Disgraced Stirling footballer David Goodwillie has been binned by English outfit Radcliffe FC after the club admitted to a “significant misstep” in signing the former Scotland striker.
Goodwillie had been left without a club following his controversial transfer from Clyde to Raith Rovers last year.
The 33-year-old was deemed a rapist by a civil court in 2017.
Goodwillie then went on to star for amateur side Doune Castle before agreeing a move to Clyde in 2017. The former Blackburn Rovers forward had a five year stay at Broadwood before Championship side Raith Rovers paid a transfer fee to take him to Starks Park last January.
Rovers fans protested the signing and Goodwillie was then loaned back to Clyde. However, that move was short-lived when the player and clubs faced a backlash.
His deal at Raith Rovers was terminated in September of last year.
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Goodwillie scored a hat trick on his Radcliffe debut on Tuesday in a 4-2 win over Belper Town, with Sky Sports reporting he had signed a short-term deal.
However, after the move was met with further backlash, the Greater Manchester outfit released a statement the following morning confirming it had ended the deal with Goodwillie.
In a statement, Radcliffe said: “As a club we have always been about second chances and have been a part of many players and staff members’ rehabilitation along that journey, we’ve always given people a chance to improve their life and found support in this endeavour.
“When the club were presented with David Goodwillie that same logic was applied, but in this case it’s clear that was a significant misstep and our due diligence should have been of a much higher standard. We can vouch for all the people at the club involved in this signing did so out of the desire to do a good thing for an individual with an admittedly tainted past as we have done so successfully before but this was a bridge too far. This move came about very quickly, with clearance only granted extremely late leaving us in a position where our media volunteers were unable to release details prior to team sheets being produced – while regrettable, this was also unavoidable.”
The club added that “it’s clear that as a whole we got this wrong”.
The statement added: “We have always strived to be a source of pride to our town with good and honest intentions, and we think we have made a significant positive impact for our town over the last six years both on and off the field and we sincerely apologize to everyone connected with the club and the community – this is a mistake that will never happen again.”
The striker left Raith Rovers without playing a game for the Fifers due to the outrage the signing brought. Famous supporters, including author Val McDermid, voiced their concerns over the move and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also weighed in on the debate.
