Largs Thistle 1
Clydebank 0
Scottish Junior Cup (Semi Final 1st Leg)

Match Report

Clydebank have it all to do next week as they went down by a goal to nil in the 1st leg of their Scottish Cup semi-final tie against Largs Thistle at Barrfields this afternoon.

Ross McMillan headed the only goal of the game prior to half time to give the home side a vital advantage going into the return match at Holm Park. In many ways the game mirrored Largs previous round victory over Irvine Meadow when they allowed the opposition to attack, and then used their threat at set pieces to great effect.

Apart from a missed header in the opening minute by Dow, the Bankies had the better of the opening half hour. After 19 minutes, Dallas did well to steal the ball on the touchline from a Thistle defender. He turned and crossed the ball into the box to Dymock, but he couldn't connect properly with the ball and it was cleared. A minute later and Dallas was presented with the Bankies best chance of the half. Mackie nodded the ball to the angle of the six yard box where Dallas was able to hold off his marker, but he turned his shot over the bar. His reaction suggested he should have done better.

On the Half hour Dallas was in the thick of the action again. A harmless looking John Harvey through ball seemed to flummox Greenwood in the Largs goal and he stabbed the ball away with his foot. Dallas pounced to shoot but the Largs defence done terrifically well to block his goalbound effort.

The remaining 15 minutes of the half saw Largs in the ascendancy as they pushed the Bankies back for the first real time. Thistle peppered the Bankies box with corner kicks and long throws, and anything that was 30 yards from goal or closer was game for Lappin to launch into the box. The Bankies succumbed to this when McMillan nodded home, although the counter was to come from a corner kick and not a throw in. Largs could have added a second right on half time when a shot from another corner was cleared off the line.

Clydebank made all the running in the second period as Largs seemed content to keep what they had. Apart from throw-ins, Thistle's only real threat came from a cross ball that Gonet mis-judged and nearly punched the ball into his own net.

Right from the first whistle the Bankies looked for the equaliser. Within a minute, Mackie headed over from a Harvey cross under pressure. Moments later Dymock tried a volley but it sailed over the bar. After 54 minute the Bankies supporters thought the goal had come as Allum sent in a near post cross. A Largs defender touched the ball past the out-coming goalkeeper, but the ball sneaked past the upright.

On the hour, Allum had possibly the best chance of the match when Gary Lynn found him in the box but his attempted flick over the keeper went wrong and ended up missing by quite a long way.

It was getting to a stage when it was becoming important for the Bankies not to go further behind, and this was underlined when McMillan went inches wide with a header that inevitably came from another set play.

Despite being a little more cautious the Bankies continued to search for the elusive equaliser. A delicate chip over the defence was read perfectly by Mackie and as he sprinted beyond the Thistle defence he unleashed a fierce drive from the edge of the box, but Greenwood saved superbly on his left hand side. Moments later and Hailstones managed to get himself clear of the Largs defence but his shot was poor.

As time began to ebb away, and legs began to tire, the chances dried up too. Largs had the last effective chance when a short corner saw a Thistle midfielder dribble past two defenders in the box, but his cross was hit too hard and Dow couldn't direct the ball on target at the back post.

Overall, Largs will feel they have down an effective job by taking a lead to Holm Park whereas the Bankies will feel that their second half performance and chances created should have been rewarded with at least a draw. It is all to play for and nothing is decided yet and this tie could still go either way.

Match report written by Stuart McBay