Clydebank 1
Berwick Rangers 0
League (Division 2)

Match Report

Ice hockey would have been a better game for Kilbowie for both teams skidded all over the place due to the snow on the pitch.

These conditions continued for most of the first half but near the end of the half the sun began to melt the snow and Kilbowie Park began to look like a duck pond with large pools of water everywhere. I certainly did not relish the prospect of playing football, so i wonder how the 22 players felt.

Bankies won the game in the 16th minute after a Fleming header was cleared to the feet of Tony Moy who let loose from close range and smashed the ball high into the net.

This goal had been preceded by a dazzling run down the right by wee Eddie Rutherford and the winger's cross was touched over the bar by goalkeeper and manager of Berwick, Jock Wallace.

Wallace played extremely well and prevented Bankies by winning by a larger score. He brought off some fine saves from shots by Fleming and Moy up front in the Bankies attack.

The visitors were not entirely out of it either and near half time right winger Dowds came too close for comfort with a shot which just cleared the bar and no more.

Berwick had much of the play in the midfield but there was something missing up front and several scoring chances went sadly abegging because of poor shooting.

Bankies had new signing Dougie Hay in the side and the 17 year old proved himself a great worker and narrowly missed two scoring chances. He was playing at left half and fitted in well with other half backs Edie Moore and old trojan Ernie Collumbine, back in his sweeper position after several weeks lay off.

There is no doubt about it, defence wise, Bankies are setting a high standard; its just the attack that lacks a little lustre, especially in the middle.

Centre forward Jim Fleming missed too many good scoring chances in this game and I personally think he does not fit in an otherwise reasonable attack.

One thing that did annoy me was that on many occasions Tony Moy was the only forward up front when Bankies broke away from defence and he was up against insurmountable odds with two or three Berwick defenders to beat.

There are no new injury worries in the pool of 24 players with only Frank McAleer still out recovering from a knee injury.

Bankies have signed another youth player. He is Scottish Schools and Youth Cap JIM FALLON, a pupil at Holy Cross High School in Hamilton.

Seventeen year old Jim is a classmate of Jim Devlin, the Bankies youth team centre forward and it is for this reason that the club thinks that Jim signed because there were other clubs after him. Jim plays in the centre half position.

Another of the youth players, Jimmy Caskie is likely to be given a spot in the team against Ayr United on Friday night.