Clydebank 6
Kirk Rob Roy 2
League (Super Division One)

Match Report

The two promoted sides came head to head at the Hibbee with both sides still unbeaten in the league since the start of the season. Bankies replaced Hoey, Carr and Sichi with Kenna, Hailstones and Jack in changes after last week’s West of Scotland Cup victory over Stonehouse. There was the added spice of ex Bankies Bell, Maxwell and Mitchell turning out for the visitors. So over 700 fans crammed into the ground to see fourth take on first in the Super First’s match of the day.

Bankies put themselves under pressure in the first minute when Gonet made an easy save but a poor throw out saw the ball quickly return to his area but John Cunningham was there to make a saving block.

The visitors continued to have the better of the early play and a corner on 5 minutes had Jack clearing off the line at the post.

Soon Bankies were on the defensive again when a Rab’s shot was deflected over the bar and from the corner their full back had a free header but he powered it well over when he should have done better.

The clock ticked into double figures before Clydebank were seen as an attacking force. A corner on the right broke to Jack and his cross was cleared for another corner. The second delivery was wildly hooked out for a third corner and a great ball in beat Bell but Paul Craig headed over.

Clydebank had done enough to ease themselves into the game and were slowly taking control of the match. Mark Hailstones seemed to be grappled to the ground on the edge of the box in 17 minutes but the referee chose to book him for simulation much to the amazement of the wee striker and the home support. Bankies then tested ‘keeper Kevin Bell twice in the space of 3 minutes when a Jack free kick was held and then from a Lappin long throw Cunningham got a header on target but again the Rab’s stopper was equal to it.

Rob Roy were keen to show that they hadn’t forgotten the route to the Clydebank goal but a 25 yard free kick was easily held by Stefan Gonet in what was becoming more infrequent attacks by the visitors. Bankies then worked a quickly taken free kick in the middle of the park releasing Paul Allum down the right and his cross met the distinctive head of Andy Kenna and Bell did fantastically well to tip the ball round the post for a corner. It was another great delivery and James Lennox was there to head Bankies into the lead against the side from Kirkintilloch for the first time in their new junior history.

Both teams traded a few chances as Cunningham cleared a Rab’s free kick and Hailstones shot over with a snap shot from outside the area on the left. A poor goal kick by Gonet had him diving at the feet of a Kirkintilloch forward but he redeemed himself by gathering well. Then Cunningham was on hand again to foil a Rab’s attack by guiding a header back to Gonet.

In return Craig found Jack on the left and his cross come shot was tipped over by Bell.

The game seemed to be ambling towards half time but Rob Roy pushed for the equaliser 2 minutes into first half injury time and Paul Allum made a terrific block in the goal area and as Stewart Maxwell followed through he seemed to stamp on the grounded Allum and the referee produced a straight red card. This left Bankies going in at the interval with a one goal and one man advantage.

Clydebank had a chance to go two up early on in the second half when Lappin was in on goal but their full back saved the day with a superb tackle in the box. Kevin Bell was then guilty of a poor goal kick which was gathered by Craig who released Jack down the right and his shot whizzed across goal and just past the post. However, it wasn’t long before Jack would have another opportunity to double the Bankie’s lead and it came in the 53rd minute when Hailstones, who’d been a thorn in the side of the Rab’s defence all afternoon, was tripped in the box. It wasn’t of the stonewall variety but the referee was in no doubt and Bell was booked for his protestations. There was a bit of gamesmanship as Jack was made to wait but in the end Bell went one way and the ball went the other and deservedly Bankies were two goals up.

The Bankies support had barely stopped celebrating when two minutes later the home side were presented with another chance. McInness lobbed the ball forward and Mitchell was woefully short with a header back to his keeper, that man Hailstones was there again and got to the ball before Bell, he touched it past the ‘keeper then had to jump over Bell’s wild lunge, there didn’t seem to be any contact but the referee correctly judged that the forward was impeded in his attempt to get to the ball and awarded Clydebank their second penalty in as many minutes.

At this point Rob Roy completely lost their discipline. Bell received 2 red cards for an assault on Hailstones, not content with trying to strangle the wee man James Prunty then received his marching orders for kicking the ball at him. They hadn’t coped with Hailstones all game and their frustrations were now boiling over. Unfortunately, Hailstones also got a red card on the word of the linesman who had spotted another incident in the mayhem. The Rab’s were forced to put an outfield player in goals and a full 4 minutes passed from the original incident before Jack was able to take the spot kick but the coolest man in the stadium dispatched his shot into the same corner as his previous penalty. That crazy 5 minute spell left Clydebank three goals up and 10 against 8 on the pitch.

Apparently teams are most vulnerable just after they’ve scored and the Rab’s immediately delivered a free kick from the right and Brian Vaugh rose in the box to head towards goal, Gonet battled with the ball to stop it going over the line but it squirmed under his body and into the net.

Bankies sought to take advantage of the space now available on the pitch and Craig skinned Mitchell on the left and flighted a shot over the ‘keeper and just wide of the far post. Incredibly though the next goal came for the 8 men, lapse defending on the left allowed a cross to come in and Chris Zok swept the ball into the net. The visitor’s heads were up as there was still at least 25 minutes to play in what was now a bizarre and entertaining game.

To their credit Bankies got the ball working and started passing superbly against their numerically challenged opponents. Jack controlled a high ball with impossible ease on the right then side stepped a defender before running on and laying the ball into the path of James Lennox who coolly rounded the ‘keeper and slotted home to give Bankies a two goal lead once more.

Kirkintilloch’s mini recovery had sparked the Bankies into to life and the stand in ‘keeper had two great saves from Craig and then Jack but Clydebank were determined to put this game out of sight. The referee waved play on when substitute Soutar was on the wrong end of a late tackle and Bankies quickly moved the ball from left to right via Lappin and Jack to Allum who sped down the wing and crossed low for Andy Kenna to dink the ball over the ‘keeper and into the net for number 5.

It was now damage limitation for the visitors and they were using the off side trap to their advantage as the Bankies entertained the home support with a Barcelona style passing show. With 12 minutes to go their off side game was foiled by a long pass out of defence by Allum that allowed Kenna to run in on goal. Again the ‘keeper did well to get a hand on the ball and deflect it onto the post but the midfield dynamo doesn’t give up that easy and Kenna powered on to get to the rebound first and get his second and Clydebank’s sixth of the day.

Not surprisingly the remaining Rab’s players were now dead on their feet and there was another save from Craig and a great chest and volley just wide from McInness before the referee brought an incredible afternoon’s football to an end and fittingly the game finished with the ball at the feet of man of the match James Lennox.
This was a fine performance from the Bankies against one of the division’s strongest outfits. Obviously Rob Roy let themselves down with their indiscipline but the Bankies showed enough against 11 men in the first half to indicate that the result if not the score line may well have been the same even if the team numbers had remained level. Next week it’s Scottish Cup duty at Glenhead as the Bankies entertain Forfar West End and with 36 goals scored in their last five games the people of Clydebank know where to go for thrills on a Saturday afternoon.