Cumnock 0
Clydebank 2
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

It felt like Spring had arrived today as the Clydebank support turned out in terrific numbers in the glorious sunshine to watch their side extend the lead at the top of the table to thirteen points. A disappointing Cumnock side offered little other than stubborn resistance, but once that had been breached it was evident where the three points were heading.

Ciaran Mulcahy’s late goal supplemented Nicky Little’s earlier penalty strike to give the Bankies a comfortable, controlled afternoon and stretch the unbeaten run from the start of the season to nineteen games.

Cumnock hadn’t won any of their last five games, and goals have been at a premium in recent times, and it was clear from today’s performance that whilst they are hard to break down, they didn’t have the wherewithal to trouble the Bankies defence.

If the Bankies hadn’t gifted them two gilt-edged chances with terrible mistakes in the first half, then they would barely have got near the Clydebank goal. The first after 20 minutes was a dreadful misplaced pass by Gallacher deep inside his own half that was intercepted by Chalmers. The midfielder had space to run into, and his shot was superbly touched onto the crossbar by Leishman,

The Bankies keeper has been in tremendous form recently and he came to the rescue again after 36 minutes when Oisin McHugh inexplicably missed the ball completely on the halfway line. This allowed Orr a clear run on the Bankies goal, but Leishman was equal to the task, saving brilliantly with his foot.

Those two errors were undoubtedly the best openings from either side to score a goal in the first half, but Clydebank’s patience brought a few opportunities of their own.

Aaron Black should have done better from a corner kick which he controlled at the back post. Although, at a slight angle he snatched at his shot sending it wildly over the bar.

A Nicky Little effort from the edge of the box which he struck first time from a Black cut back was closer but still over the bar by a couple of feet. Then, Gallacher almost made amends for his earlier mistake when his in-swinging free kick from the right wing crashed off the crossbar with keeper Currie struggling to get anywhere near it.

The mistakes of the first half were completely eradicated in the second forty-five, and Clydebank with their territorial superiority always looked the more likely to unlock the opposition defence. Cairns and McGowan have been the beating heart of the side recently and both these players ran the show today. Any Cumnock attack was snuffed out by McGowan before it could develop into something, and the seeds of any Bankies raid came through Cairns.

To give Cumnock due credit, they were very solid themselves defensively, and their goals against column recently has been very stingy. The question was could Clydebank find the answer to the question. For a while, The Bankies were no closer to making the breakthrough despite being in a few promising positions that the home defence were always able to rescue themselves from.

However, the crucial and decisive moment arrived just after the hour mark when a McHugh cross to the back post was touched back across the box by Black for Little. The captain shot first time and the flailing arms of Brownlie blocked the ball for a clear penalty.

Nicky Little did what he does best, and side footed the spot kick home for his 25th goal of the season. He is now only three short of his best ever Bankies total for a season and being a little more ambitious just eight shy of Blair Millar’s club record of thirty-three from 1978-79.

Cumnock stepped up their efforts to get back in the game, but were restricted to a couple of wayward efforts from distance as the Clydebank defence were firmly in control. Even when they earned a couple of free kicks in dangerous positions, the deliveries were beyond awful.

The Bankies substitutes all contributed when they came on and two of them – McGonigle and Mulcahy – combined to put the result beyond doubt with five minutes remaining. One of Liam McGonigle’s best traits as a player is his tenacity, and he showed it in spades as he burst through the Cumnock defence and delivered the ball that keeper Currie couldn’t handle. With Ciaran Mulcahy in close attendance, he bundled the ball over the line to seal the result.

With Johnstone Burgh engaged in cup football, this victory extended the Bankies lead to thirteen points. Commentators have all but handed the league title to the Bankies but with home and away fixtures to come against rejuvenated Troon and Auchinleck Talbot sides, nothing can be taken for granted. The Burgh’s progression to the semi-final of the Scottish Junior Cup only adds to their fixture pile-up in the run-in which should be good news for Bankies fans, but the Keanie Park side have a substantial squad at their disposal making nothing certain yet.

Best Bankie for me today was Dean Cairns. His form has been off the scale recently and it was another top display today. Chris McGowan, alongside David Syme and Andy Leishman were also worthy of a mention. It was good to see Adam Hodge start a game for the first time since the Hibs Scottish cup game and acquit himself admirably.

Next up is Hurlford United at Holm Park on Saturday. Clydebank should be strong favourites, but with the Blair Park side in desperate need of points in their relegation battle, it is sure to be another difficult match.

Match report written by Stuart McBay