04 March 2022

Clyde to terminate David Goodwillie loan deal after striker banned from stadium

04 March 2022

Clyde are in the process of terminating David Goodwillie’s loan deal after the striker was banned from their stadium.

North Lanarkshire Council wrote to the cinch League One club telling them they would be immediately evicted if the striker entered Broadwood.

The re-signing of Goodwillie has also resulted in the council telling the club they will not have their lease renewed in 2023.

A brief Clyde statement read: “The club are in the process of terminating the loan agreement with Raith Rovers for David Goodwillie.”

Goodwillie rejoined Clyde on loan earlier this week, four weeks after his move to Raith sparked a major backlash from  sponsors, employees and supporters of the Fife club.

There was further criticism from the likes of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon when it emerged Clyde and Raith had agreed a loan deal for the 32-year-old, who was ruled by a judge at a civil court case in 2017 to have raped a woman.

Goodwillie returned to action on Tuesday in a Glasgow Cup tie against Rangers B at the Scottish champions’ training ground.

But Clyde Ladies Football Club announced on Wednesday that their general manager had resigned and all of their players no longer wished to play for the club, and North Lanarkshire Council took action on Thursday.

The council announced it had written to Clyde to exercise a clause in the lease for the Cumbernauld stadium which entitled it to “refuse entry to the stadium to any individual on the grounds of undesirable behaviour”.

“The council believes in rehabilitation, and has services which provide this,” a statement added. “However, Mr Goodwillie has not expressed any contrition in relation to the rape which the court found he had committed in the civil action against him.”

Former Dundee United, Aberdeen and Blackburn striker Goodwillie scored 109 goals in almost five years with Clyde after joining them following his departure from Plymouth in the wake of the court ruling.

The council pointed out that Broadwood was previously under control of North Lanarkshire Leisure and claimed it was “unable to direct the company in relation to this matter”.

The 32-year-old now looks set to go back into football limbo after Raith stated they would not play him in the face of widespread criticism and would instead enter into negotiations to end his two-and-a-half-year contract.

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