Match Report
Clydebank's difficult start to life in the Second Division continued with a 3-0 defeat at Gayfield, although the scoreline was harsher than their overall performance perhaps deserved.
Arbroath enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges and created a string of chances before eventually making the breakthrough after 32 minutes. Jimmy Jack's cross from the right was met by Tom Cargill, whose header gave the home side a deserved lead.
The Bankies had struggled to make any impression going forward, with Willie McCallum's wayward effort their only meaningful attempt before the interval, but they remained in the contest thanks largely to Ronnie Wilson.
Wilson then produced one of the most remarkable moments of the match just before half-time. After Donald McDonald was penalised for handling a cross, Allan Kennedy's penalty was saved, only for the referee to order a retake after ruling the goalkeeper had moved off his line. Wilson repeated the feat by diving the right way to keep out Kennedy's second effort as well, earning warm applause from the Gayfield crowd.
Both sides were forced into changes at the interval. Jim Cant departed for hospital with a neck injury and was replaced by Sandy Finnie, while Ian Russell came on for the injured Donald McDonald.
Clydebank almost made the perfect start to the second half when Roy McCormack was presented with a close-range chance after only three minutes, but he directed his effort straight at Jim Williamson. It proved to be a costly miss.
The visitors were then handed another lifeline after 65 minutes when Williamson fumbled a back-pass on his own goal-line. McCallum raced in, but with the goal at his mercy failed to apply the finishing touch.
Within two minutes Arbroath made them pay. George Easton's pass found substitute Finnie, who doubled the lead in the 67th minute, before another defensive lapse allowed Jimmy Jack to race clear and fire home a third just two minutes later.
Wilson continued to keep the score respectable with several excellent saves, while McCallum forced Williamson into a fine stop late on, but there was no way back for the Bankies as they slipped to a sixth consecutive league defeat.
Despite the disappointing result, Wilson's double penalty save was a rare highlight on an otherwise frustrating evening, while Clydebank were left to reflect on two excellent opportunities in the second half that might have changed the course of the match.
Match report written by Stuart McBay
