Queen's Park 1
Clydebank 0
League Cup (Group 7)

Match Report

Clydebank, Section 7 favourites, stuttered into the League Cup with an uninspiring performance.

The Hampden amateurs retained enough of their respected values of fair play to hit a deserved winner seven minutes from the end.

On this display, it could be another very long season at Kilbowie Park. Neither team did much to justify the hopes that this will be Scotland's finest and most important season to date.

Despite a busy opening spell, Bankies settled into an almost lethargic mould and their forwards looked strangely static.

The game's saving grace was a marvellously struck goal from Queen's Jim McNiven, who strolled nonchalantly through the Clydebank defence before hitting the back of the net from 20 yards.

Campbell McKeown shone for brief moments in the first half, while Jim Gallacher served well at the back as usual. But the Kilbowie defence seemed to lack the guidance supplied by the absent Jim Fallon.

The home side made a lively start to a season in which they hoped to hold their own in the First Division. Still fresh from their Second Division championship win, the Hampden outfit almost stole the lead when Blair Millar slipped up.

The high-scoring forward misjudged a pass back to allow Melrose a clear chance, but the Queen's forward saw his shot blocked by the ever alert Gallacher in the Bankies goal.

Jim Given had Clydebank's first clear chance of the match when he fired in a grounder which keeper Atkins grabbed at the second attempt.

But the rest of the first period was dominated by the home side and they should have taken the lead after half an hour with two glorious chances coming in the one move.

McGregor failed to capitalise on a scoring chance only yards from goal, but managed to squirm the ball across the Bankies line with the defence wrong-footed. Nicholson met the ball unmarked at the far post but with half an eye on the advancing Gallacher slipped his feeble shot wide of the beckoning goal.

Twice the veteran Clydebank keeper came to the rescue of the visitors as Queen's breached the shaky rearguard.

Millar had the ball in the net minutes into the second half, but was ruled offside. It turned out to be Clydebank's best chance of the half.

In a flurry of substitutions, Bankies brought on Treanor for the limping Evans and Queen's replaced Wood and Verrechia with Melrose and Grant.

With only seven minutes to go and Clydebank heading for a rather feeble draw, the homesters struck the killer blow with what could turn out to be the finest goal of the season.

The defence looked stunned, but the ineffectual attack must take an equal share of the blame.

Clydebank's McKeown was booked in the second half for a late tackle