Darvel 1
Clydebank 5
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

The Bankies scored five goals for the third time in the last five matches as they cruised to an easy win at Darvel. Despite resting a number of players, the Bankies were still able to demolish the Recreation Park side without having to break into much of a sweat.

Even when Darvel pulled a goal back to make the score 2-1 early in the second half, Gordon Moffat had an embarrassment of riches at his disposal on the bench to choose from as he introduced, Gallacher, Little, Grant, Truesdale and McKenzie.

The players simply moved up a gear and went on to score another three goals all from Nicky Little in an eight-minute spell to run out convincing winners. That treble from Little was his fourth for the club and takes his tally for the season up to 33 tying him with Blair Millar who hit the same total way back in 1978-79. One more will see him knock down another record as his legend at the club continues to grow.

This result relegated Darvel down to the First Division as their decline continues apace. The big-spending days are well and truly over ‘doon the brae’ as the club are now on a journey back to the level that is commensurate to their standing. Michael Oliver has actually done an incredibly good job in trying circumstances and he should have no problem managing at a higher level in the future.

It is worth noting that Clydebank’s starting line-up contained five ex-Darvel players from their lavish years, and one more on the bench. The shoe is absolutely on the other foot now, and the Bankies set off on their mission at a blistering pace.

Watching the players in the pre-match warm up, the atmosphere was very relaxed and jovial, and this looks like a group who have each other’s backs, and it showed in the performance that followed.

There could easily have been four or five goals scored in the opening ten minutes as McGonigle with an overhead kick, and Black with a deflected shot saw the Darvel goal under siege. Niven also forced a fingertip save from Ruddy with a volley. We had to just settle for the one goal, and it was a great piece of football, as the ball went through five or six different players before Cairns prodded the ball to Aaron Black on the right hand side of the box, and he slashed it beautifully into the net.

As the game settled down, Darvel forced their way into proceedings, and free header for Duncan at the back post from a corner, and a shot from Murphy on the turn gave the Bankies defence something to think about.

It was during this decent spell for the home side that the Bankies went two up after 36 minutes. Moments earlier the Bankies had the ball in the net from Ciaran Mulcahy who was flagged for offside, but there was no doubt but David Syme’s header which he powered home from a McGonigle corner.

The game appeared to be done and dusted and perhaps the Bankies could be accused of being a little complacent at the start of the second half, and Darvel gave themselves a lifeline just after the hour. A great ball down the right wing took out Oisin McHugh, and Lewis set up Ross Barbour at the edge of the box, and he fair cracked the ball past a static Andy Leishman.

This was the cue for Gordon Moffat to bring out the big guns, and the intensity gradually began to increase. Darvel were abysmal defensively all game and were giving their supporters all kinds of heart attacks, so it was no real shock when the third goal came from an error. A woefully short header by Williamson back to his keeper was intercepted by Nicky Little and on this kind of form he just isn’t missing, and he didn’t.

This was the start of his quick-fire hat-trick. The second was a fine strike from the edge of the box through a crowded penalty area, with the assist supplied by Lee Gallacher’s clever corner kick, and the treble was completed by a great header from an inch-perfect Danny MacKenzie cross.

The Bankies look to be in a good place as we head down to Troon next week for the last league game of the season before we move onto the all-important Lowland League play-off games.

Musselburgh Athletic confirmed their place as our opponents in the play-off as they clinched the East of Scotland League title. They will be high on confidence, and like ourselves are used to winning week in week out. These are easily shaping up to be two of the most important games in the last twenty years or so. We know what the prize is, and we know what is required to get there, so let’s do it.

Match report written by Stuart McBay