Clydebank 4
Brechin City 2
League (Division 2)

Match Report

Bankies win at last! Confidence, teamwork, and a lot more skill won this game for Bankies on Saturday. By no means an easy team to beat, Brechin showed that they were a hard team to hold down. After being one goal down at half time, they were right back in the game after only two minutes of the second half had been played, when they scored from a penalty.

This win puts Bankies in a new and more exciting light and shows us they can play well. Let us all hope they can repeat Saturday’s formula more often and pull themselves up from the bottom of the league table.

Bankies fans certainly left Kilbowie Park feeling slightly more pleased than they have had cause to be in recent weeks and for the first time this season I have heard the chant "Bankies! Bankies!" coming from the terracing and enclosure.

If Clydebank can win their next game away at Cowdenbeath they will have crossed another hurdle, as it always more difficult to beat a team at their own ground.

There were one or two flaws in the Bankies set up but these I think will be ironed out. The tendency for some of the forwards to take on too many opponents was prevalent. Some of the passing was not up to standard either.

With Joe Rankin back in the side at centre, the forward line took on a more menacing look and they soon had the Brechin defence reeling.

After fifteen minutes play, however, Bankies were a goal down when Sandy McLachlan failed to hold a Thompson shot and Irvine netted the rebound.

This lead was short-lived because Bankies equalised nine minutes later through Tony Moy. Tony coolly cut the ball out of a melee of players on the Brechin six-yard box and slammed the ball into the net. Frank Russell got the second for Bankies in the 30th minute with a strong shot from 18 yards.

The Brechin equaliser came two minutes after the restart when a penalty was awarded against Bankies left back John Wark who handled the ball in the penalty area. Centre half Tocher of Brechin netted from the spot.

In 76 minutes, Tony Moy put the homesters ahead once more, this time scoring from the penalty spot after Joe Rankin had been brought down in the Brechin penalty area.

Frank Russell settled the matter in the 87th minute with a magnificent flying header from a Moy cross.

The excitement was not over although no more goals followed, with just two minutes to go referee Watson had to leave the field after sustaining an ankle injury when he slipped on the moist ground surface. One of the linesmen stood in for the remaining part of the game.

One annoying feature was the number of times Bankies were caught offside and on at least two occasions they had the ball in the back of the net. They might have had at least one of these goals awarded but the ref was adamant in his decision.

Nevertheless, one can't grumble as it did not alter the result much in any way.

One final word! recognition must go to Ernie Collumbine for his fine play. He was a real trier and never gave up. Powerhouse Ernie is what he should now be known as; for there is no other way of describing his determination and strength in the defensive and attacking role he plays.

Match report written by Brian Cook (Clydebank Press)