East Fife Res 1
Clydebank 0
League (Combined Reserve League - 1st Series)

  1. Home
  2. Matches
  3. Match Details

East Fife Res 

1 - 0

Clydebank

League (Combined Reserve League - 1st Series)
Saturday, August 14th, 1965
Bayview Park
3:00 PM Kick-off

Goalscorers
Rae (17) None.

Team Managers
Jimmy Bonthrone Jack Steedman

Starting Eleven
1 Billy McGann
2 Bobby Stirrat
3 Gordon Hamilton
4 Alan Guild
5 John Park
6 Frank Donnelly
7 John Thomson
8 Jim Davidson
9 George Oliphant
10 Alex Rae
11 Graham Rainey 		Jim Brown 1
Tom Holloran 2
John McTurk 3
Bill Munro 4
Archie Rankin 5
John Wark 6
Alan McLeish 7
John McGill 8
John Bustard 9
Billy Horn 10
Andy O'Brien 11

Match Officials

J Gourlay (Referee)




Match Report

After the court ruled that the share transfer that facilitated the merger of East Stirlingshire and Clydebank Juniors as invalid the club returned to Falkirk under it's original name. With no future at Firs Park, the Steedman brothers returned to New Kilbowie Park and Clydebank FC re-emerged as an independent club. Despite assurances, the club was unable to secure the necessary two-thirds majority to gain entry to the Scottish League, but were given associate member status of the SFA leaving them in a curious state of limbo.

For the 1965–66 season, Clydebank entered the Combined Reserve League, supplementing fixtures with friendlies against first teams, while also gaining entry to the Scottish Qualifying Cup. Their aim was clear: to establish themselves as a credible senior club and lay the groundwork for a League application the following year.

The early-season schedule, would include a trip to Methil to face East Fife Reserves on 14 August and a first home game against Jordanhill a week later. Fans were treated to a smart new strip of red jerseys with a white diagonal sash, black shorts, and white socks — with a white-and-red reverse shirts for clashes — signalling a fresh identity and renewed ambition.

Signings were already making an impact: the teenage Rankin brothers (from Bellshill Juniors and Third Lanark), Willie Munro returning swiftly from a knee injury, and experienced additions such as O’Brien, McLeish, Wark, and Bustard were all adding depth to the squad. The club was building on and off the field: plans for a two-storey Clydebank Social Club with full viewing frontage at Kilbowie were underway, while the Supporters Club, recovering from last season’s setbacks, was encouraging fans to follow the team across Scotland, making away days a real community experience.

With fresh ambition, promising talent, and strong local backing, Clydebank approached the new season determined to prove that the club was more than just the remnants of a failed merger — and the trip to Methil would be the first chance to show it on the park.

Modern reflection by Stuart McBay (30th August 2025)


Reports from the Time


Clydebank Press


Clydebank's brand new senior team gave their first opponents of the season a very hard and brisk 90 minutes. Bankies downfall was caused by the forwards inability to place the ball in the net.

Some excellent manoeuvres by the players were keenly appreciated by the small crowd of supporters but on every raid they made, Bankies were ruined by poor finishing. The forwards did everything except convert their countless attempts.

On other occasions careless passing and bad individual play marred chances galore.

For long spells, Clydebank with their new unique strip - black pants and white tops with a thick red band across the front - were on the receiving end, but the defence marshalled by Munro did their job magnificently. Numerous dangerous moves by the Fife's tall forwards were neatly disposed of.

But Clydebank's star in attack was inside-left Horn, a recent signing from Kilmarnock who kept the bite in the forward line. He had most of the ball during the match but his shots never really worried keeper Newman.

East Fife's attack were disappointing. The forwards, having snatched an early goal seemed to take things somewhat easier especially in the second half.

Thomson and Rae seemed to give Clydebank the most trouble because of the right winger's superb high crossings and the left-half's zeal to put his team ahead...which he eventually did so.

The only goal of the match came unexpectedly in the seventeenth minute when a short pass inside the penalty area gave Rae his opening and without hesitation he cracked the ball low in the right hand corner of the net.

Bankies continued to struggle for the rest of the half with a few efforts being wildly shot goalwards.

Clydebank put everything they had into the second half in a bid to collect one valuable point from the game, but yet their swift and improved inside trio failed to net any of the wingers goalward endeavours.

The forwards were moving well in midfield and on many occasions they gave their 80 enthusiastic supporters some breath taking incidents.

On one occurrence a high cross by McLeish seemed an excellent opportunity for Horn to clinch the desperate equaliser but the ball was just too high for the inside left to head.

In spite of the warnings by James Gourlay, Bankies right back Holloran (Partick Thistle) was booked for a dangerous tackle on a Fife defender.

In the final minutes of the match Clydebank were awarded two direct free kicks both just outside Fife's goal area. But even with these two golden chances the shots, on both occasions, struck the wall of Fife defenders, eventually to be cleared.

As one elderly Clydebank supporter commented, "It was a very entertaining game and now the directors can start to improve the team. Although they lost, Bankies put up a good fight."

Leven Mail


A scoring mis-kick by inside-left Rae in the 17th minute helped save East Fife fans from complete disappointment on Saturday.

In the first half it was the Fife reserves who looked the more dangerous but there seemed to be no-one up front to latch on and take advantage of the openings made.

It was in the 17th minute that Oliphant made a scoring opportunity when he slipped a pass from the wing to Rae. Rae sliced his shot past keeper Brown.

The homesters did not have it all their own way after the interval as Clydebank came more into the match. In an attempt to add strength to the defence Oliphant was moved to full-back and Stirrat came up to the forward line.

Although they were pressing harder the visitors never managed to put the ball past keeper McGann.

The game was marred, however, when 20 minutes from time Holloran was booked by the referee after a clash with full-back Hamilton, just outside the penalty box.



Squad Statistics (as at August 14th, 1965)

1965-66 All Time
League Cups All
Jim Brown (GK) 1 - 0 - 1 -
Archie Rankin 1 - 0 - 1 -
Tom Holloran 1 - 0 - 1 -
John Wark 1 - 0 - 1 -
John McGill 1 - 0 - 1 -
John McTurk 1 - 0 - 1 -
Alan McLeish 1 - 0 - 1 -
Andy O'Brien 1 - 0 - 1 -
Bill Munro 1 - 0 - 1 -
John Bustard 1 - 0 - 1 -
Billy Horn 1 - 0 - 1 -