Dumbarton 5
Clydebank 1
League (Division 2)

Match Report

There were long faces in the Clydebank camp after Saturday's 5-1 drubbing by county rivals, Dumbarton. This defeat, the biggest thrashing handed out so far in matches between the clubs, was all the more damaging to the Bankies' pride because it was engineered by two ex-Yoker Athletic players.

The Dumbarton sweeper, Hardgate boy Lenny Campbell, was the master of the Boghead defence, keeping the "experimental" Bankies attack at bay for almost the entire 90 minutes. Up front Roy McCormack was the man who kept the Dumbarton attack flowing smoothly ... so smoothly at times that the visiting defence might as well have been standing on the terracing.

After the match, Donnie Wilson, of the Vale of Leven Juniors, signed up to join Clydebank. A skilful ball player as well as an intelligent runner off the ball, Donnie, along with Gerry O'Brien were the only successes in the Bankies attack.

Clydebank were only really in this game for two minutes. The bright spot in an otherwise miserable afternoon for the visitors came when a curving left foot shot from Drew Nelson brought Clydebank their only goal, three minutes from the interval, to equalise an early Jenkins effort. Dumbarton went back in front two minutes later when Graham stroked home a penalty kick.

Other than Nelson's effort, the afternoon belonged to Dumbarton who scored five goals and looked as if they could have added to their total almost at will.

Kenny Jenkins got three of the Sons' goals, in 10, 46 and 67 minutes, the best of the bunch being his second which was laid on by the lumbering McCormack.

Graham's penalty goal was an important one because it knocked the heart out of Clydebank shortly after their equaliser and the other score came from a Ferguson drive after 49 minutes.

The Clydebank defence had another unhappy afternoon, and the gaps will still be there until the youngsters learn to part with the ball at the right time instead of indulging in the selfish and dangerous tactic of holding the ball until the opponent is almost on top of them.

The 2,000 fans saw a bemused and bewildered Clydebank rally midway through the second half, but the guile of little Gerry O'Brien was too much for his colleagues in attack who were never able to anticipate his moves. Love eventually replaced O'Brien after 61 minutes.

Referee Webster, a controversial figure in the Stirling Albion-Alloa match last week, handled the game well and had only occasion to warn a player once, when the husky Dumbarton right-half Eddie Ferguson, went rather hard into a tackle.

Drew Nelson directed, prompted and generally organised the youngsters from Kilbowie in fine style and in the red-headed ex-Dumbarton man could lie Clydebank's hopes of finding a new general in the mould of Ernie Collumbine, who now, by the way, is with Dunipace Juniors where among other roles, he has played as an attacking right winger!

Match report written by Tom Malcolm (Clydebank Press)