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Clydebank 8
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Match Report

The Bankies returned to Victoria Park for the first time in almost 20 years as they faced Newmains United in the second match of the pre-season run. The last time Clydebank played on this ground it was the home of Coltness United, however on that occasion the opponents were Wishaw who were temporarily ground-sharing at the time.

For those with long memories the Bankies won that game 1-0 and it was at the beginning of a run that took them all the way to the Central League Division Two Championship in the Bankies first season in Junior football. So, two decades later has Gordon Moffat assembled a side that could bring a league flag to the town?

Well, what we can say is that the Premier League looks like it could be as open a contest as it has at any point in many a long year, and Clydebank’s name must be in the mix. However, tonight’s game won’t give us any indication one way or the other as it was all a bit too easy.

The scoreline of 8-0 could easily have been doubled and was mainly a useful exercise for the players to continue building up their match sharpness over the coming weeks before we face Benburb in the league opener at the end of the month.

It took the Bankies a wee while to get going, and it took a penalty kick to break down Newmains resistance. Alan Kelly was fouled in the box by Morrison after 14 minutes and New striker Calum Graham only just squeezed the ball past keeper Price who almost kept it out.

The home side did have a couple of chances themselves in the opening stages with Fleming bringing out a good save from Donnelly and later McQuade hitting a low shot just beyond the far post.

After a series of near things, the Bankies finally clicked towards the end of the first period netting three times in six minutes.

Ciaran Mulchay opened the floodgates with a near post flick after some strong wing play by Chris Black. This was quickly followed by a side-footed effort from Ben McLernan which Price fumbled into the back of the net. Just two minutes later, Graham scored his second with a neat little dink over the keeper after Alan Kelly found the big centre with a precise pass.

The usual substitutes followed at the break with the Bankies introducing three new faces, and Newmains making six changes. It made no difference to how the game was unfolding and goal number five arrived after 50 minutes.

Joe Slattery was on the end of a low Alan Kelly cross at the back post and he crashed the ball into the net from close range.

Newmains seem to have been infected by this trend in modern football of trying to build up the play from inside your own penalty box. It’s OK if you are Manchester City or Liverpool, but this was Kamikaze stuff. They were being dispossessed time and again so deep in their own half it was rendering the whole exercise pointless. Let’s hope the Bankies don’t adopt this ploy, as your heart would be in your mouth the whole time.

Anyway, the last three goals all came in a bit of a spurt as well. Thomas Collins had what looked like a perfectly good goal chopped off on the hour for offside, but Connor Higgins opened the floodgates for a second time after 71 minutes when he nodded home a cross from the right wing from just a few yards out.

Barely 60 seconds later Chris Black rattled the ball into the back of the net from a Collins knock down after he was found by a searching Nicky Low pass. And Collins was not to be denied a goal when he stabbed the ball past the keeper inside the six yard box from a Oisin McHugh cross.

The only downside to tonight was Adam Hodge taking a knock and lasting just eight minutes on the pitch. Other than that, no complaints and we move on to bigger and harder tests.

On Saturday, we travel down to Threave Rovers in Kirkcudbrightshire.

Match report written by Stuart McBay