Clydebank 2
Gala Fairydean Rvrs 1
League (Lowland League)

Match Report

The Bankies reached the halfway stage of the league campaign with a deserved 2–1 victory over Gala Fairydean at Holm Park. As a result, we have opened up a five-point lead at the top of the table, though second-placed Linlithgow Rose — our visitors this coming Saturday — have a game in hand.

The loss of Keir Samson from the side, adding to an already substantial injury list was a blow we could have done without, and It leaves us thin on the ground with our other main striker still recovering from foot surgery. However, Neil McLaughlin returning from suspension was an able deputy and had another top-notch game.

Even the soft red card shown to Aaron Black could not deter the Bankies, who had to show real resilience after being forced to play the remaining 35 minutes with ten men. The narrow scoreline always meant that Gala were never out of the game, but it is in moments like this — when you still find a way to get over the line — that league titles are won.

Not for the first time this season, the opposition made the Bankies switch ends for kick-off, shooting towards our own supporters, and it backfired spectacularly as the home side took the lead after just three minutes.

Oisin McHugh was fouled during one of his marauding runs down the left. One thing Clydebank don’t get enough credit for is the variety in our set-pieces, and this was a fine example of doing the unexpected. With Lee Gallacher over the ball, rather than send a cross into a congested box, he rolled it back to Nicky Low, who was 25 yards out.

Low took a couple of touches to steady himself before cracking in a left-footed shot that keeper Murray could get nowhere near.

Strangely, the goal seemed to stifle play for the next ten minutes as Gala tried to regroup, and they stunned the Bankies with a well-taken equaliser. All Lowland League sides have shown decent passing pedigree, and they can get on top of you if you’re not on top of your game out of possession.

Dolan looked lively on the right-hand side early on, and when he cut inside and fired a shot, Owen Stott probably should have done better. The keeper parried the ball to his right, but it sat perfectly for the in-rushing Ethan Dougal to head home.

This jolted Clydebank into a dominant first-half performance, and it was remarkable that we scored only once more before the interval. Gala were tying themselves in knots trying to play out from the back and repeatedly losing possession in their own half. From these turnovers the Bankies found space all over the final third, with Aaron Black’s pace in particular causing all sorts of problems. It was the stand-in striker, Neil McLaughlin, who was on the end of most of it. We haven’t really seen McLaughlin in the number nine role before, but he looked a natural.

He was winning flick-ons, linking with the wide men, finishing well, and showing terrific positional sense. It’s no coincidence the chances were falling to him, and if I’m being honest, if McLaughlin were more of an athlete he’d be playing several levels above.

His first chance came from a Nicky Low cross as he drifted in behind his marker unnoticed, but his header was just too close to the keeper. He then forced a tremendous save from Murray from eight yards after Black had run rings around the left-back.

The goal was getting closer and closer. Little mis-controlled in front of goal, and even when the keeper was beaten by a close-range McLaughlin effort, a defender was on the line to clear.

It was fitting that the three best players in the first half combined for what proved to be the winning goal. Black, a constant menace down the right, sent in a cross that was just behind Gallacher, but Nicky Low raced into the box and lifted a delightful chip to the back post for McLaughlin to power home with his head.

The timing — just before the interval — was perfect, and you could only imagine the Bankies building on that platform and running up a handsome scoreline. But football rarely plays out that way.

Within ten minutes of the restart, the Bankies were down to ten men and the game took on a different complexion. Aaron Black had already been booked for petulantly slapping the ball away in the first half, and daft yellows often lead to soft reds.

There’s no doubt Black was late as he tried to block Keaghan Jacobs’ clearance, but the accompanying scream and rolling about undoubtedly influenced the referee, who produced a second yellow. A foul, yes; a caution, no. For Jacobs, it was job done.

The card stifled Clydebank’s attacking ambitions, and we never really created too much thereafter, but it did showcase another side of our game — resilience in defence. I thought Dean Cairns was outstanding in the last half hour. He was everywhere: breaking up attacks, winning tackles and setting up counter-attacks.

There were only a couple of real moments of concern in the second half: a dangerous low cross from the left that only needed a touch, but fortunately had no takers, and a shot from substitute Semple that Stott saved well down to his right.

It was in the last ten minutes that we carved out a couple of sights of goal, both falling to McLaughlin — which will surprise no one. Unfortunately, both efforts came from difficult angles and the keeper saved.

Overall, it was a decent-going-on-great performance, marred only by the red card. Gala have now lost seven of their last eight league games and we should bear that in mind. Linlithgow Rose will be a completely different proposition next week.

Unsurprisingly, the Bankies Archive man of the match was Neil McLaughlin. Thirteen goals in twenty games, including scoring in each of the last seven league matches he has played.

For the Bankies, we remain the only side unbeaten at home in the Lowland League this season — a run that stretches to 13 matches since we lost to Largs the week after clinching the West of Scotland Premier League. We need to take that confidence into a huge weekend of fixtures next week. As well as first v second, there is also third v fourth when Bonnyrigg take on Broxburn.

Match report written by Stuart McBay