Match Report
Clydebank were left with the unmistakable feeling of two points dropped after Pollok snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw at Holm Park with virtually the last kick of the game.
The Bankies dominated territory for long spells and created enough chances to win comfortably, but a sluggish first half and a failure to kill the game after taking the lead ultimately proved costly.
Pollok stunned the home support after only eight minutes. Cameron burst clear down the left and drove a low ball towards the near post, where former SPFL striker Bob McHugh arrived to turn it home.
Clydebank gradually took control, but as Gordon Moffat later admitted, the tempo was too slow. Pollok were content to sit deep, keep their shape and shuffle from side to side, while the Bankies moved the ball without causing enough damage.
There were chances. A defensive error gave Nicky Low a free header which lacked power, while McHugh was sent through at an angle at the other end and forced a good save from McAllister. Neil McLaughlin then released Kian Leslie, only for a heavy touch to allow the opportunity to disappear, and Scott Forrester powered a header wide from a corner.
The message at half-time was clearly to increase the pace, and Clydebank were a different proposition after the restart. Blair Rossiter fired into the side-netting from close range before Forrester again went close with a downward header. McLaughlin then ghosted in at the back post from a free-kick but somehow sent his effort wide.
Just when it looked like being one of those afternoons, the breakthrough finally came in the 68th minute. Forrester launched a long ball forward, McLaughlin controlled it superbly and drilled a low finish home from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later the turnaround was complete. A scramble developed inside the Pollok penalty area and the loose ball dropped kindly for Aidan Callaghan, who showed no hesitation in smashing it home from eight yards.
At 2-1, Clydebank looked capable of finishing the contest. Moffat later reflected that there were several opportunities to pick Pollok off on the break, but the final decision was repeatedly wrong. A third goal would surely have ended the game.
Instead, Pollok kept going and offered a warning when Cassells turned a McHugh cross wide from close range.
The lesson was not learned.
Four minutes into stoppage time, another ball into the box found its way to McHugh, who reacted quickest and hammered home from six yards to steal a point.
It was a cruel finish for Clydebank, who had been the better side and played most of the match in Pollok territory. The performance, particularly after half-time, was encouraging, but the frustration was obvious. As Moffat summed it up afterwards, when you dominate a game to that extent, you have to find a way to finish it.
Match report written by Stuart McBay
