Five years after signing up to play walking football, Lisa Anderson has lifted the SWF Championship North trophy as part of the invincible Montrose Women’s team.
The Gable Endies clinched the league title, gaining promotion to Scotland’s second-tier, at the beginning of April.
A 5-1 win over Dryburgh Athletic on Sunday saw the Craig Feroz’s team complete the season unbeaten, 15 points ahead of nearest rivals East Fife.
Mo cap off invincible season in style
Striker Aimee Ridgeway bagged four of the goals with Eilidh Reid grabbing the other before lifting the trophy at Links Park.
The title win was extra special for defender Anderson, who has been with the side since its formation in 2017.
A wonderful sporting gesture by @Dryburghgirls to give league winners @MontroseFCW a guard of honour in today’s last game of @SWFChampionship North 🙌🙌😍🙏 pic.twitter.com/kXneq22bCa
— Aileen Campbell (@ClydesdAileen) April 24, 2022
The side won 20 of their 21 games, with just a late draw at Inverness being the only blot on an otherwise perfect season.
“We were going for the 100% record,” Anderson told Courier Sport. “We didn’t quite get that but the next step was to get through the season invincible and we’ve done it.
“It’s credit to the girls, we could have just won the league and dropped it a bit but we all wanted to push on and say that we are unbeaten.
“We got beat in the cup in November – that was hard for us to take.
“We needed to make sure it was our turn to lift the trophy and it was such a great feeling.
“The buzz around the stadium was brilliant with all the supporters coming to watch us.
“From where we started to where we are now is unbelievable. Going under the same umbrella as the men’s team helps to promote our football.
“Around the town we’re getting a lot more people interested in the results and coming down to the games.
“With us and the men doing well it’s brilliant for the town. It’s bringing people together to support both teams.”
Where it began
Anderson’s journey with the team started right at the beginning after initially trying out walking football with the club’s community trust.
Keen to build up some fitness and kick a ball about again, Anderson saw an advertisement and jumped at the chance.
There she met some familiar faces and after a few months, she was recruited up to the newly-formed women’s team by teammate and then-manager Eilidh Reid.
WALKING FOOTBALL
⚽️👩🏻🧔🏻👴🏼👵🏼⚽️Reignite your 💙 of the game!
WOMEN: Mon: 7pm-8pm
MEN: Wed: 6pm-7pm & 7pm-8pmLinks Park Stadium @Official_MFC
Suitable for ALL ages, abilities & aspirations!
WATCH ⬇️ @sfa_east 👌https://t.co/tVMSse7RbLhttps://t.co/W0Gr7GXFLC pic.twitter.com/VchQtJlqxZ
— Montrose Community Trust (@MontroseTrust) March 8, 2018
“I used to play with Forfar when I was younger at about 16, then I went off to college,” she explained. “I’d a lot of time out of football, having three kids and other things.
“So I went along and knew some of the women who were going so I thought I’d give walking football a try,” she said.
“I gave it a go for about six months and that’s when I met Eilidh. It was brought about then that they were looking to start a women’s football team.
“After having my kids, I thought that was it for me. I was delighted when they came asking if I’d be interested in signing for the ladies team.”
The future?
Since then, Anderson and Montrose have not looked back and will now aim for back-to-back titles with the side going from strength to strength.
But at 33, Anderson admits the next season could be her final one before hanging up her boots. Then she will help bring through a new generation of young players as a coach of the U/16 girls at Montrose.
“I would like to have one more season,” she said.
PLAYER SPONSORSHIP
Lisa Anderson – Gable Ender Rangers Supporters ClubGable Ender Rangers Supporters Club were formed in 1993 and currently have 125 members. They run a bus to every home game and make donations to local charities annually. pic.twitter.com/Eb6YiqiRmo
— Montrose Football Club Women (@MontroseFCW) September 7, 2021
“Now we have been promoted, if I don’t give it a crack, I would probably regret it.
“When I do decide to hang my boots up, I’ll still have my coaching to fall back on. Hopefully some of the girls can, in time, maybe play for the ladies’ team.”
Anderson hopes Sunday’s trophy celebrations will inspire some of her young players who were in the stands watching on.
“The U/16s, if they can make it, are there every week. A lot of the time the U/10 and U/12s are there as well as mascots.
“It’s good to see the girls watching us. They can see what they can become if they stick in.
“There’s no reason, if they work hard, why they can’t make it into the team.”
