Kirk Rob Roy 0
Clydebank 3
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

Clydebank’s future appears to be in good hands if the evidence of tonight’s 3-0 victory over Kirkintilloch Rob Roy is anything to go by. With the West of Scotland cup final on Friday against Auchinleck Talbot, Bankies boss Gordon Moffat drafted in no fewer than five of the current U-20s side into the squad.

And they didn’t disappoint alongside two other academy graduates in the shape of Oisin McHugh and Adam Smith. All seven of these youngsters were on the pitch as the game came to a conclusion. Goalkeeper Lucas Ross was assured in goals and kept a clean sheet, but the pick of the bunch appears to be Ben McLernan, a striker who showed intelligent touches and an eye for goal when it mattered when he rifled in the third goal with his only real glimpse of goal.

I must also mention Connor Higgins 30 yard volley that was quite possibly the goal of this or any other season. It came out of nowhere and my amateur camera skills were just not up to the job. Hopefully others have captured it.

In truth, it wasn’t much of a game. Rob Roy, off the back of defeating Darvel on Saturday, were quite poor and though some of that was probably due to the Bankies defending, it has to be said they were quite clueless from an attacking point of view.

For the first 30 minutes, you would be excused for thinking that this was going to end up a goalless draw, such was the lack of imagination in both ranks. Rob Roy had most of the play, but did next to nothing with it.

They did hit the top of the crossbar after 28 minutes, but it was a complete accident as it was intended as a cross from the right wing and not a shot.

Just six minutes later the Bankies took the lead with probably the best move of the game, and it was all due to some clever play by Danny MacKenzie. The ball bounced up to him at head height on the left wing and he nodded down the line to Hamish McKinlay.

As all good players do, he didn’t stand still and admire his work. He raced forward for the return pass which McKinlay duly supplied. MacKenzie then delivered a killer cross into the six yard box. Higgins couldn’t covert at the near post, but he managed to find Liam McGonigle standing practically on the goal-line for a simple tap in.

The game did brighten up after the goal, and Rob Roy had their best chance after 37 minutes. Bankies keeper Ross spilled the ball under pressure - probably his only mistake of the match - and an almighty scramble ensued with the stopper out of position. However, the defence coped admirably and managed to prevent a goal.

The second half began in much the same fashion as the first with not a great deal of anything happening until Connor Higgins scored a quite phenomenal goal after 52 minutes.

To be honest, I don’t know how the ball fell for him, but standing easily 30 yards from goal the ball dropped from the sky and showing quite staggering technique, he cracked a spectacular volley towards the goal.

From the moment it left his boot you were saying, “That’s going in.” And with keeper McAllister off his line, he could only look on in anguish as the ball dipped under the crossbar. That goal was worth the admission price alone, and if it was on Match of the day, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer would be wetting themselves.

Higgins was substituted two minutes later. What else was there left for him to do?

Rob Roy didn’t look like they weren’t going to score in a month of Sundays, and any kind of comeback looked even more remote when Anderson was sent off after 64 minutes. His second yellow probably was deserved, but his first was all a bit wishy-washy. These were the only cards in the whole game, and a bit crap from the ref to be honest.

With the young team all on the pitch now the Bankies finished the game quite strongly. They all showed great endeavour and ambition which was great to see. The club as a whole can only improve if there are players waiting to take your place in the side from all angles.

It was left to striker Ben McLernan to have the final word when he leathered the ball low and hard into the net at keeper McAllister’s near post. He should really have saved it, but the power just beat him.

With this win, the Bankies look well on target to finish in the top four which was where we ended up last season. The thing that would make this a better season would be to win a cup. And handily enough, we play in a final on Friday against Auchinleck Talbot. The Bankies Archive would like to wish Gordon Moffat, his staff and players all the best for this game and hopefully they can bring the West of Scotland Cup back to Clydebank.

Match report written by Stuart McBay