Beith Juniors 1
Clydebank 3
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

Clydebank continued their relentless march towards the league title by dismissing last’s season champions Beith Juniors by three goals to one at Bellsdale Park this afternoon. It was a commanding performance that demonstrated how far we have come in the last year since we lost to Beith in the corresponding fixture around this time last season as the Ayrshire side marched on to win the title.

The scenario has been fully reversed as another bogey was laid to rest with the Bankies winning a league match at Bellsdale for the first time since 2012. This was the fifth straight victory, and the club remain unbeaten in the league all season taking the streak up to twenty-two matches. It now leaves the Bankies requiring just four wins from the last eight games to secure a first league title since 2004.

Beith are a pale shadow of their former selves, but they still retain enough of last season’s squad to represent a danger to most teams especially on the famous slope at Bellsdale Park. The Bankies first victory was in winning the toss and making the home side shoot down the hill in the first half. This was a calculated risk by the Bankies but a gamble worth taking as we reached the interval goalless.

The first half hour of the match produced little of any quality from either side. However, Clydebank had a certain look of resolve about us which made you think we were just biding our time. Yes, Beith had a couple of moments in and around the penalty box, but such has been the strength of our defence that our backline never looked like being breached.

The game started to turn in Clydebank’s favour after half an hour when a clever free kick from Gallacher sent Hodge down the right wing. His cross to the back post was headed back across goal by Syme for Nicky Little, but his luck was out when his shot deflected off the cross bar.

This encouraged the Bankies to up the tempo, and shortly afterwards Samson headed over from a Hodge cross, and another effort from the head of Syme met with a similar fate. The best chance to break the deadlock before the interval came from Jimmy Grant.

He has revelled in his new role in midfield and showing what fine attacking sensibilities he possesses. He timed his forward run perfectly to latch on to a great reverse pass from Lee Gallacher. From a good position he probably should have done better than hit his shot down the throat of the keeper, but Stott did well to beat the ball away.

The elusive goal was not long in coming at the start of the second half. Just five minutes in, and Dean Cairns forced the ball forward from a half clearance. David Syme had been upfield assisting in an earlier set-piece and he was alert to nod the ball across the box, where the unmarked Jimmy Grant was able to beat the keeper to the ball and head into the goal. The celebrations were off the scale as the importance of each goal scored takes on increased significance.

Beith, in fairness, almost responded straight away when Frize sent Osemeke clear on goal. However, Andy Leishman has by far been the Bankies best goalkeeper in many a year and he quickly closed the striker down and made a great save with what looked like his backside.

After this the shackles were well and truly off the Bankies, and it was not too dissimilar to the Drumchapel game last month when we played some great stuff once we had taken the lead. The first goal is vital in any game, but the positive effect on the Bankies was as noticeable as the negative on Beith.

The second goal arrived as sure as night follows day, and it was number 26 for the season for Nicky Little. Craig Truesdale had been brought down at the edge of the box by Rough, and we wondered at the time if there was any advantage to having a direct shot at goal when playing down the slope. Nothing was proved, except that Little’s curling free kick, beat the wall and Stott for a brilliant goal. Little ran over to the crowd and his celebrations tell you what this means to everyone.

The Bankies pushed and prodded for a third goal, but it was Beith who surprisingly pulled a goal back, when Hodge was beaten down the left wing and the cross to the back post caught out Carey who didn’t see the run from O’Connor on his blindside to head high into the net.

Any fears of a comeback were allayed barely a minute later when Dean Cairns scored the goal of the match, when he fastened on to a loose ball and fired it like an arrow first time into the bottom corner of the goal from easily twenty-five yards out.

Beith attempted to force a grandstand finish and had a couple of moments, but with the Bankies fully in game management mode the clock was run down until the final whistle without too much panic.

Nobody at the club will admit anything until it is mathematically certain that we can’t be caught, and with Johnstone Burgh scoring a stoppage time winner they haven’t given up quite yet. However, the excitement from the terraces is growing week on week as they await Gordon Moffat delivering a long overdue league title.

I’m going for a joint man of the match this week with Jimmy Grant and Dean Cairns being my picks. Both have been sensational signings. Grant was very much an under the radar signing, but his versatility has been outstanding with his defensive and attacking attributes been on show in equal measure, whereas Dean Cairns has become a firm fans favourite with his consistently high performances. Both he and David Syme have driven up the standards and you see that in the communication on the pitch.

There is no rest for the players as we host Auchinleck Talbot on Tuesday evening. Traditionally one of our hardest games of the season, they are on a great run recently, though we hope the extra time they played on Saturday has added a little bit of weariness into their legs.

Match report written by Stuart McBay