Falkirk 3
Clydebank 0
League (Division 1)

Match Report

On the day Clydebank could have gone second top of Division One a win for Falkirk was always on the, cards, I suppose.

"All Bankies have to do is win," seemed to be the general consensus of opinion. But it's never as easy as that. And so Clydebank found out, as a goal right on the half- time whistle and two more midway through second period made it a pointless visit to Brockville.

Clydebank were a strange team at the cold Falkirk ground last Saturday. Sure, they played the kind of football in the middle of the park which has become their trademark this season. But unbelievably they never made one clear-cut chance, and at the other end lost two terrible goals in the second half which sealed their fate.

Oliver had given the Bairns the lead just before the break, his first-time flick from a Herd cross curling past Gallacher into the far corner, but it was these two blows in the 68th and 73rd minutes which must have made Sammy Henderson cringe in the dug-out.

The first came only minutes after the home side had introduced Sammy Conn in place of Hay. The influence of new blood did them the world of good, and, when Bankies failed to clear a Thompson corner, centre-half Alan Mackin had all the time in the world to pick his spot and slam the ball into the roof of the net.

At this, Clydebank seemed to lose their grip and Jim Given and Blair Millar were both booked for talking back to the referee who had an unhappy day.

As if all this wasn't enough a rare slip by skipper Jim Fallon gave Willie Herd the simplest of chances to make it 3-0. A long through ball dropped over his shoulder, but he delayed his passback and Herd nipped in to toe- poke his shot past Gallacher. There was no way back from that blow.

Funnily enough, though, anyone who had come into the ground during that second half would have been excused for thinking that Clydebank were three up. Gerry Ronald and Gerry McCabe tirelessly beat man after man in an effort to breach the home defence. But that, unhappily, was as far as it went.

To sum it all up, too many Clydebank players had off- days at the same time. Last week's hero, Blair Millar, had a frustrating after-oon, his efforts at goal being limited to a couple of half chances in front of George Watson in the home goal. Budgie McGhie had another good solid game in defence without doing anything spectacular.

And Campbell McKeown, so impressive over the last few weeks, never got into the game at all, and in the end was replaced by Gerry McLauchlan. This meant a move to midfield for Mark Treanor, a switch which almost brought Bankies to life. But not quite.

But it's unfair to pick out individuals for criticism. Clydebank, as a team, can be much better than this and they have it. As it turned out, Dumbarton's surprise win over Hearts let Bankies off the hook near the top. But that, I'm sure, will be scant consolation for all concerned at Kilbowie Park.


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How the other side saw it
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Falkirk ended a long sequence of seven matches without a victory in emphatic style on Saturday when they crushed promotion dark horses Clydebank.

The Bankies came to Brockville with a formidable record, having taken an amazing 11 points from their previous six matches and having hit the headlines the week before with a six-goal victory over Dunfermline.

But the Kilbowie side left Falkirk on Saturday night with their proud record in tatters, after being taken apart by a Bairns side who made nonsense of their recent poor scoring form with a display of clinical finishing.

However the way this match started, and indeed throughout the first half, a high scoring victory for the Bairns never really looked on the cards. They were disjointed and lacked the rhythm and aggression shown against Motherwell the previous week but a goal just on half time by Mike Oliver provided the springboard for a much more convincing second half.

Oliver, by no means a first team regular for Falkirk, was one of a handful of outstanding players in the Bairns side if the match is judged over the 90 minutes. He played his best match in a Falkirk jersey to date, adding bite to the midfield and showing up well ? both in supporting the attack and on the defensive.

And there was a tremendous display from Willie Herd, who has struggled to show his best form recently, but scored one goal and set up the other two for the Bairns.

The contribution of Colin Fowler, making his full debut in place of suspended skipper Brian Brown, could not be overlooked either. He played with confidence and purpose, ably plugging the gap in the Falkirk defence to such an extent that Bankies' high scoring forwards seldom troubled keeper George Watson.

At the start Bankies showed all the fluency one would expect from a side making a very serious bid for promotion, but they were kept at arms' length by the Bairns' rearguard.

A very disappointing first-half display by the Bairns in which little seemed to work for them was, nevertheless, punctuated by a couple of superb attacking moves from the home side.

In the opening minutes John Hay showed great vision when he struck a curling crossfield pass which left Gordon Smith with only the keeper to beat, but his shot slipped high over the crossbar.

After a couple of token Clydebank attacks had broken down, Billy Stevenson showed how dangerous a front runner he can be when he struck one 25-yard shot which scraped past the post and ?then saw a fine angled effort superbly tipped over the bar by keeper Jim Gallacher.

Falkirk had had a narrow escape in the 44th minute when striker Blair Miller's cross-shot trundled along their goal-line. Just after, they took the lead with a well worked goal.

Herd, in possession out at the right corner flag, jinked past his marker to reach the bye-line before striking a near post cross. The ball was met perfectly by OLIVER who applied only the finest of touches to send it curling and spinning away from keeper Gallacher and into the far corner of the net.

The Bairns entered the second half displaying greater determination, and their efforts paid off in the 67th minute when they went further ahead. Again it was Herd who was the architect, pushing a low ball into the crowded penalty box. Big Alan MACKIN was first to the ball, squeezing his rising shot between two advancing Bankies defenders and high into the net.

Six minutes later hapless Clydebank saw all hopes of a revival disappear when they conceded a third goal. Watson's long clearance was back headed by Smith into the Bankies' 18-yard box and as the ball fell between keeper Gallacher and veteran defender Jim Fallon the fleet footed HERD appeared from nowhere to prod home via the goalpost.

The Bairns stepped down a gear after virtually clinching the points and the Kilbowie side took the initiative. But the Bankies, who had Given and Millar booked, never threatened to spoil Falkirk's party.