Match Report
The Bankies took care of business eventually against Newton Stewart this afternoon, but there were enough issues to have caused Gordon Moffat some serious consternation.
With the greatest of respect to Newton Stewart, they are going to find life extremely tough in this division, having been promoted after finishing fourth in the South of Scotland League. Even with the eagerness that newly promoted sides bring to the first day of the season, Clydebank should have had more than enough in the locker to take care of them handily.
And whilst some may argue that we achieved that in the end, our first-half performance left a lot to be desired. We always looked vulnerable at the back, and once again lacked the intensity required to break down the opposition. We will see how the Creesiders’ results pan out in the coming weeks, but I suspect losing two goals will be seen as unacceptable, and not scoring more was not exactly ideal either.
The spell prior to scoring the third goal and finally retaking the lead was our best in the match. We were finally showing the urgency that posed the Newton defence some serious questions that they couldn’t answer. Winning this game is an end in itself, but Clydebank need to be showing more than they did today if they are serious about mounting a challenge for the league title.
The games are about to get much more difficult, and we will have to be defensively stronger and much more fluid from middle to front, or we could be in for a nasty shock.
For all that, Newton Stewart deserve immense credit for a battling performance and a lively attack. With just four subs on the bench, they were seriously short of players, and that is something that doesn’t bode well for them at this early stage of the season.
One Bankies player who rose above the others was Neil McLaughlin, whose season got off to a perfect start by netting a hat-trick. His opening goal after eight minutes was a perfectly executed curling shot into the corner after good work by Blair Rossiter. Rossiter was effective in the early part of the game but faded later.
It was around the quarter-hour that Newton shocked the Bankies with two quick-fire goals. Harry Mitchell unlocked a static Clydebank defence on the right wing and cracked a wicked low cross into the six-yard box. Full-back Robbie Murray was completely unmarked at the back post as he diverted the ball into the net.
Barely a minute later, a knock-down found Marc Whyte at the edge of the box. The amount of space afforded to the Creesiders captain was poor from the Bankies defence, and he didn’t say no to the invitation as he thumped the ball home first time.
Even with this shock, you still fancied that the Bankies would be alright in the end, and before long they were back on level terms. A suspiciously offside-looking Keir Samson headed the ball into the path of McLaughlin, and his finish was top drawer as he fired into the rigging with power and accuracy.
The Bankies missed a whole host of chances in the second half, but it took a scrambled effort from Oisin McHugh following a McLaughlin long throw to turn the match back in the Bankies’ favour.
At the same time, the Bankies’ two high-profile signings from two years ago, Cairns and Syme, were substituted. Both players disappointed today, and the competition for places at the club suggests that nobody’s position is secure, nor should it be.
Soon after, the points were wrapped up when McLaughlin completed his hat-trick, his third for the club, heading home from a clever dinked cross by Dom Docherty.
With over twenty minutes still to play, the Bankies could and should have scored more, but were unable to add to the tally.
With a potentially difficult game against Celtic B on Tuesday evening, we are simply going to have to be better. The young Celtic side gave the Bankies one of our worst defeats last season, and we need to be able to step up another level if we hope to get a result.
To finish this report, it should be noted that this was a sad day for the club, and particularly older supporters, as a minute’s silence was observed for striker Mike Larnach, who recently passed away.
Mike’s name is woven into the history of the club, and his significant contribution will never be forgotten.
Match report written by Stuart McBay
