Clydebank 5
Gretna 2008 0
League (Lowland League)

Match Report

Clydebank brought down the curtain on 2025 with a fine 5–0 win over second-bottom Gretna 2008, ensuring the Bankies end the year at the top of the Lowland League, four points ahead of our nearest challenger.

We like a wee stat or two on the Bankies Archive and, for those who share this interest, today was our 27th home match of the year, resulting in 20 victories, six draws and just one defeat. That reverse came against Largs Thistle in the week following the capture of the West of Scotland League title. We have not lost at home since then, and today’s win saw the unbeaten streak extended to sixteen matches.

The Bankies were just as effective away from home. After losing the first two games of 2025, we embarked on a run of fourteen unbeaten matches that took us all the way to September. It was these streaks that carried Clydebank to the West of Scotland League Championship and subsequent play-off success, paving the way to promotion to the Lowland League.

The year rounded off with Lee Gallacher reaching the personal landmark of his 200th appearance, becoming just the 29th player in the modern era of the club to achieve this feat. Lee celebrated the occasion in style, scoring twice and turning in one of his best performances of the season.

Just like last season, every game now feels like a cup final that must be won at all costs. With Bonnyrigg Rose winning ten games in a row, they are really ramping up the pressure and were within a point of the Bankies before today’s game. The opportunity to end the year with a four-point lead was too good to pass up.

We knew exactly what to expect from Gretna after their approach at Raydale Park earlier in the season, where they attempted to kick us off the pitch. That is a real shame, as they have some excellent ball players in their ranks. It will come as no surprise to learn that Gretna have the worst disciplinary record in the Lowland League, and Sean McKenzie added to their tally of seven red cards this season by being dismissed for a poor challenge on Owen Stott.

At some level, that competitive edge served The Anvils reasonably well, as they were competitive for much of the first half. There were few chances created by either side, but the Bankies looked capable of stretching the visitors’ defence. Poor decision-making and execution at key moments, however, meant there were only fleeting glimpses of goal.

Gordon Moffat opted to play three at the back, pushing regular full-backs Hodge and McHugh very high up the pitch. This effectively gave the Bankies five in attack during transitions, with Lee Gallacher operating in the number ten role — in preference to Nicky Little — supporting the front pairing of Keir Samson and Neil McLaughlin.

On the one occasion the Bankies got it right in the first half, it led to a goal after just eight minutes. Lee Gallacher swept a magnificent pass beyond the Gretna defence for Neil McLaughlin to run on to. McLaughlin has been in superb form, and there was no way he was missing as he simply passed the ball into the net past the motionless goalkeeper.

Gretna were decent in the first half without really troubling the Clydebank defence. They enjoyed some neat passages of play but repeatedly let themselves down with rough-house tackling, particularly from striker Sean McKenzie. In one flashpoint, when Neil McLaughlin was scythed down by Sam Atkinson, the Bankies forward reacted with some justification. McKenzie then ran the length of the pitch to get involved, earning a yellow card that would later prove costly.

The second half began in ideal fashion, with Lee Gallacher scoring his first of the day just four minutes after the restart. An overhit Adam Hodge cross cleared the goalmouth, and a Gretna defender had less time than he anticipated as Oisin McHugh barged past him to steal possession. He squared for Gallacher, who finished with great aplomb.

From that point on, it was one-way traffic, and when the third goal arrived after 61 minutes it was an absolute beauty. Gallacher’s finish was clinical in the extreme, but the goal was all about the skill and trickery of Neil McLaughlin. This is one to make sure you catch on the highlights, as he produced some outrageous footwork to dismantle the Gretna defence before threading a perfect pass for Gallacher to apply the finish.

The game was now over as a contest, and the importance of goal difference was not lost on the Bankies support, who roared the players on in search of more goals. They were aided in this objective when McKenzie was red-carded for a reckless and unnecessary challenge on Owen Stott.

Clydebank continued to press, and two further goals were added in the closing stages to round off a satisfying afternoon’s work. The substitutes’ fingerprints were all over both, which will please Gordon Moffat. Goal number four came from good work and a dinked cross to the back post by Thomas Collins, which was volleyed home by Nicky Low. It was then two substitutes who combined to complete the scoring, as Hickey Fugaccia’s deflected cross found its way to the back post for the unmarked Aaron Black to hammer into the roof of the net.

In terms of man of the match, I thought Matt Niven was our best player in the first half until he was forced off injured, but in the second half it became a toss-up between Neil McLaughlin and Lee Gallacher. McLaughlin always catches the eye, but Gallacher’s work off the ball was particularly impressive. He worked tirelessly and rarely wasted possession, and an assist along with two goals certainly strengthened his claim.

It seems the week’s break has done the Bankies the world of good. We have now won three in a row since emerging from a sticky patch of results, and enter 2026 in a good place. There are, however, twelve tough games remaining, with only five of them at home.

We begin the New Year with back-to-back trips to Albion Rovers and Cowdenbeath, and while Clydebank supporters have learned never to make bold predictions, this is a squad that has earned the right to face the challenge with quiet confidence and genuine belief.

Match report written by Stuart McBay