Alloa Athletic 1
Clydebank 2
League (Division 1)

Match Report

One of the few things this match had in common with the Premier League clash of the giants at Parkhead was that they away team won.

Another was that the man who ended up the hero spent most of the game as the villain of the piece.

Aberdeen 's Eric Black faced being substituted before ramming home a hat-trick to sink leaders Celtic in front of more than 42,000 fans.

But there were probably more people in the Parkhead toilets than the entire attendance at recreation park who saw Tommy Coyne end his own nightmare with the flick of a foot.

His 65th minute toe-poke showed just how fickle a game football can be.

For most of the match Coyne faced a tirade of abuse from the Bankies fans in the crowd as their side made heavy weather of a scrappy game.

Possibly this was a bit unfair, fans are creatures of habit and tend to get their eye on one man and take out their frustration on him.

However, many fans overreacted on Saturday, though Coyne was having a poor game by any standards. Not that too many of his teammates were an awful lot better.

But strikers are paid to score and when they do so they are the glory boys of the game. When Tommy Coyne wrong footed keeper Donald Hunter with his flick on from Budgie McGhie's header he had done his job and the memory of a bad performance was erased.

The goal was enough to maintain Clydebank 's remarkable away run which now stretches back 10 unbeaten fixtures to late September.

But they really shouldn't have had to struggle half as much as they did against an Alloa side which didn't have a lot more than honest sweat.

A Gerry McCabe goal was all Bankies had to show for a first half of little quality and no little number of missed chances.

And, as the game progressed it became obvious that the more chances Clydebank squandered the more likely will Alloa were to snatch a goal with their grinding relentless style.

They got it through player boss Willie Garner courtesy of a penalty but it was just four minutes later that Coyne popped up to wrap up the points.

The goals were isolated incidents in the type of game which I suppose is the bread and butter of the game. It was, for me, unappetising fare.

The running of Bobby Williamson set up the opener for Bankies. He broke on the right before squaring to McCabe who left Hunter stranded from the edge of the box.

But it was a piece of uncharacteristic rashness in the penalty box which gave away the equaliser.

Generally away from home Clydebank get by without having to resort to panic measures, but Campbell McKeown's lunge at John Wilson had more than a hint of the brainless about it.

Jim Gallacher guessed correctly but Garner's kick was just out of his despairing reach.

Garner though was helpless minutes later when Bankies at last got some joy from a set piece.

Bobby Williamson slung over the latest in a series of corners and when Budgie McGhie used his considerable aerial prowess to nod goalwards there was Coyne to finish off from a couple of yards out.

Bankies should have won more comfortably, but as far as points are concerned two one is as good as 10-1.