Clydebank 4
Pollok 2
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

You can never accuse Clydebank and Pollok or serving up poor fare when they face each other, and this game was no exception with superb goals, all sorts of drama and simply a great advert for the West of Scotland League.

The rivalry these two clubs have enjoyed between each other in recent years has been fantastic and there is just that little bit of healthy dislike between the supporters that gives these games that extra edge.

It was all the better tonight for the Bankies fans as they ran out 4-2 winners, and it has to be said every single one of Clydebank’s goals were just that little bit special. Again, the Bankies almost let a three goal slip and for the second game in a row a red card for the opposition helped out at just the right time.

Make no mistake Pollok contributed to this match hugely, even in the first half when they found themselves three goals down. Perhaps if they had taken one of their chances when the game was still tight, things could have been different. Fraser missed a bit of a sitter when the score was still 1-0 after 14 minutes. A couple of lucky bounces took him clear on goal, but he contrived to miss the target completely when it looked easier to score.

There was also a shout for a red card after 29 minutes when Niven pulled down Docherty whose pace was a bit of an issue all night for the Bankies defence. A ball over the top saw the big defender bring the forward down, and he only just avoided an early bath due to the Bankies having a covering defender in the vicinity. On another day, the ref might just have had a different opinion on that one.

Other than that the Bankies were great in the first 45 minutes. A level of pressing that hasn’t been evident quite as much in recent weeks was back to the fore. Connor Higgins led the line very well and despite not scoring this might just have been his most effective game yet for the club.

He had two early efforts – the first after just 30 seconds when Kelly robbed Menzies and sent in a cross that Higgins headed wide. Then a couple of minutes later he had a shot from the edge of the box which he into the ground and was saved by the keeper.

The first goal after ten minutes was a top notch team effort with lovely passing and moving that involved Higgins, Low, Johnstone and Hodge. It was Hodge who supplied the final deft cross into the danger area, and there is nothing better than a midfielder making a late run into the box and crashing the ball into the net first time which Lee Gallacher duly did.

The second was another beautiful finish, this time from Alan Kelly. Following a corner there was an aerial challenge which Johnston won and the ball broke to Kelly on the edge of the box and he caught it perfectly on the volley sending the ball low in to Longmuir’s bottom right corner.

The third was all about that wee bit of individual skill that can light up a game sometimes. Gallacher raced into the box on the right hand side, feigned a shot leaving Burns for dead, turned back onto his left foot, looked up and from a tight angle dinked the ball over the keeper and into the top corner.

Any hopes the Bankies might go on and give Pollok a doing in the second half were quickly laid to waste. It’s always disappointing to lose a goal from a set piece, and the Bankies just didn’t seem set up right from a Pollok corner early in the second period.

The ball was won at the back post and headed back across the goal where Fraser was all on his own and he diverted the ball high into the net to give his side a lifeline.

Pollok are a good side, and they don’t need a second invitation once you open the door to them. They have fast forwards and this led to their second goal after 56 minutes. There is a bit of contention here as the move started from a quick free kick which was taken easily 20 yards across the pitch from where it should have been.

You can’t take anything away from Docherty though, who burst through the sleeping Bankies defence rounded Donnelly and side footed the ball into the empty goal.

The Bankies looked like they could be in a bit of bother at this stage, as Pollok were buzzing around, but just four minutes later that enthusiasm (we’ll call it that) led to the ordering off of Jay Nelson.

Just like the red card Neilston suffered on Saturday this was so unnecessary. The ball was played out wide to Larry McMahon on the right wing, and Jay Nelson came flying in and went right through him. The Bankies defender was going nowhere and it was all so pointless. The ref immediately reached for his pocket and gave Nelson his marching orders.

Even with ten men Pollok were a bit of a handful, but the Bankies did start to regain a little more impetus as the game entered the closing stages. With six minutes left Nicky Little killed the game with yet another top quality goal.

Hamish McKinlay did exceptionally well to get a cross in from the left wing under extreme duress. Burns tried to head clear but only sent the ball spinning high into the air. As the ball dropped from the sky, Little kept his eye on the ball, and despite a desperate lunged challenge from a defender, he bulleted a first time volley past Longmuir to complete the scoring.

This was a much improved and needed performance from the Bankies. They should be able to take great confidence into Friday’s match when league leaders Beith come calling to Holm Park. It wouldn’t be one of my match reports without a cautionary warning however, and that is now four games in a row where we have lost two goals. We don’t want to be in the position of having to score three goals to get a win. We have just switched off at vital times and given the opposition hope in the last two games. Our recent record against Beith is poor, so if we want to reverse that we need to make sure that the focus is there for the whole 90 minutes.

Match report written by Stuart McBay