Match Report
Clydebank turned the clock back almost a quarter of a century since the last time we faced Alloa Athletic in a competitive match, and the League One side were lucky to leave Holm Park with a point in this Challenge Cup match.
The Bankies dominated for long spells and should have made more of the chances created, including a poorly taken penalty kick by Nicky Low which was saved by the keeper. By the same token, when facing higher league opponents you must not give away a cheap goal, and the one we conceded tonight was right out of the bargain basement. In an otherwise superb display by the Bankies back four, including new signing Scott Forrester who strolled through the game, we lost an abysmal goal from a free-kick when Owen Stott misjudged a fairly harmless shot at goal and allowed the ball to squirm through his body and over the line.
The Bankies had set up in a highly attacking formation, although reverting to one up top with Neil McLaughlin leading the line and Keir Samson dropping to the bench. Jimmy Grant and Oisin McHugh were given licence to push forward at every opportunity and, with Rossiter and Leslie in advanced positions, Gordon Moffat made his intentions clear.
Alloa, for their part, retained six players from the starting eleven who drew away to Cove Rangers at the weekend, though the five replacements had all been on the bench in that game. They missed Kyle Glasgow, who has been contributing goals, as he is on a co-operation deal from Rangers and was on duty with their B team tonight.
The Bankies wasted no time in taking the game to Alloa, and a Forrester header from a Rossiter free-kick was gathered by keeper Green. Still inside the first five minutes, McHugh’s dangerous diagonal shot skipped just past the far post.
The visitors showed decent pace in possession, and their passing was crisp and on point, but the Bankies’ energy levels kept them at bay.
Clydebank looked the more threatening, and Kian Leslie should really have opened the scoring after 25 minutes. Jimmy Grant deceived his marker and pulled the ball back from the bye-line for Leslie to scuff his shot past the upright.
It was at this point that referee Lewis Hogarth booked Kurtis Roberts, and something clicked in the official’s head that made him think he had to produce a yellow card for every foul. Now, this was quite a feisty encounter with plenty of pushing and shoving, and it was this edge that made the game as entertaining as it was. Hogarth would go on to book 13 players and dismiss Josh Walker of the Wasps towards the end of the match.
As we approached the latter part of the first half, a five-minute spell dramatically changed the course of the match. Firstly, Oisin McHugh was bowled over in the box, and after giving himself a good few seconds’ thinking time, Hogarth pointed to the spot. Nicky Low missed a penalty at Renfrew ten days ago, and to be honest, although well directed, there wasn’t enough power in his shot. Green guessed the right way and stopped the ball comfortably.
Before we could regain our composure, Dean Cairns was penalised for a barge just outside the penalty area at the other end of the field. Full-back O’Donnell curled the ball left-footed around the wall, and Stott seemed to be there in plenty of time, but inexplicably let it get away from him and into the net. This is sure to reignite the Leishman v Stott debate for possession of the goalkeeper’s jersey.
It was interesting to see how the Bankies would react to going behind to a higher-level side, and how Alloa would adjust once they took the lead. At the start of the second half, Alloa had a spell of better possession, but even then it was the Bankies who carried the goal threat.
McLaughlin was unlucky when his shot inside the box squirmed out of the keeper’s hands, only for the ball to go over the bar. There were a couple of occasions when we looked too anxious to get the goal, as Rossiter twice and McHugh snatched at shots when a little more composure was required.
The goal finally arrived after 67 minutes, and it came from a cute lay-off by McHugh to McLaughlin, who directed the ball towards the bottom corner. Green stopped it but couldn’t hold on, and Blair Rossiter was the quickest to react as he forced the ball over the line to draw the sides level.
The Bankies were back in full control, and a smart overhead kick by Docherty flashed marginally wide of the target. Gordon Moffat brought on several substitutes to try and win the game, but to be fair to Alloa, we never really got that close in the final ten minutes or so.
This was despite the visitors being reduced to ten men after Josh Walker was booked, then dismissed, in the space of three minutes. The closest the Bankies came was from a Josh Jack free-kick which skipped up just in front of the keeper, but he held it well.
It feels like two points dropped rather than a point gained, but on reflection it was a satisfying evening in terms of performance. We remain unbeaten in the tournament and sit in fifth place in the forty-team table. We probably need another win from our remaining games to qualify for the knockout stages, which feels achievable.
We now embark on three home league games in a week, starting with Largs Thistle on Saturday. The Barrfields side were the last team to prevent the Bankies from scoring a goal way back in April 2025. We have now scored in 59 consecutive matches, which is a massive club record, and hopefully I haven’t jinxed it!
Match report written by Stuart McBay
