Match Report
Blantyre Vics provided decent standard opposition in this challenge match for the Bankies after an almost two week enforced break from competitive action. The Vics sit in seventh place in the First Division and still have an outside chance of promotion to the Premier League.
They certainly didn't hold back with the tackling, and the Bankies knew they were in a game right from the beginning.
For Clydebank, it was a change from the usual system as Gordon Moffat played a back three of Hodge, Niven and Little, with Grant and McHugh providing the width. This allowed us to play with two up top in the shape of Callum Graham and Ciaran Mulcahy.
The Bankies controlled the game in the first half for the most part, but Blantyre showed their threat on a number of occasions. #11 was sent clear on the left hand side after just 4 minutes, but his attempted shot across the goal to the far post whistled wide.
The woodwork also saved the Bankies with 13 minutes on the clock as #7 made space for himself and his left footed curler smacked the crossbar with Hughes well beaten.
Chances were created at the other end too, with some enterprising passing ended with an Alan Kelly strike from the edge of the box which just cleared the crossbar.
Craig Truesdale is undoubtedly a clever player, and his quick change of direction, and backwards flick created the space for James Grant to hammer a shot towards the top corner which was brilliantly tipped away for a corner by the Vics keeper.
The Bankies were well in the ascendancy when we opened the scoring after 21 minutes. A free kick on the right taken by Alan Kelly was whipped in with pace, and Callum Graham made the perfect run to glance the ball into the far corner beyond the keeper.
Clydebank continued to dominate for the rest of the first half without creating anything particularly clear cut. This continued into the second half with Nicky Little and Lee Gallacher on the field in place of Adam Hodge and Ciaran Mulcahy.
Some of the familiar frailties of late began to rear their ugly heads, as we continued to have all the possession without doing a great deal with the ball. I hadn't made a single note in the first fifteen minutes of the second half until the Vics equalised just after the hour.
It was the second great goal of the night, as Blantyre broke quickly up the field. The ball was worked forward well to the #8 who made space on his right side and absolutely thrashed the ball into the top corner from 25 yards out.
There wasn't a great response from the Bankies. That little bit of something extra that makes a team more than the sum of their parts just seems to be missing at the moment. We passed and probed, but with very little end product.
Don't get me wrong, Blantyre are a half decent side and they aren't going to give you something for nothing, but Clydebank despite playing under a new formation should be doing better.
In the end up the Bankies did win the game with just five minutes left, and it was an even better goal than the first two. It's been a while since we've seen a Nicky Little special, but we were treated to one tonight. He took one touch as he received the ball at least 25 yards from goal, as it bounced up slightly he gave it both barrels on the half volley and it bulleted into the top corner beyond the keeper.
So overall, a bit of a mixed bag in the end up. It looks like we only had 13 players to choose from tonight. We employed a different formation against a team in decent form who looked keen to impress. We played fairly well in the first half, but less so in the second with us regressing into the familiar passing in front of the opposition. If we can find that wee spark, there is a good team in there.
Match report written by Stuart McBay
