Johnstone Burgh 1
Clydebank 3
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

Goals change games someone with the football cliché dictionary might say, but Nicky Little’s first half stoppage time strike set the Bankies up for a fairly emphatic 3-1 victory at the highly fancied Johnstone Burgh at Keanie Park this afternoon.

The half time team talks were suddenly very different in both camps, and the Bankies responded magnificently. Little’s goal might have been the key moment in the match but for twenty minutes or so after the restart Clydebank put together possibly their best spell of football this season. Two further goals were scored before Johnstone Burgh netted a late consolation as the Bankies levels understandably dropped.

There were a number of stand-out performers in the side today, but you really need to single out Craig Truesdale. He took a bit of stick from the supporters at the end of last season as our title hopes crumbled, and I hope there are a few eating humble pie right now as he stood out like the proverbial sore thumb today.

The opening goal was all about Truesdale as he took the ball into his feet on the halfway line, turned round his marker like he wasn’t there before splitting the Burgh defence apart with an inch perfect pass.

Lee Gallacher’s run matched the quality of the pass but the winger found keeper Luke Scullion in top form as he parried his shot away on his left hand side only for Nicky Little to follow up and stroke the ball into the net.

Up until that point there had been very little in the way of goalmouth action in the first half. Johnstone Burgh probably had a little more of the ball but other than the odd anxious moment from set pieces they didn’t have a shot at goal of any note.

The Bankies always looked more dangerous when they broke forward and the chances that did come were in front of the home goal. A McHugh cross from the left was tipped away by Scullion and fell at the feet of Gallacher, and he will be disappointed that he wasn’t able to finish as he blasted the ball off a defender.

Then, just prior to the goal we had Oisin McHugh in nosebleed territory for a defender. He seemed undecided as he raced into the box and the ball was initially cleared but a quick turnover saw it come back to him. He struck the ball into the ground deceiving Scullion in the Burgh goal, but the keeper made an outstanding one-handed stop to keep the ball out.

We all expected Johnstone Burgh to respond strongly to falling behind after the resumption, but instead it was the Bankies who took control or proceedings. Johnstone may have spent a lot of money on a fair old number of new signings, but they are not yet a “team” and perhaps that showed against a Clydebank side who are one.

For that twenty minute spell, we looked like we might score every time we crossed the halfway line. A number of corners were forced, and David Syme was unlucky to see a header come off the post, before a goal eventually arrived via that route.

The corner was earned from a marauding run down the left wing by Oisin McHugh, and when Lee Gallacher delivered the cross, it was Nicky Little who peeled off his marker and sent a tremendous header beyond Scullion with 62 minutes gone.

With the smell of blood firmly in the nostrils the Bankies sett out for the jugular and within four minutes the third was scored. Again, it was a set piece that caused mayhem in the Burgh defence. Syme was quickest to react to the loose ball and slipped it back to Dean Cairns who side-footed high into the net sending the large Bankies contingent into delirium.

Johnstone Burgh pretty much substituted their whole forward department which tells its own story, and this coincided with the Bankies player’s levels dropping off, and they would eventually score a consolation with ten minutes remaining.

If I had to describe the Bankies defensive unit in one word this season I would say solid. We have looked impenetrable at times, especially when it has really mattered, and it must be a great source of disappointment that we have only kept two clean sheets this season.

Leishman had barely a save to make throughout the match, but he had one outstanding stop from the head of Kyle Lafferty as he dived full length to push the ball away on his left hand side. Unfortunately the second phase of play saw Danny O’Neill bullet a near post header past the Bankies keeper which he could do nothing about.

I don’t want to say the Bankies are a juggernaut just yet, but we may be starting to slightly resemble one. When the fixtures came out before the season started giving us five away games in the first seven including visits to Gartcairn, St Cadocs and Johnstone Burgh I don’t think anyone realistically thought we would win all of the them, but here we are with six wins out of six and on a run of form that is only too rare.

Apart from Truesdale, there were a number of top performers. Nicky Little has responded superbly to the challenge laid before him, and he is looking as good as he ever has, and Lee Gallacher is starting to do the things again that made him so popular with the fans in the first place. Cairns and Johnstone hold the whole thing together and that has the look of a winning combination in the middle of the pitch.

Is this the best start to a season ever? In 1993-94 the Bankies won seven League games in a row, however that was punctuated with a league cup loss to Aberdeen. So in all competitions the current run tops that, but there is still work to do if the players are to surpass the best league start.

Incidentally, the best run of wins I can find is 13 in a row back in 2012 when a Darian MacKinnon inspired side went on an amazing run winning the Central League Cup in the process. Bankies gaffer Gordon Moffat was a member of that team so hopefully there is a good omen in there somewhere.

Next week, we have the excitement of the Scottish Cup with St Andrews United visiting Holm Park. There was a large away support in the 675 who attended Keanie Park today, hopefully this will translate to even bigger numbers next week.

Match report written by Stuart McBay