Clydebank 3
Gartcairn 1
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

A patched up Bankies side found a way to win the three points against a relegation threatened Gartcairn who made life difficult all night at Holm Park. The 3-1 scoreline was harsh on the visitors, but Clydebank just days after an energy sapping match against promotion rivals Johnstone Burgh, showed the mettle required from a championship winning team to get the job done. This despite a lengthy injury list including many of the first eleven nursing an array of niggles, the squad is going to be tested to the limits over the next few weeks.

Gartcairn have a squad full of quality players and this was not going to be an easy game at all, and with the club still smarting from a fifteen-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player their need for points is becoming increasingly desperate.

For the Bankies it was all about the opportunity to open up a ten-point lead at the top of the table. And to that end, Gordon Moffat promised to freshen up the side a little, but there are some areas of the pitch where this just isn’t possible. In the end he brought in Mulcahy and McGonigle for Samson and Black.

The opening exchanges were quite inhibited, and it was a somewhat pleasant surprise when the Bankies opened the scoring after five minutes. It came from a corner kick, and a timely reminder of why Kieran Hughes is an ex- Clydebank goalkeeper. Cross balls were always his short-coming, so Lee Gallacher was clever enough to fire the ball right on top of him. Hughes, as expected, flapped at it, and dropped the ball right at the feet of Oisin McHugh who managed to bundle the ball over the line.

The play was quite even and continued to produce little end product from either side, but the Bankies carried a threat when we were able to get it in the final third. It was from one of these attacks that the lead was increased after 24 minutes. Nicky Little found the run of Chris McGowan with a well-placed pass. McGowan raced into the box and centred the ball from the right-hand side which was only partially cut out. The ball fell perfectly for Little who was now following up and he crashed the ball high into the net with the aid of a slight deflection.

This goal seemed to shock Gartcairn into action and they completely dominated the rest of the first half. The Bankies players may have sub-consciously took their foot of the pedal hoping to protect the lead and hit on the break, but they found a Gartcairn side whose heads didn’t drop and began to find their passing and cause the Clydebank defence a few problems.

The Bankies defence has been rock solid all season and continued in this vein tonight, however Gartcairn were able to find a few chinks in the armour. Simeon should have pulled a goal back when he got on the end of a low cross from the left wing. The imposing figure of Andy Leishman may have just done enough to put him off as his first time effort squirted past the post.

With the rain absolutely pelting down, Gartcairn maintained their dominance into the second period and Leishman had to save smartly from another Simeon shot.

Clydebank were becoming more restricted to quick breaks on the counter-attack and this almost paid dividends after 55 minutes when possibly the Bankies best move of the match saw McGowan release Gallacher down the left wing. The winger’s low cross was well delivered, but Kieran Hughes did a fantastic job to block Nicky Little’s effort as he looked to add another goal to his tally.

Play soon returned down the other end and a rasping shot from Thomson produced save of the night from Leishman as he dived full length to turn the ball away for a corner. Gartcairn were not to be denied, and from the corner kick Wood headed home for a simple and straight-forward goal that the Bankies haven’t lost too often this season.

Gartcairn’s tails were up and with almost half n hour to play, they began to look increasingly likely. After Kieren Wood was given too much space to have a shot towards the goal, Gordon Moffat decided enough was enough and made three changes in personnel.

This certainly seemed to take the sting out of the tail, as Hodge shored up the right back position and McGowan joined the defensive unit. The running of Samson changed the counter-attacking dynamics and the Gartcairn defence looked a lot more vulnerable as the game opened up.

With 17 minutes remaining, Ciaran Mulcahy broke free from a midfield ruck, and he powered a shot from the edge of the box with two defenders in pursuit. He beat the keeper, but not the upright as a chance to restore the two-goal lead was passed up.

It was Mulcahy who was involved when the Bankies finally were able to put the game to bed with 8 minutes remaining. A clever pass from Cairns found Mulcahy and as he beat Johnny Lyon just inside the box the defender left his leg in, and it brought him down. Not deliberate, but a penalty all the same.

Nicky Little had a quiet game generally, but a from a goals point of view he can’t stop scoring as he put the penalty away for his 10th in 9 games and twenty-four overall for the season.

Gartcairn continued to plug away, but it looked beyond them now, and a frustrated Kyle Hutton was booked for dissent as there was no reward for his team’s efforts. The MTC Park side are now in desperate trouble as they have played five games more than their relegation rivals and whilst they have a squad that could yet see them avoid relegation, this was their fourth consecutive defeat and points need to be put on the board urgently.

For the Bankies, the goal was to move ten points clear of Johnstone Burgh and you can put a tick against it. The players are maybe creaking at the seams a little bit as it has been a titanic effort to go the first eighteen league games undefeated. We have been hampered by injuries for most of the season with the likes of Johnstone, Niven, Low, Collins and Leishman to name a few all missing significant parts of the season, so to show the level of consistency we have has been remarkable.

For me, the best Bankies player tonight was Chris McGowan. He has been outstanding since coming to the club and hopefully moves are being made to make his stay longer. Andy Leishman also had another great game and the fact he has been picked out shows the threat that Gartcairn carried in the game.

It’s down to Townhead Park to face Cumnock on Saturday. We’ve only won there once in our last seven visits, and despite the fact that the Nock haven’t won any of their last five games it is going to be yet another stiff test.

Match report written by Stuart McBay