Dumbarton 2
Clydebank 0
Scottish Cup (2nd Preliminary Round)

Match Report

Clydebank's Scottish Cup campaign came to an end at a packed Boghead Park on Saturday, as Dumbarton edged past the Bankies with a 2–0 win in a thrilling and fiercely contested preliminary round tie. A crowd of 4,958—the biggest attendance in the round—was treated to an end-to-end spectacle, but it was the Sons who made their chances count, with both goals coming in the first half.

The Bankies began brightly, playing with confidence and determination despite treacherous underfoot conditions that made footing unreliable throughout. The flint-hard pitch was better suited to skating than football at times, but it didn't prevent Clydebank from dominating large spells of the opening period. Willie McCallum and Tony Moy posed a constant threat down the left, while inside-forward Eddie Jenkins was at the heart of most of Clydebank’s best moves, tirelessly buzzing around in search of openings.

Early chances came and went, with Sons goalkeeper Andy Crawford in inspired form. He pulled off a superb double save in the opening minutes, first from Jenkins and then from Rankin’s follow-up. Shortly after, he denied Moy and again scrambled across goal to keep the Bankies at bay. Jenkins beat three defenders before setting up McCallum, whose shot found the side-netting, and McCallum then squandered another promising opportunity moments later.

But just as Clydebank looked likely to take a deserved lead, Dumbarton struck with a devastating counter. On 20 minutes, a sweeping move that began deep in their own half saw Hugh McMahon feed debutant centre-forward Roy McCormack, who timed his run perfectly and coolly slotted past Sandy McLachlan to make it 1–0.

Despite continuing to press, the Bankies were again undone at the other end 15 minutes later. A high cross from Rodger was mishandled by McLachlan, and the tireless McMahon was on hand to nod in Dumbarton’s second from close range.

To their credit, Clydebank never gave up. Even in the closing minutes they were pressing for a way back into the tie, launching wave after wave of attacks. Rankin and Jenkins continued to probe, while Collumbine came close with a fierce drive, but that elusive goal never came.

At the other end, McLachlan redeemed himself with a series of fine second-half saves to keep the score respectable, including a crucial stop from Kirk as Dumbarton threatened to add a third.

Dumbarton were more assured after the break, and while Clydebank still saw plenty of the ball, the Sons' defence—led superbly by returning captain Ronnie Curran—held firm under pressure. The backline rode their luck at times, but with Crawford in top form and McCormack causing problems up front, the home side just about deserved their place in the next round.

The result may sting for the Bankies, who matched their Second Division opponents for long stretches and arguably played the more adventurous football for much of the contest. But with the cup run now over, focus must return to the league—starting with a daunting fixture against promotion-chasing Morton at Kilbowie.

Match report written by Stuart McBay