Berwick Rangers 0
Clydebank 2
League (Division 2)

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Berwick Rangers 

0 - 2

Clydebank

League (Division 2)
Saturday, April 18th, 1970
Shielfield Park. Att. 503
3:00 PM Kick-off

Goalscorers
None. Bobby Doyle  (30)
Bobby Doyle  (85)

Team Managers
Harry Melrose Jack Steedman

Starting Eleven
1 McDonald
2 Buchanan
3 Haig
4 Brown
5 McCabe
6 Keith
7 Hamilton
8 Melrose
9 Richardson
10 Stoddart
11 Dowds 		Mike McDonald 1
Davie Mitchell 2
Danny Gray 3
Dennis Ruddy 4
Jim Fallon 5
Dougie Hay 6
Bobby Doyle 7
Bobby Love 8
Alan Munro 9
Donnie Wilson 10
Jimmy Caskie 11

Bench
12 Gilmour Paul McMillan 12

Substitutions
None. None.

Cautions
None. None.

Red Cards
None. None.

Match Officials

JW Paterson (Referee)
JV Cambridge & DA Grant (Assistants)




Match Report

Berwick Advertiser

The end of the season for the Shielfield faithful arrived on Saturday and a sorry show it was for the team whose home record has been one of the finest in the Second Division. Lacking punch and sparkle, Berwick Rangers fell to an eager young Clydebank outfit which, on a normal afternoon would have presented few problems.

It all looked a little unreal with the home fans completely drowned out by a band of 80 Bankies' fans who really showed how a team should be supported.

And on the field the teenagers from Clydebank showed far more determination when it counted and snapped up their chances with ease.

Many good judges reckon Clydebank will create a real stir next season and, on the evidence of their fast moving attack it's a possibility. But for half an hour in the second half their defence hung on by a mixture of dogged tackling, a slice of luck and the generosity of the Rangers who could not make anything of the openings they created.

Nearest they came to scoring was when Bankies centre half Jim Fallon almost did the trick for them with a dipper' which McDonald frantically clawed over the top. And Jock Richardson had one cracking shot which swerved inches wide.

Dowds missed a beauty in the first half. Stoddart had one glorious run and cut back which ought to have brought a goal but did not and then Stoddart nodded another down for Richardson to blast over. Gordon Haig, up with the attack in the closing stages also found time to balloon one over from close in.

Rangers were never completely at ease in defence where an out-of-form McCabe was struggling to keep a hold on the clever Munro and where John Keith could never get any sort of midfield grip.

It meant that Harry Melrose, once again one of the best players on view had to go back and do the sweeping up a job he did well.

With Buchanan taking some time to settle, it was just as well that Brown and Haig were in form especially in the first half. and Dunbar 'keeper McDonald gave an excellent display considering his lack of match practice in recent weeks. Up front, there was the class of Stoddart to admire but his prompting brought little response. Dowds and Hamilton could make little of two good backs, and Richardson was subdued.

Bankies had a good keeper in McDonald and splendid defenders in Gray, Fallon and Ruddy. They had plenty to do in the second half and managed to keep sufficiently calm to scramble the ball away on countless occasions as Berwick attacked in a vain bid for an equaliser.

Up front, Munro was the best forward with Doyle proving a more than-useful opportunist.

It was Munro who provided the early goalmouth incidents, first with a shot which McDonald stopped then dived backwards to retrieve before it crossed the line, and then with tremendous drive which thumped a post.

With Berwick almost lethargic, apart from Stoddart up front and with Melrose having to do the work of two men in midfield Rangers did not really look like getting back on terms, though McDonald had to make one good save from Dowds, and another, low down from Richardson.

The opening goal was no more than Bankies deserved. A fast Munro shot was stopped by McDonald but before anyone could clear, Doyle stepped in and shot hard into the net.

Their second, three minutes from time was almost a replica. This time McCabe was at fault for he had ample time to pass back, lost possession instead and as the ball was swept in from the right McDonald did well to push it out. Again Doyle was lying handy to score.

Earlier McDonald had saved superbly from Love but Berwick dominated the play for a long time, serving up some attractive stuff in midfield without finding the punch to round it off. But they did seem to have a good goal waved aside in the last minute when Gray made an acrobatic goal-line clearance. It looked as though the ball had actually crossed the line.

Sunday Post

For most of the second half Clydebank were pinned back in defence, and Berwick could not pierce the barrier in their bid for an equaliser. In a breakaway five minutes from time, Berwick goalkeeper McDonald did well to parry a shot with his defence split open. Doyle was on the spot to ram home the decisive goal.

It was a replica of the goal he had scored on the half-hour mark. At that stage the Bankies were very much on top with their slick, thrusting attacks causing no end of trouble.

Newcastle Journal

Berwick Rangers failed to score a goal in a full half-hour of complete second half superiority over Clydebank in the last game of the season at Shielfield on Saturday.

A goal behind at half time, the nearest to an equaliser was when a defender, under pressure, hit a great shot which the Bankies 'keeper, McDonald, brilliantly touched over. He was beaten by a Richardson shot but the ball slid past a post.

Then, with only five minutes remaining and Rangers still in with a chance, defensive slackness let in the visitors. Doyle was on the spot to shoot home a palmed out save by Rangers McDonald

His first half goal followed the same pattern. In that period, however, there was no disputing that Clydebank were the better team. At that stage the Bankies were very much on top with their slick, thrusting attacks causing no end of trouble. and they should have turned round with more than a one goal advantage.

Harry Melrose strove hard to get Rangers back into the game and succeeded to an extent but he had no firing power up front. Richardson was blunted, and the wingers were pushed right out of the picture.



Squad Statistics (as at April 18th, 1970)

1969-70 All Time
League Cups All
Mike McDonald (GK) 22 - 5 - 28 -
Davie Mitchell 31 - 10 - 1504
Dennis Ruddy 34 - 6 - 80 -
Danny Gray 28 - 10 - 47 -
Jim Fallon 29 - 102744
Dougie Hay 29110 - 892
Bobby Love 31 - 91652
Jimmy Caskie 34121048729
Donnie Wilson 710 - 71
Bobby Doyle 430 - 43
Alan Munro 32121057432







Recent Results

League results since Clydebank's last match
7th April 1970
Albion Rovers2-0East Stirlingshire
Falkirk1-0Alloa Athletic
10th April 1970
Stirling Albion6-0Albion Rovers
11th April 1970
Alloa Athletic1-1Stranraer
Brechin City2-2Falkirk
Montrose2-1East Stirlingshire
13th April 1970
Dumbarton2-1Berwick Rangers
14th April 1970
Albion Rovers3-2Brechin City
Forfar Ath0-3Falkirk
15th April 1970
East Fife0-2Queen of South
18th April 1970
Albion Rovers2-2Arbroath
Berwick Rangers0-2Clydebank
Brechin City3-0Hamilton Accies
Dumbarton0-2Montrose
East Fife4-2Stenhousemuir
Falkirk2-0Cowdenbeath
Forfar Ath2-3Stranraer
Queen of South3-0Queen's Park
Stirling Albion1-2East Stirlingshire

League Table (as at April 18th, 1970)

Pld W D L +/- Pts
1. Falkirk 34 25 4 5 +60 54
2. Cowdenbeath 35 23 7 5 +45 53
3. Queen of South 34 21 6 7 +24 48
4. Stirling Albion 35 17 10 8 +28 44
5. Arbroath 35 19 4 12 +33 42
6. Alloa Athletic 34 18 4 12 +20 40
7. Dumbarton 34 17 6 11 +12 40
8. Berwick Rangers 34 15 5 14 +18 35
9. East Fife 36 15 4 17 -4 34
10. Montrose 34 14 6 14 -4 34
11. Albion Rovers 35 13 5 17 -13 31
12. Clydebank 34 10 10 14 -15 30
13. East Stirlingshire 34 12 5 17 -20 29
14. Brechin City 34 10 6 18 -28 26
15. Stenhousemuir 36 10 6 20 -42 26
16. Queen's Park 35 10 5 20 -24 25
17. Stranraer 35 9 6 20 -19 24
18. Forfar Ath 35 11 1 23 -27 23
19. Hamilton Accies 35 8 4 23 -44 20