Match Report
Clydebank's recent run of encouraging performances came to an abrupt halt as they were beaten 2-0 by Forfar Athletic in a friendly at Kilbowie.
Despite occupying bottom place in the Second Division, Forfar proved too strong for the home side and deserved their victory in difficult conditions. Heavy rain and a slippery surface made ball control problematic throughout the afternoon, with both teams seeing promising attacks break down at crucial moments.
Clydebank began brightly and thought they had taken an early lead when Connelly found the net, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. The centre-forward was again involved soon afterwards when he appeared well placed to score, but lost his footing at the vital moment and the chance was cleared.
Forfar gradually settled into the game and created problems of their own. Mackle forced Wilson into a good save with a low shot before the visitors eventually broke the deadlock after 25 minutes. The winger was again involved, his run and shot creating the opening from which Knox was able to score from close range.
Clydebank's best chance before the interval fell to Connelly, but his effort failed to trouble the Forfar goal and the visitors carried their one-goal advantage into half-time.
Any hopes of a Clydebank recovery suffered an immediate setback after the restart. Within a minute, Morrison's low shot appeared straightforward enough for Wilson, but the wet ball slipped from the goalkeeper's grasp and into the net to double Forfar's lead.
The second goal visibly affected the home side. Although Clydebank continued to press forward in search of a way back into the match, they struggled to reproduce the form they had shown earlier in the afternoon.
Hodgson, who had replaced Connelly at centre-forward, also had an effort ruled out for offside as Forfar repeatedly caught the Clydebank attack beyond the last defender. The visitors' use of the offside trap proved particularly effective and frustrated the home forwards throughout the second half.
One of the few bright spots for Clydebank was the display of recent signing Jenkins. Making his first appearance of the season, the former Maryhill Harp player impressed at right-half and came close to scoring on several occasions. A combination of good fortune and the woodwork denied him, with a number of efforts either striking or passing narrowly beyond the frame of the goal.
As frustration grew, both Holloran and Forfar winger Mackle found their names taken by referee James Elliot.
Clydebank persevered until the final whistle but were unable to reduce the deficit, leaving Forfar to claim a deserved victory in a match where the visitors coped better with both the conditions and the opportunities that came their way.
Match report written by Stuart McBay
