David Goodwillie leaves Radcliffe after debut hat-trick as club admit 'significant misstep' in signing striker

David Goodwillie has left Radcliffe FC less than 24 hours after making his debut, with the club admitting it made a "significant misstep" in signing the striker.

David Goodwillie, pictured in action for Clyde, has been released by Radcliffe after just one appearance. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Goodwillie, who was ruled by a judge in 2017 to have raped a women, had joined the English seventh tier club on a short-term deal. The signing was never announced with Goodwillie appearing on the teamsheet for a match against Belper Town on Tuesday evening and scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win. However, following a backlash from fans, the club has now released the 33-year-old and confirmed he won’t play for them again.

A statement read: "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 was 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.

"From the board down to the management team, who we backed, and have always backed on playing decisions - it's clear that as a whole we got this wrong. The focus was misplaced and as a growing community club we realise that our impacts are also more widely felt too.

"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."

Goodwillie was playing for Clyde and was club captain when a transfer to Raith Rovers in January 2022 sparked a major outcry which led to the player departing the club eight months later without playing a match.

His arrival at Stark’s Park prompted a raft of resignations among board members and club volunteers and led to main sponsor Val McDermid withdrawing her support, while the women’s side also severed ties with the club. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also urged Raith to reconsider their position.

He was loaned back to Clyde but did not play for them after facing a similar backlash from fans, with the club’s stadium owners, North Lanarkshire Council, banning him from the ground, despite him having featured for the Cumbernauld side for the previous five years.

Goodwillie has been capped three times for Scotland and his former clubs include Dundee United, Aberdeen and Blackburn Rovers.