Clydebank 0
Falkirk 7
League (Division 2)

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Clydebank
0 - 7
 Falkirk

League (Division 2)
Saturday, September 20th, 1969
New Kilbowie Park. Att. 1,135
3:00 PM Kick-off
Goalscorers
None. Craig Watson (23)
Johnny Graham (45)
Tom Young (52)
Tom Young (58)
Tom Young (74)
George Miller (85)
Johnny Graham (90)

Team Managers
Jack Steedman
 Willie Cunningham

Starting Eleven
1 Dick Madden
2 Graeme Brockett
3 Danny Gray
4 Dennis Ruddy
5 Paul McMillan
6 Tommy McGhee
7 Gerry O'Brien
8 Bobby Love
9 Alan Munro
10 Davie Mitchell
11 Jimmy Caskie
 Stuart Rennie 1
John Markie 2
Alex Totten 3
Alan Cousin 4
George Gibson 5
George Miller 6
Wilson Hoggan 7
Tom Young 8
Johnny Graham 9
John McLaughlin 10
Craig Watson 11

Bench
12 John McGunnigle
 Bobby Ford 12

Substitutions
John McGunnigle for Davie Mitchell
 Bobby Ford -> John Markie

Cautions
None. None.

Red Cards
None. None.
Match Officials

W Anderson (Referee)



Match Report

Clydebank Press

The above is the latest in computerised scores, direct from Kilbowie Park. Never before has any Clydebank team suffered the humility of such a hammering before their home crowd, in any League match.

In all fairness to them, two of their regular players were injured, and this involved a reshuffle of the team. Dougie Hay was injured on Wednesday night during the Queen of the South game while Jim Fallon was taken to the Western Infirmary with a broken nose which he sustained in a car accident on his way to the match.

His place in the team was taken by Paul McMillan, while Tommy McGhee moved back to left-back, and David Mitchell, normally a full tack, was playing inside-left.

Full-time Falkirk fielded the same team that played Hamilton Accies last week.

Clydebank started off well enough, with a Jimmy Caskie shot being well held by Rennie, but the experience of this Falkirk team began to take its effect against the youthful Clydebank team.

Inside-left McLaughlin had the Clydebank hearts in their mouths, when he hit a Hoggan cross first time just over the bar.

The Falkirk forwards were pressing away relentlessly at the Clydebank defence which was far from steady.

In the 22nd minute, Falkirk went ahead. A George Miller pass found Craig Watson with oceans of room on the left wing and he wasted no time in lobbing the ball over Madden's head while the keeper hesitated on the line.

Due to injury, play had overrun by one minute in the first half, when Falkirk scored again. Centre-forward Graham intercepted a McGhee pass back, waltzed past Madden and tucked the ball into the net.

Just after the resumption of the second half, Falkirk right-back Markie collapsed holding his left leg, after he had tackled Mitchell. He was carried off the field with a suspected broken leg, but happily it was nothing more than a jarred nerve. Substitute Ford came on and took up Markie's position.

In the 52nd minute, Falkirk struck again. Miller took the ball up the left wing and sent in a low cross which found Young. The inside-forward killed the ball, swivelled, and hit the ball into the back of the net. It was a good goal which sent the colony of Falkirk supporters in the terracing into song.

Clydebank seemed to give up now, and in an effort to stir some life into the team, McGunnigle replaced Mitchell.

It made no difference, however, as Young put the Bairns four up. He beat McMillan and sent in a 15 yard shot past Madden, with the Clyde bank defence nowhere to be seen.

Danny Gray tried a shot from 25 yards, which just flew past the post, after Gerry O'Brien and Alan Munro had set up the chance.

The fifth goal was an absolute tragedy.

Paul McMillan who had been limping about for some time with a sore ankle watched helplessly as the ball ran within feet of himself to Young, who hit the ball into the net via the post for his hat-trick.

It was disheartening to watch as the Falkirk players walked through the Clydebank team without being challenged. The Bankies seemed to have taken root to the spot, unable to tackle their teas, never mind Falkirk.

With five minutes to go George Miller scored his side's sixth goal and in injury time Graham scored the seventh in the 91st. minute.

If Falkirk play like this all the time, then the second division title is a mere formality, but how often are they going to come across a team as weak as Clydebank were.

The potential is there, so why are the results so bad?

It is hoped that the mystery player they are trying to sign just row is a miracle maker, for believe me it is going to take a miracle to take this team to where they rightly belong at the top of the second division.

Falkirk Herald

Manager Willie Cunningham was quoted in last Week's "Herald" as saying that some team would take a hammering when all his players clicked on the same day. And just two days after his forecast, the bomb dropped on poor old Clydebank.

To be fair, 'Bankies had injury problems - with the worst blow happening just before kick-off when pivot Jim Fallon's car went off the road as he drove to the match.

But the fact that the centre-half ended up in hospital would have made no difference to the result, for this was a rampant Bairns outfit who at last adopted a "shoot-on-sight" policy.

Tom Young became the Bairns' first hat-trickster of the season and boosted his total to nine. Johnny Graham netted his third brace to date and kept his place as Brockville's leading scorer by moving up to the ten-goal mark. Skipper George Miller's goal was his fifth of the season and Craig Watson's counter, believe it or not, was his first of the season.

Watson, who has been making instead of taking goals, started Saturday's rout by collecting a beautiful Miller pass in 23 minutes and lobbing a beauty over the head of the advancing Madden, who slipped on the wet grass as the ball dropped tantalisingly over his head.

The biggest surprise was that it took Falkirk until seconds from the interval to add a second goal, Graham bursting through in typical style to round the keeper and shoot home.

The second half had a bad start for the Bairns when John Markie clashed with Mitchell and was carried off. Robert Ford deputised.

By this time, however, Falkirk's tails were up, and Tom Young scored the perfect hat-trick - three goals in a row - in 53, 59 and 74 minutes. His first was a fierce drive from close range after Miller set up the chance. Next, he bored through in a mazy solo and left Madden helpless. And his final effort was another beautifully controlled dribble, rounded off by a hard shot that went in off the post.

Three minutes from time, with the Falkirk fans roaring enthusiastically, George Miller whipped home No. 6 - and Johnny Graham completed disaster day for the 'Bankies by netting a seventh with practically the last move of the match.

The Falkirk defence were rarely pressed by this young and inexperienced Kilbowie side - but the most satisfactory thing to emerge from this match was the second half surge for goals when the game was well won, and the continued all-round improvement from Tom Young who, with Graham, could bag a packet of goals this season.

Sunday Post

Falkirk, promotion written all over them, gave a dandy display of sheer soccer skill. Pride of place must go to skipper George Miller his non-stop determination and drive, and to hat-trickster Tom Young for his brilliant ball control and glittering goals.

Clydebank's team of teenagers just couldn't cope, and were eventually crushed. But how many teams could have stood up to this sort of stuff? Watson started the rout when he took a peach of a pass from Miller and lobbed the ball home. Then Graham scored after a grand solo burst. Early in the second half Markie was carried off injured, and Ford came on. Clydebank substituted McGunnigle for Mitchell.

Now Young leapt into the limelight with three great goals. His first was a vicious volley from a Miller pass, and twice he zig-zagged rough to cap his uncanny control with fine scoring efforts. Miller himself and Graham again completed the rout.

Sunday Mail

Injury-hit Clydebank - centre-half Jim Fallon was taken to hospital after his car went off the road on the way to the match and Douglas Hay the left-half is still getting over a leg injury - never looked dangerous and their defence was nearly always in trouble.

Falkirk's goal trail began after 23 minutes. Outside left Watson lobbed the ball over Madden's head after the 'keeper slid on the rain-soaked ground. Then Graham scored when he ran round Madden and slipped the ball easily into the net.



Squad Statistics (as at September 20th, 1969)

1969-70 All Time
League Cups All
Dick Madden (GK) 3 - 5 - 85 -
Graeme Brockett 3 - 0 - 18 -
Dennis Ruddy 6 - 2 - 48 -
Davie Mitchell 5 - 6 - 1204
Danny Gray 6 - 6 - 21 -
Paul McMillan 3 - 1 - 274
Tommy McGhee 416110514
Bobby Love 6 - 5 - 361
Jimmy Caskie 61625516
Gerry O'Brien 6 - 6 - 542
Alan Munro 61654421
John McGunnigle (sub) 3 - 1 - 161







Recent Results

League results since Clydebank's last match
20th September 1969
Berwick Rangers3-0Queen of South
Brechin City1-5Arbroath
Clydebank0-7Falkirk
East Fife4-0Alloa Athletic
East Stirlingshire2-1Albion Rovers
Forfar Ath5-2Montrose
Hamilton Accies1-0Queen's Park
Stenhousemuir1-6Cowdenbeath
Stirling Albion2-2Dumbarton

League Table (as at September 20th, 1969)

Pld W D L +/- Pts
1. Arbroath 7 5 1 1 +14 11
2. Cowdenbeath 7 5 1 1 +12 11
3. Berwick Rangers 7 5 1 1 +9 11
4. Falkirk 6 5 0 1 +13 10
5. Montrose 7 3 3 1 +7 9
6. Albion Rovers 7 3 1 3 +4 7
7. Queen of South 6 3 1 2 +1 7
8. Queen's Park 7 3 1 3 0 7
9. Alloa Athletic 7 3 1 3 -1 7
10. East Fife 6 3 0 3 +3 6
11. Dumbarton 5 2 1 2 +2 5
12. Stirling Albion 6 0 5 1 -2 5
13. Brechin City 4 2 1 1 -2 5
14. Hamilton Accies 6 2 1 3 -4 5
15. Stranraer 6 2 0 4 -6 4
16. Forfar Ath 7 2 0 5 -7 4
17. East Stirlingshire 5 1 1 3 -5 3
18. Clydebank 6 0 1 5 -16 1
19. Stenhousemuir 6 0 0 6 -22 0