Clydebank 0
Johnstone Burgh 0
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

It was a better result for us than it was for them. That was the general consensus after Clydebank and Johnstone Burgh fought out a goalless draw at Holm Park in front of a season’s best attendance of just under one thousand spectators.

The top two clashed in what was easily the game of the day in the West of Scotland League, and the large crowd were presented with a tense, physical battle that produced few shots at goal and not a great deal of exciting football. The defences were undoubtedly the stars of the show, as both sides rearguards put on resilient and robust displays.

With The Burgh trailing the Bankies by seven points, they really needed a win to close the gap to a manageable level, and for Clydebank anything other than defeat would be seen as a good result particularly with a game in hand.

Coming into the game both sides were in good form, and with the Bankies chasing a third consecutive clean sheet it meant Gordon Moffat kept the same starting eleven for the third game in a row which is something of a rarity nowadays. The Burgh already boast an expensively assembled squad, and they further bolstered their team with the signing of Ciaran Diver from St Cadocs for a fee rumoured to be in the ballpark of £25,000. The top half of the league is already littered with unlicenced clubs, reinforcing the need for the Bankies to earn promotion from the position of strength we currently find ourselves in.

It was clear from the get-go that it was going to be a physical battle as Allan MacKenzie flattened Oisin McHugh with an elbow led challenge in the very first minute. The greater physicality of the visitors seemed to give them greater control of the game for the most part, and the Bankies found it difficult to put their passing game together leading to more long balls which suited the Burgh defence.

Overall, Johnstone Burgh seemed to be a more cohesive unit, whereas the Bankies were guilty of a greater number of individual errors. The nature of the game meant that the proceedings largely bypassed our wide-men Gallacher and Black, partly because they can’t or won’t defend. On one occasion Gallacher pulled out of a challenge, and it led to a dangerous break which a clearly furious Dean Cairns had to clear up.

It’s not often that I disagree with Gordon Moffat’s substitutions, but on this occasion, I would have withdrawn both wide men sooner. Liam McGonigle was far more suited to this type of encounter, and secondly, I would have kept Keir Samson on the pitch as his running from a wide area may have caused more problems for Johnstone Burgh than either Black or Gallacher were able to muster.

In saying that, the Bankies did have a few half chances in the second part of the first 45 minutes. Black should have done better with a side-footed effort from a half-cleared corner, and the same player bulleted a shot over the bar first time from a Keir Samson cross. Set pieces were the most likely looking route to a goal, and David Syme’s free header at the back post from a corner was blocked by the ruck of bodies in front of him.

The second period opened with a trio of chances for Burgh in the first five minutes, with Leishman called into action twice. One of these was a great save on his right-hand side as the visitors stepped up their efforts.

However, the game soon returned to much the same pattern of the first half and Clydebank produced even less in front of goal than they did in the opening 45. Other than a Syme header which hit the side-netting the Bankies didn’t look like troubling the Burgh goal.

Johnstone tended to look just that little bit more threatening, and the introduction of Ciaran Diver from the bench added to that danger. And it was the big striker who could have won the game in stoppage time. Oisin McHugh, not for the first time, was outmuscled as he tried to shepherd the ball out of play. Sometimes it is ok to just put the ball into touch. This gave Diver a clear run at the Bankies goal, but thankfully Leishman was on top of his game, and he saved well with his foot as the striker tried to slide the ball past him.

A draw was probably a reasonably fair result. Burgh were the better team in general play, but there wasn’t a great deal in it. The Bankies undoubtedly suffer in a more physically demanding game, and with virtually no aerial challenge in the forward positions we gave up possession all too easily. It was a tough, challenging game and the eight yellow cards shown by the ref tells its own story.

Not all games will be like this however and having preserved the seven-point gap over Johnstone Burgh in the league, we must now push forward and make that ten when we use up our game in hand against a struggling Gartcairn side.

The sponsors gave their man of the match award to Dean Cairns, and he did work tirelessly, but I would give it to David Syme for the second week in a row. He was an absolute Colossus at the back, and he held the whole thing together again. An honourable mention must go to Andy Leishman who had a great game and made sure of a point with his last-minute save.

Match report written by Stuart McBay