Clydebank 5
Glenafton Ath 2
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

Attempting to write a match report the day after a game is something that I don’t recommend, but trying to do it with an alcohol soaked hangover is nigh on impossible. So, you will forgive me if I don’t do the momentous events of yesterday the justice it deserves. I’m sure I’m not alone in nursing a headache this morning.

What I can say is the stars aligned for the trophy presentation day. Captain Nicky Little earned his first major honour for the club as he played and scored in his 300th game for the Bankies, and Jamie Darroch came on with 8 minutes remaining for his swansong, at least in a playing capacity, and did he not only go on and net a penalty kick in stoppage time to put the icing on the Championship cake.

The only thing missing as the Bankies romped home by five goals to two against Glenafton was a bit of Spring sunshine, but you can’t have everything I suppose.

A fantastic attendance of just under 1200 turned up to watch the Bankies lift their first league trophy since 2004, and great credit to the boys in the covered enclosure who kept the atmosphere going throughout the game. The numbers keep growing and hopefully more days like yesterday will make more of them stick with the Bankies in the long term rather than taking the easy blue and green route.

The game is almost incidental on days like this, but the season is not over yet. We may have won a league but we haven’t won promotion yet, so it is vital that we maintain our levels as we look forward to a playoff next month almost certainly against Musselburgh Athletic.

Thankfully, we were able to do just that, but Glenafton are to be commended for not just fading into the background. They came to Holm Park to make a game of it, and to be honest they didn’t really deserve to be four down at the interval, and by the end of the match they managed to restore some pride.

The Bankies players responded to the occasion and were in the lead within just seven minutes. A sweeping move down the left wing ended with Craig Truesdale sliding the ball across the penalty box for Nicky Little to stroke home his 30th goal of the season. Nicky is the first player to score 30 goals in a season since Ken Eadie did likewise in 1991.

Glenafton, came into the game after this, and were giving as good as they got. Unfortunately for them they were undone by a quick breakaway after 24 minutes when Lee Gallacher found the run of Keir Samson and he slotted the ball into net with a perfectly executed shot to double the lead.

The Glens wobbled badly after this and they were in real danger of an absolute pummeling as the Bankies scored twice more before the interval. Sam McKee made a hash of a back pass to his keeper in a tight position, and Craig Truesdale read the situation and tip-toed round Markey to make it three.

The fourth came from the head of Keir Samson, as he got on the end of a Chris McGowan cross from the left wing. Nicky Little’s goalscoring exploits tend to get all the attention, but that was Samson’s 20th goal of the season, and he has been a major success in his first season at the club.

Personally, I love watching him play. Samson is a real force of nature, and his focus and concentration are on a different level. It’s like he sees the prize in the distance and shuts everything else out, and is relentless in that pursuit. He was absolutely desperate to score a hat-trick yesterday, taking quick free kicks to get the game moving – even going to the lengths of trying to take one when the ball wasn’t even on the pitch.

He had a few chances to score his hat –trick but it wasn’t to be his day. When he won the penalty and the ball was handed to Jamie Darroch, you could see he was clearly miffed. What a competitor he is and he will be a huge asset if we are hopefully promoted to the Lowland League.

The penalty in stoppage time was a fitting epitaph for Jamie Darroch’s playing career. He has been much loved by the Clydebank support over the years, and a great moment for him to lap up the adulation that came his way.

We should not forget that Glenafton played very well in parts of the second half and scored two very well taken goals through Michal Mullen. Mullen has a habit of scoring against the Bankies, having scored for the Glens in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, and netted a few others against us for Hurlford United – his previous club. I make that 21 goals for the season for the striker who is still 21 years of age. If we are in the hunt for a striker in the near future, we could do worse than look at him.

So, all that remained was the presentation of the League trophy to the players. After a bit of a wait the players retuned to the pitch, and almost all of those on the terraces remained to see each player announced individually and finally to see Nicky Little lift the trophy.

This is a massive moment for the club, and is hopefully ushering in a period of consistent success that has mostly eluded us over the years. Success on the pitch is everything. It leads to increased sponsorships and bigger crowds in the ground. The funds generated can be re-invested in the squad to hopefully bring more success. It is self perpetuating and we need to keep it going.

It all starts with the play-off tie against Musselburgh next month. Promotion to the Lowland League would take us one step away from entering the SPFL proper. If you asked me five years or so ago before the Pyramid was formed, I would have doubted that I would ever see Clydebank play in the Scottish League again.

However, It feels like we are in touching distance now and we have had a taste of what it could be like by playing the likes of Elgin City, Clyde, Annan Athletic and Hibs in the Scottish Cup. That is where I believe a club like Clydebank belongs and hopefully we have the right people at the club leading us to that goal.

Match report written by Stuart McBay