Musselburgh Ath 1
Clydebank 1
Play-offs (Lowland League 1st Leg)

Match Report

Clydebank’s hopes of promotion to the Lowland League hang in the balance after a hard-fought draw against Musselburgh at Olivebank Arena. On a bone-dry pitch that suited the home side’s style, the match was tense and dramatic from the first whistle, underlining why the East champions have remained unbeaten at home all season.

It was a contrast in styles, and the Bankies allowed themselves to be sucked in to the kind of battle that Musselburgh hoped it would be, particularly in the first half. The loss of an early goal in the opening minutes did not help the Bankies cause, and the frenzied nature on the pitch carried onto the terraces, when everyone just needed to calm down and not panic.

Keir Samson’s deserved equaliser towards the end of the first half was the culmination of much needed endeavour as the Clydebank players worked their socks off to restore parity before the interval.

This built the platform for a very dominant second half performance which should have led to a Clydebank victory, but wastefulness from several good positions meant that the tie remains locked at one goal each. It will be interesting to see how Musselburgh tackle the second leg on the synthetic surface at Holm Park. It is hard to see them being particularly expansive, but with the play-off now being a single game shoot-out, anything can happen.

Clydebank have also handicapped themselves with the red card dished out to Chris McGowan and he will now miss the return leg. McGowan has been an integral member of Gordon Moffat’s squad this season, and he will be sorely missed. Potential injuries to others will probably mean a bit of a re-jig, but this is where having such a large squad comes into play, and we should be able to call upon suitable replacements if required.

Talking to others in the build-up to the game, most were fairly settled on the starting eleven that Gordon Moffat eventually put out on to the field, and with expectations off the scale the Bankies proceeded to get off to the worst possible start after just four minutes.

Musselburgh had sent out a warning moments before the goal when a free-kick from the left just evaded the out-stretched boot of Jamie Todd as the defence appeared uncharacteristically uncertain. This nervousness allowed Walsh and Hastie to combine, for the latter to square the ball for the in-rushing Smith to ram the ball home for an easy goal.

Falling behind so early didn’t alter the Bankes gameplan radically, but it ramped up the pressure and emboldened the East Champions who were chasing everything down and weren’t shy about trying to physically intimidate their opponents.

This meant that Low and Cairns were taken out of their comfort zone, and it took our midfield some time for them to adjust to the fiery surface and a confident Musselburgh side who had won their last five games.

However, the Bankies did grow into the game and a volley by Nicky Low from a half-cleared corner which sailed narrowly wide after twelve minutes showed that we were up for the fight.

Goal-scoring opportunities were thin on the ground and a chance created by Aaron Black for Nicky Little was typical of the kind of moment that was the difference between a draw and a victory on the day. Black raced through the middle of the pitch and laid the ball off for Little on the right-hand side of the box. Rather than shoot from such a good position which you would expect from a player on such great goal-scoring form, Little elected to dink the ball to the back post and it ultimately drifted away past the upright.

Jamie Todd became the first player to be booked for a wild tackle on Keir Samson, as Musselburgh continued to keep the game teetering on the edge, as winning their battles and keeping the Bankies off their game was obviously high on their agenda.

This physicality was giving the home side a measure of success and they had three attempts at goal – all on target – in a short period of time. The first two were more of the half-chance variety which didn’t trouble Leishman unduly. However, the big keeper made a fine double stop from Owen Hastie at his near post which was vital in ensuring that the deficit was not increased.

With the game still being played at a frantic pace on a very warm day, and tempers just about keeping in check, the Bankies equalised five minutes from the break from a corner kick. It would be wrong to assume that the Bankies players couldn’t be every bit as brave as the Musselburgh players, as Matt Niven got the better of his marker and directed a header goalward that was blocked. Keir Samson was first to react and headed home in the face of flying boots and we were all square.

With Samson and Niven on the deck all Hell finally broke loose for reasons unknown with Musselburgh’s Donaldson getting himself unnecessarily involved trying to stir up tempers. He succeeded in getting himself booked along with Bankies McGowan.

The second half, whilst still towsy with outbreaks of aggression at times, was a completely different story. Musselburgh had obviously blown a gasket with their first half efforts, and having been no further forward in taking a lead to Holm Park for the second leg , found themselves on the back foot for virtually the whole of the second half.

I have noted down nine separate shots at goal from Clydebank in the second half, and that is not even accounting for the numerous good positions we found ourselves in but let ourselves down with the final pass. We need to hope that this profligacy in front of goal it is not costly in the second leg.

How one of these didn’t result in a goal is anyone’s guess, but briefly the best moments came from a long Samson throw which was nodded on by Niven. Little sclaffed his shot, but the ball found it’s way to Gallacher, who with the goal gaping, made a feeble attempt to side-foot when he should have scored.

Keeper McCathie made the first of two great saves from Nicky Little when he reacted quickly to stop the Bankies’ captain’s hook shot from another Samson long throw. Little again was involved as he directed a header from a corner to the back post over the bar, when he should probably have found the target with.

The chances ramped up in the closing stages, as Gallacher had a great chance, but the sting was taken out of his shot as he delayed pulling the trigger for just a moment too long. A similar fate was met from a Jimmy Grant shot as a cross which everyone missed reached him at the back post. A flying defensive block prevented a certain goal.

The best chance was once again from Nicky Little. Gallacher was the creator as he drew the ball back across the six-yard box, but even though Little didn’t make the best of connection it was still goalbound until McCathie made a superb fingertip save over the bar.

Musselburgh barely threatened in the second period, but they had some promising counter attacks, particularly towards the end as the game opened up. We will have to be mindful of that at Holm Park as they are not East Champions for no good reason.

As during the game, tensions flared again at full-time, with players and benches clashing in a melee that saw Chris McGowan shown a red card. With so much at stake, Musselburgh will do all they can to knock us off our stride—and this incident has arguably helped them more than us.

So, to the second leg. It would certainly now seem to be in the Bankies favour on a surface at Holm Park that suits our style of play, and on the back of a dominant second half display there are no secrets anymore and we know exactly what to expect from Musselburgh.

I expect the style and tempo to be very different; however, game plans still have to be executed to ensure success. We should have beaten Musselburgh today, but we didn’t. They are still very much in this tie and should not be discounted. They have goals in them and are dangerous from set plays. Things can unravel quickly if we are not focussed on all areas of the pitch.

It is all set up beautifully and it should be a cracking occasion at Holm Park in front of a sold-out crowd. Let’s cheer the boys on and make a little bit of Clydebank history.

Match report written by Stuart McBay