Pollok 4
Clydebank 1
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

Clydebank suffered their worst defeat of the season as they crashed 4-1 against rivals Pollok at Newlandsfield Park, and find themselves fifth from bottom of the West of Scotland League.

Already two goals down at half time with two of the most ridiculous pieces of defending you are likely to see; we then had to witness goalkeeper Jamie Donnelly being shown a red card after a lamentable lack of pace in the central defence was exposed. Despite managing to pull a goal back from the penalty spot, Pollok replied with two quick goals both scored from a combined distance of three feet with substitute keeper King abdicating himself of any goalkeeping responsibility whatsoever.

Thankfully, the impending thrashing never happened, but the disconnect throughout the team which has been apparent in the side from the start of pre-season seems to be getting worse.

It appears now that Gordon Moffat will have to take drastic action to arrest the alarming form of his team before it descends into a full blown crisis. A new goalkeeper has to be brought to the club immediately – not just as deputy but as a first pick.

The defence is shipping too many goals with none of the players showing the form of last season. The centre of defence is lacking any pace, and the left back position is a massive problem. It now looks like a huge mistake letting Paul Byrne go without having an adequate replacement. Loan player Aidan McDonald has done OK, but I understand it is not his first position. Adam Hodge is the only defender coming anywhere near his previous form, and his frustration was heard by everyone in the ground after the third goal went in.

In general terms, we competed with Pollok relatively well, and there wasn’t a whole lot to choose between the sides. In fact, outside of the goals there was hardly a shot at goal in the first half.

In the very first minute Oisin McHugh floated a ball over the Pollok defence to Nicky Little, but his over the shoulder type volley sailed well off the target.

The opening goal came a minute later when Matt Niven – who doesn’t look fit – tried to let the ball run out for a goal kick. As he stopped to admire his work the Pollok winger nipped in behind him with a slide tackle that sent the ball into the path of McCann who slotted it past Donnelly.

As the Bankies came into the game, Hodge had a shot deflected for a corner which gave Niven a chance to redeem his earlier mistake. However, his near post header from the flag kick powered way over the bar.

Pollok’s second goal coincided with their second shot at goal after 27 minutes, when Lyon nipped past Niven on the left wing. His cross was palmed away – and not over the bar – to McHugh on the left hand side of goal,who for some inexplicable reason headed the ball back into the penalty spot area where Buchanan was standing. The forward mishit his shot but it rolled right into McCann’s path and he put it away from close range.

The Bankies could have lost a third just before the interval when Mullen (I think) dribbled round almost the whole of the Bankies defence, but his goal bound shot was miraculously cleared over the bar by Hodge.

The Bankies best chance of the match came just 14 seconds after the restart after when a cross from the right found McGonigle who had ghosted in at the back post, but his volley was cleared off the line for a corner.

Any real chance of a comeback was killed just a few minutes later when Niven stepped forward to head a long ball just inside his own half. Pollok immediately launched the ball into the vacant space, and Creag Little was left floundering as McCann out stripped him for pace. By this point Donnelly had raced from his line and body checked the forward earning a red card.

Clydebank had a brief flicker after this incident when Nicky Little pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after the linesman signalled for a handball which the ref didn’t see.

However, the flicker was extinguished just five minutes later, as keeper King once again left a rudimentary cross slip from his grasp. The ball was reintroduced into the box and it was headed against the bar, before a scramble saw McCann net his hat trick with the keeper nowhere in sight.

It wasn’t long before a fourth was added from another cross ball. With the keeper making no effort to claim the ball it was headed into the net from the centre of the six yard box just a few feet out.

With the game done, Clydebank did reasonably well not to concede further, and were aided when Chris Duff was given a straight red for a bad tackle on Adam Hodge – who had to be helped from the field leaving the Bankies to finish the game with nine men with all the subs already used.

The Bankies side looks bereft of confidence and fluidity. The players are not pressing the opposition in the same way they did last season, and the ball is not being moved quickly enough when in possession. We are finding an all too often one dimensional punt up the park for Josh Weir to chase into the channels, and with neither Gallacher or McGonigle offering any kind of natural width, defences are finding it too easy.

We seem to have a rigid attacking formation that does not allow Mulcahy and Weir to be on the pitch at the same time. It would be interesting to see if the combination of Mulcahy’s aerial ability and Weir’s pace could bear some fruit.

There is no doubt that this is now the most challenging moment in Moffat’s tenure as manager. The whole thing just seems to have regressed, and maybe the up and down form at the end of last season was a warning shot across the bow that is only becoming obvious now.

Next week, the Bankies visit an improving Petershill side at Petershill Park.

Match report written by Stuart McBay