Match Report
Before we get to the football, let’s talk about the occasion. It has been twenty-five years since the last Dunbartonshire derby took place, and over thirty since Clydebank hosted Dumbarton in a competitive game in the town. A generation of new fans were able to witness this great match-up alongside older supporters who might be creaking at the seams a little, but were transported back to memories of a different time.
Social media was alive yesterday with many accounts highlighting this fact, with even one or two of the national newspapers shining some light upon it. It is a historic fixture which is simply fantastic to see back on the calendar.
A sold-out crowd at Holm Park shows the appetite is there from the Clydebank public to come out and support their local team. The goal continues to be clear for the Bankies, and that is a return to the SPFL as quickly as possible to make this tie the norm rather than the exception.
The 4-0 result in itself was an exceptional outcome for the Bankies. Dumbarton, by their own admission, have been poor this season, whilst Clydebank are in a rich vein of form. However, to lose not just by such a margin, but in the manner they did to a club from a division below, simply should not be allowed to happen.
In the wider context, for the Bankies it is another boost to the club’s continuing upward trajectory. When Clydebank enjoyed the run in the Scottish Cup two years ago, culminating in 2,500 supporters travelling to Easter Road to play Hibs, Scottish football sat up and took notice of a club who many did not know even existed.
To have completed the league phase of the KDM Evolution Trophy in top spot out of 40 clubs is a remarkable achievement for a non-league club. It is not just about financial reward, but the prestige and recognition that follows. Clydebank lost its place in senior football in ignominious circumstances a quarter of a century ago, but this match, this result and this progress represent another step forward in realising the ambitions of the club and its supporters, who have worked tirelessly to get us back into this position.
This may be a match report, but it is almost like a diary as well, and it is important to record the circumstances surrounding the game as well as who passed to whom and who scored the goals.
Let’s get to it then, and what a performance from Gordon Moffat’s men. For a part-time club to be playing almost every midweek and maintaining these standards has been incredible. This was game number nineteen already, and Moffat has been rotating his squad efficiently. This allowed him to pick almost a full-strength team apart from the injured Andy Leishman and defender Chris McGowan.
The opening ten minutes were predictably cagey in front of the large crowd. Dumbarton, as the league side, looked to impose themselves on the game, whereas the Bankies appeared to be sussing out what they were up against.
Once those early nerves settled down, you could sense Clydebank beginning to take a grip on proceedings. The first real chance fell to Bankies top scorer Neil McLaughlin, who missed from point-blank range as he got on the end of a Blair Rossiter cross. It looked like all he had to do was knock the ball into the gaping goal, but credit to Munn, who somehow managed to divert it away.
Clydebank were now dominating possession, with Josiah Sowa being Dumbarton’s only real outlet. The pacy winger caused some issues in the first half, but he was well marshalled in the second 45.
It was left to the Bankies captain to open the scoring after 23 minutes. Oisin McHugh has developed into a top attacking wing-back, and since being given the captaincy he has found another level.
Before his goal, he delivered the ball across the six-yard box which was desperately cleared, and then fired in a twenty-five-yard shot that Munn saved low to his left. The goal itself was something special as he ran into the box on the blindside of Doyle and met Nicky Low’s cross with what can only be described as a cushioned lob. He somehow lifted the ball over the keeper’s head from inside the six-yard box. A quite incredible piece of finishing.
Dumbarton didn’t create anything of note. A free-kick which is probably still travelling down Dumbarton Road, and a back-post hook shot from Kirkpatrick, were all that the Sons offered.
On the resumption, the Bankies looked to get the killer second goal. McHugh passed from a good position when he should have shot, and McLaughlin was a toe away from getting on the end of an in-swinging Rossiter cross.
After withstanding that initial barrage, Dumbarton had their best spell of the match. They kept the ball well and had a couple of near things. A sweeping cross-field ball was just out of reach of Sowa, and the same player headed a deep back-post cross into the side netting.
But on the hour, somebody flicked a switch and the Bankies came back to life with a procession of chances. Jimmy Grant lashed the ball wide of the post from inside the box, Docherty sclaffed a shot wide from a cut-back, and Rossiter breached the Sons defence. You would have bet your house on him scoring, but Munn saved to his left. Finally, the keeper made a superb stop from a Scott Forrester thunderbolt to concede a corner.
There was no way the Dumbarton goal could survive this, and when Forrester’s header from the resulting corner came off the crossbar, there was only one outcome as the ball dropped for Neil McLaughlin to make it 2-0.
Holm Park erupted, and both sets of supporters knew the game was over.
Moffat introduced fresh legs, and it was now just a matter of how many the Bankies could score. The third came after 78 minutes and spoke to the absolute determination and belief in the team as Mikey Doyle was chased all the way to the corner flag by Rossiter and Samson.
Rossiter won the ball and gave it to Samson, who found McHugh. He in turn gave it to Cairns, who fed Docherty. It was a sweet moment for the ex-Dumbarton player as he placed a beauty of a shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards.
The final goal was the proverbial icing on the cake and a case of being kicked when you are down. The footwork from Kieran Dolan was superb as he shuffled from right to left, getting his shot away before the defender could react. The ball came back off the post and, unfortunately for keeper Munn, ricocheted off him as he lay on the ground before crossing the line.
The result eliminated Dumbarton from the competition, and they have a lot of thinking to do. They had improved over recent weeks in League Two, but this is a major setback for them.
For Clydebank, it is another massive victory as we fight on five fronts. By finishing in the top six in the league phase, the Bankies will be seeded in the draw for the round of 32 in the Challenge Cup. It also means we will avoid the Championship clubs who are introduced at this stage. We will also find out our opponents in the South Challenge Cup when that competition is drawn this week.
There is little time to stop and take all this in, as we return to league action against Beith Juniors at Holm Park on Saturday. Kilwinning Rangers have been making hay while we have been on cup duty, and we simply have to keep winning to stay on their coattails. Hopefully, we will retain a few of the new supporters who enjoyed the Dumbarton game, as Clydebank are undoubtedly on a journey.
Match report written by Stuart McBay
