Dumbarton 3
Clydebank 3
League (Division 2)

Match Report

A boisterous Boghead crowd, shaking off the excesses of New Year's Eve, witnessed a six-goal thriller in the annual Ne'er Day derby between Clydebank and Dumbarton.

Young Jimmy Caskie was the star of the show for the Bankies, scoring a brace and creating another. A relentless force throughout, he never gave the Dumbarton defence a moment's rest.

Dumbarton, buoyed by their home advantage, took the initiative early on. Inside-left Watson opened the scoring in the 14th minute, his powerful shot taking a wicked deflection off a Clydebank defender to leave a helpless Dick Madden stranded in goal.

Clydebank battled back and were rewarded on the stroke of half-time with a neat finish from Caskie.

Disaster struck for the Bankies early in the second half when Madden was forced off the field with a facial injury. Moments later, former Clydebank player Roy McCormack, now Dumbarton's top scorer, put the Sons back in front. He flicked a Watson pass expertly into the top corner.

Ernie Collumbine refused to let the Bankies' spirit dwindle. He stormed past the Dumbarton defence and set up Caskie for his second goal, a close-range blast that left the goalkeeper with no chance.

The game exploded into an end-to-end battle, with both sides desperate for the win. Dumbarton regained the lead nine minutes after Caskie's equaliser, with inside-right Boyd finding the net. Shortly before this, McCormack was shown a yellow card for a foul on Madden.

The final act of this dramatic derby belonged to Caskie once again. He tore down the left wing, leaving the Dumbarton defence in tatters, before squaring the ball for Gerry O'Brien to smash home a dramatic 15-yard equaliser in the 76th minute.

The spoils were shared in a pulsating encounter, but young Caskie's performance ensured the Bankies faithful left Boghead with their heads held high.

Match report written by and adapted by Stuart McBay