Football manager injured after shooting in Cambuslang

The manager of a junior football team who was shot in an ambush outside his home is being treated for his injuries in hospital.

Police at the scene. Picture: John Devlin

Paul McColl, 48, was blasted by a gunman moments after he left his car in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire.

McColl, whose mother Clare is a former SNP councillor, staggered to a nearby pub desperately seeking help.

Stunned pub regulars gave McColl first aid before armed police and emergency services raced to the scene in Cambuslang’s Cadoc Street around 8.50pm on Wednesday night.

Detectives sealed off the area as they started a major investigation into the shooting.

McColl is a well-known figure in the Cambuslang area and is the manager of junior football team Cambuslang Rangers.

He is in a ‘stable’ condition at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

His mother represented Cambuslang West but lost her position in the local elections in May last year.

She was a veteran councillor who stood alongside SNP MPs and MSPs to battle for issues in the Cambuslang area.

Last year she campaigned against bank closures in the town along with Clare Haughey MSP and ex-MP Margaret Ferrier

Police maintained a heavy presence behind the cordon at the scene and carried out door-to-door enquiries.

The pub remained closed and sealed off.

Shocked locals told how emergency services descended on the scene shortly after the shooting.

Robert Taylor, 56, said: “It was total chaos. I was out walking and heard a lot of sirens nearby.

“I turned the corner and there was blue lights everywhere and they were all heading down towards the pub.

“I walked a bit closer to where it was happening but didn’t want to get too close.

“Other people were looking out their windows and standing at doors watching what was happening.

“I didn’t have a clue what was going on but knew it must be serious because of the police and ambulance.

“Armed police turned up as well so they weren’t taking any chances.”

One eyewitness said pub goers had helped McColl after he appeared in the pub.

He said: “There were a few regulars in the bar, watching the football when all of a sudden the chap staggers through the door, clutching his stomach, shouting ‘I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot’

“It transpires he’d driven up and somebody had shot him in the stomach and his face.

“The police were phoned. The ambulance seemed to take forever to arrive. It turns out the ambulance was parked around the corner for about 15 minutes because they had to wait for a police armed response unit to arrive.

“When they did arrive, there was about six or seven of them, with huge guns, masks and balaclavas.”

A statement from Cambuslang Rangers said: “The club is saddened to hear the serious injuries sustained by our manager Paul following an incident in Cambuslang.

“Our thoughts are with Paul and his family at this difficult time.”

Mr McColl was previously the assistant manager at Wishaw Juniors before moving.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Emergency services attended and the victim was taken to hospital for treatment where his condition is described as stable.

“Police officers are still on the scene dealing with the ongoing incident to try and establish the full circumstances surrounding it.”