Vale of Leven 2
Clydebank 6
Sectional League Cup (Group 9)

Match Report

Clydebank opened their competitive season with what looks like a resounding victory over their county rivals Vale of Leven in the Sectional League Cup at Millburn Park. However, the performance was much less emphatic and although the Bankies were comfortable in the end, the Vale did not deserve to be on the end of such a scoreline. The Bankies front three all opened their scoring accounts with Aaron Millar being the star grabbing a third hat trick in only five matches.

Bankies gaffer Kieran McAnespie was slightly limited in team selection going into this match with no fewer than five of his players on holiday including new signings Conor Lynass and Paul Byrne. As it turned out the player missed most was influential defender Jamie Darroch whose organisational skills being absent almost certainly led to the Bankies disjointed and careless first half performance.

Although the length of Junior football separates the clubs, Vale of Leven were in no mood to be bossed around. Within 10 seconds of kick off, Stewart pounced on a slack pass by Matthew McLean, only to see his goalbound shot deflected for a corner. This careless passing was symptomatic of the Bankies first half display. Time and time again the ball was given away needlessly in dangerous areas. This even forced McAnespie to move to a flat back four after only fifteen minutes.

Although, Clydebank’s front players looked like they could cause the Vale defence some problems, it wasn’t exactly a shock when the home side took the lead after 18 minutes. The ball was chipped to the back post from the right by Stewart and was knocked back across the box by Butler to the waiting Lewis King who fired home from close range.

Unfortunately for Vale of Leven they conceded just four minutes later. The Bankies were awarded a free kick on the left wing which was delivered to the back post by Munro. The unlucky Lewis Fagan was running back towards goal when the ball cannoned off his leg and into the net at the back post.

The Vale came roaring back, and regained the lead after 33 minutes. It looked a soft penalty as Kennedy was adjudged to have brought down McNaught following a cross from the left by Forbes. Lee McGeachy sent Marc Waters the wrong way with the spot kick.

If Vale of Leven could get to the interval with their lead intact then it would have given them a great platform for the second half. Alas, it was not to be as Clydebank finally put together a half decent move right on the stroke of half time. Chris Black played a fine pass down the right hand channel for Aaron Millar to run onto. The big striker hit the bye-line and sent the perfect pass across the goal for Nicky Little to ram home from close range.

McAnespie brought on McHugh for McLean at the break and aided with an undoubted kick up the backside the Bankies were a different proposition in the second half. The loss of the goal so late in the first half evidently knocked the wind out of the Vale’s sails as the Bankies set upon the home goal with attack after attack.

There were numerous missed chances before Clydebank took the lead for the first time after 66 minutes. Aaron Miller had just minutes before crashed the ball off the bar with a thunderous drive, and Kyle Munro forced Smith in the Vale goal into a fine finger tip save from 25 yards. It was from the resultant corner kick that Clydebank scored. The same two players were involved as Munro flighted the ball into the box for Millar who towered above everyone else to head into the goal.

With this, Vale of Leven’s resistance was over and it was a matter of how many. Within four minutes goal number four arrived. Shelvey outpaced Griffen on the left wing and dragged the ball across the six yard box. It took a couple of attempts before Millar forced the ball over the line.

With fourteen minutes left Millar claimed his hat trick, when he beat the offside trap giving himself a clear run-in on goal. The big striker calmly rounded Smith before picking his spot in the goal beating two Vale defenders who had managed to recover to the goal line. The scoring was completed in the dying seconds when a disastrous attempt at a header back to the goal keeper was intercepted by Nicky Little who lofted the ball over the stranded goalkeeper.

The Bankies got there in the end, but they will not find league opposition so charitable at the other end of the pitch if they play as they did in the first half. The expectations amongst the support have been quite high in anticipation of the new season, however this was a good reminder that you still have to go out and win the games, and that better teams will punish the slack play we saw at times today. There were no real stand outs but the four attacking players of Shelvey, Miller, Little and Munro are going to be a handful for defences this season, and Jordan Kennedy looks the part and should form a formidable defensive partner to Jamie Darroch

Match report written by Stuart McBay