Goodwillie and co taught tough lesson
Ex-Scotland star nets a double but Uni side triumph
Doune Castle ..... 3 Strathclyde Uni..4
Sports reporter Former Scotland international David Goodwillie netted twice on his debut for Castle – but couldn’t stop them slumping to defeat against Strathclyde University.
The ex-Dundee United, Aberdeen and Blackburn Rovers striker quit his last club –Plymouth Argyle – in January, days after he and former team-mate David Robertson were branded rapists by Lord Armstrong at the Court of Session and ordered to pay victim Denise Clair £100,000. He asked Plymouth to terminate his contract so he so that could focus his time on a potential appeal.
A club insider said Goodwillie’s cousin Dylan McGowan, who plays for Doune, asked if he could come to training and on Saturday he made his first appearance for the club.
However, it was Strathclyde University who took the points with a clinical display of counter-attacking football.
After 12 minutes, Strathclyde edged into a 1-0 lead.
The ball took a wicked bounce off the artificial surface and the students broke into the box to edge ahead with a calm side-footed finish to make it 1-0. Six minutes later Doune equalised when Goodwillie curled a defence-splitting pass to McGowan and he played a return pass to Goodwillie who spun to rifle an angled shot into the far corner.
Strathclyde instantly quashed early Castle hopes with a simple side-footed finish making it 2-1 to the away side.
Doune grabbed a second equaliser in 32 minutes when Chris Ogilvie’s corner was headed home by Goodwillie.
But back came the students and they went 3-2 up before the interval, then added a fourth just after break when a Strathclyde forward gathered the ball from a throw-in 35 yards out on the touchline and hammered an unstoppable dipping half volley that flashed over Castle keeper Steven Fotheringham. Doune continued to press and they brought the scoreline back to 4-3 after 88 minutes.
Ogilvie’s ball was touched on by James Graham and Kenny Feaks followed up to smash the ball high into the net from four yards.
The clock was then the Castle enemy and despite another late flurry, Doune were just unable to snatch the draw.