Clydebank 1
East Fife 4
League (Division 2)

Match Report

Disappointment and anger filled the air at Kilbowie Park after a bewildering display of refereeing saw Clydebank slump to a 4-1 defeat against East Fife. Two shocking decisions by referee WJ Mullan left the Bankies fuming and ultimately contributed to their downfall.

The first half belonged entirely to Clydebank. They burst out of the blocks, grabbing the lead within six minutes. A pinpoint cross from the right wing found Love unmarked in the box, and he made no mistake, burying the ball past the East Fife goalkeeper.

The relentless rain throughout the match transformed the north side of the pitch into a bog. Players steered clear of the area like it was the plague, with the ball disappearing into the mud with a satisfying "thunk" whenever it landed there.

Despite the challenging conditions, Clydebank continued to dominate. Caskie, Mitchell, Hawkshaw, and Hay peppered the East Fife goal with shots, but goalkeeper Gorman stood firm to keep the scoreline at 1-0.

However, the second half was a story of woe for the Bankies. They inexplicably lost their spark, while East Fife grew in confidence.

The Fifers equaliser came in the 54th minute when right half Borthwick passed in to Bobby Waddell, at centre, who sent the ball under Dick Madden.

However, the real turning point arrived in a controversial 57th minute. That was when centre half Fallon passed back to Dick Madden in goal. Unfortunately the ball failed to reach Madden and Bobby Waddell came in for a shot.

The goal was lying wide open and keeper Madden had to take drastic measures to prevent a goal; he caught Waddell's ankle as he ran past.

Of course, ref WJ Mullan awarded a penalty. Before the kick was taken keeper Madden pointed out to the referee that his right arm had been injured during the foul.

Despite this the referee ordered the penalty to be taken. Centre half Guild took the kick, and needless to say put it into the net past Dick Madden's bad side.

Only after all this did the referee call on trainer Maurice Friel of Clydebank to attend to Madden's injured arm.

Two more goals followed in the last ten minutes in quick succession, both with a hint of controversy. The third goal after 80 minutes another for Waddell, saw Burke seemingly offside in the build-up as he raced through the Clydebank defence. He squared the ball to Waddell, who tapped it home from close range.

The final goal came in the dying minutes, with Waddell completing his hat-trick by hammering home a Miller cross.

Clydebank fans were left bewildered and frustrated by the refereeing decisions that ultimately cost them the game. While their second-half performance was undeniably poor, the controversial calls undoubtedly played a significant role in their defeat.

Match report written by and adapted by Stuart McBay