoing future development and sustainability of the club going forward.”
The club hold social events throughout the year, with a special 60th anniversary dinner on October 26 at the Alona Hotel in Motherwell.
They are keen to invite anyone with a connection to the club to come along and toast the anniversary in style. Anyone looking for tickets should contact the club via their Facebook page.