Clydebank 0
Aston Villa 1
Friendly

  1. Home
  2. Matches
  3. Match Details

Clydebank
0 - 1
 Aston Villa

Friendly
Monday, August 4th, 1969
New Kilbowie Park. Att. 3,000
7:30 PM Kick-off
Goalscorers
None. Joe Donnelly (75)

Team Managers
Jack Steedman
 Tommy Docherty

Starting Eleven
1 Dick Madden
2 Paul McMillan
3 Danny Gray
4 Dennis Ruddy
5 Jim Fallon
6 Dougie Hay
7 Ian Hawkshaw
8 Bobby Love
9 Alan Munro
10 Gerry O'Brien
11 Jimmy Caskie
 Gordon Knowles 1
Keith Bradley 2
Brian Rowan 3
Barrie Lynch 4
Lew Chatterley 5
Alan Deakin 6
Joe Donnelly 7
Michael Kearney 8
Brian Godfrey 9
Jimmy Brown 10
John Griffiths 11

Bench
12 Tommy McGhee
 Greg Fellows 12

Substitutions
Tommy McGhee for Dennis Ruddy (46)
 Greg Fellows -> Michael Kearney (74)

Cautions
Alan Munro
 Brian Rowan (16)
John Griffiths (48)

Red Cards
None. None.
Match Officials

S. Anderson (Referee)



Match Report

Clydebank Press

The grass of Kilbowie almost ran red with the blood of players as this pre-season heat-up warmed to a proper "Battle Royal." Holding the initiative throughout the match Clydebank always looked dangerous, young Gerry O'Brien tearing holes in the Villa defence, but the home players lacked cohesion in passing and were obviously too easily dispossessed when they got the ball at their feet.

Aston Villa used some of their promising newcomers and found tough opposition in fast, youthful Scottish Second Division side.
I have heard that the "dangerous play" rule, down south, bans players going for high balls with their feet; this wasn't the case last Monday night. In fact I think some of the Clydebank players were lucky to escape decapitation at the feet of the Villa forwards.

Referee Anderson tried hard to control the game, and succeeded up to a point, but during the second half he would have been quite justified in becoming indiscriminate with his book, and few people could have frowned on ordering off in several cases.

As it was, only three players were booked, Villa left back Brian Rowan; outside-left John Griffiths; and 'Bankies centre Alan Munro.

During the first half Clydebank made most of the attacking moves and the Villa team were continually plunged into defence, at times a block defence which would have taken a Centurion tank to flatten.

Gerry O'Brien isn't exactly built like a tank but his agility with the ball at his toes shone. The only answer the Villa team had for this was outnumbering the wee lad and forcing him off the ball.

Gerry almost put 'Bankies into an early lead after five minutes play. A lovely shot stretched Villa 'keeper Gordon Knowles to the limit. He grasped the ball then dropped it in time to see little Jimmy Caskie running in at him. The way Knowles regained possession you would have thought he was picking up a pot of gold.

Four minutes later Ian Hawkshaw shook the Villa defence when he met a high O'Brien cross and tried to head it home. It slipped just over the bar.

Clydebank opened the second half with one change in the team. Tommy McGhee was brought on in place of Denis Ruddy.

It was still very much Clydebank in attack. Hay scraped the post with a great shot and a piledriver from O'Brien crashed against the Villa post with Knowles well beaten.

The only goal of the match was a cracker. In the 74th minute Villa brought on Fellows for Kearney and one minute later, rather against the run of play, they opened the scoring . Brown crossed from the left and Donnelly rose to place a header well out of Madden's reach.

Now that Villa had gained the lead they clamped down and wild horses were not going to drag it away from them, if they could help it.

Only a minute after the goal was scored an appeal went out for a penalty in vain when Jimmy Caskie was brought down almost in the box. Clydebank left back, Gray, took the free-kick and passed out a short one to Hawkshaw.

By this time the complete Villa defence had converged around Hawkshaw. He tried to dribble the ball out of the melee but lost it through sheer force of numbers.

Douglas Hay, playing at left-half, and Ian Hawkshaw tried hard to keep the ball around the Villa area, but several Villa players seemed to bear a grudge against "Dougie" and he was half crippled at every chance.

It's not like Hay to stand back and take this sort of treatment, and behind the ref's back he dished out a fair amount himself, but he must be commended for keeping his head.

Dick Madden saved the proverbial Clydebank bacon ten minutes from time when Villa centre, Godfrey, took a free-kick just outside the area. He sent the leather through the middle of the Clydebank defence. Madden didn't quite have the ball covered but managed to get his fingers to it.

Unfortunately he didn't quite grasp the ball and Clydebank hearts missed a beat at it bounced almost on the line. Diving from an almost prone position Madden managed to regain possession to save.

In some ways Clydebank were unlucky to lose this match but one goal made the difference and no one can decry the fact that it was a good goal. One thing the game did do was to magnify the Clydebank weaknesses.

If these are ironed out we can look forward to a very promising season at Kilbowie.

Three thousand people attended this match. Tomorrow afternoon Clydebank meet Dumbarton in their first League Cup match of the season. I wonder how many supporters will turn up for this one?

After the match 'Bankies boss Jack Steedman said "This was a very satisfactory match. It was a very hard pre-season game which suited our boys."

Birmingham Post

Villa's Brian Rowan and John Griffiths were each booked before Joe Donnelly headed the winner 15 minutes from time in a hard match last night.

Aston Villa used some of their promising newcomers and found tough opposition in a fast, youthful Scottish Second Division side.

Villa owed a lot to their defence for a victory that perhaps flattered them.

Gordon Knowles, Barry Lynch and Lew Chatterley were outstanding and young Scotsman Donnelly's winning goal was brilliantly taken.

Clydebank were the more aggressive side at the start and O'Brien had a great chance to put them in front when he burst through on the left but he was well off target.

Knowles was kept busy and he did well to stop an awkward shot from Love. The young Scottish keeper was well beaten by a header from Love but fortunately for Villa the ball missed the posts by inches.

After 16 minutes Rowan was booked by the referee for a foul on right winger Hawkshaw.

Clydebank kept piling on the pressure but Villa's defenders guarded their goal well.

Their attack was seldom seen and long-range efforts were all that keeper Madden had to deal with.

Near the interval Donnelly who had swapped position with Griffiths, made an opening for Kearney but Madden rescued the Scottish side with a daring dive at the inside right's feet.

Clydebank brought on McGhee for Ruddy in the second half and in the 48th minute Griffiths became the second Villa player to have his name taken-after he clashed with Love.

It was still very much Clydebank in attack. Hay scraped the post with a great shot and a piledriver from O'Brien crashed against the Villa post with Knowles well beaten.

In the 74th minute Villa brought on Fellows for Kearney and one minute later, rather against the run of play, they opened the scoring.

Brown crossed from the left and Donnelly rose to place a header well out of Madden's reach.



Squad Statistics (as at August 4th, 1969)

1969-70 All Time
League Cups All







Recent Results

League results since Clydebank's last match
None.

League Table (as at August 4th, 1969)

Pld W D L +/- Pts

No games played.