Clydebank 1
Civil Service Str 0
League (Lowland League)

Match Report

On a truly awful day for football, Aaron Black’s second-half strike against Civil Service Strollers at Holm Park was enough to maintain the four-point gap at the top of the table and keep the chasing pack at bay for another week. It was the Bankies’ first sub-500 home attendance of the season, but you can hardly blame anyone for staying away when you could have done with a wetsuit and a snorkel.

Above all, both sets of players deserve enormous credit. The lashing rain and swirling wind made any kind of flowing football nigh on impossible, and simply getting the result over the line was all that really mattered.

The Strollers gave a decent account of themselves and, had they taken one of the chances they fashioned early in the second half, the Bankies could have found themselves on a very sticky wicket indeed.

Fortunately, it was Clydebank who found their way to goal after 71 minutes. A Neil McLaughlin shot from the edge of the box was deflected high into the air, and as it dropped inside the six-yard box keeper Adam Meek could only force it a few yards away. Lee Gallacher reacted quickest, prodding the ball out wide to the unmarked Black, who crashed it into the net.

Black was very effective from the bench, particularly poignant given we learned before kick-off that he will be leaving the club in January to move to Australia. There was better news too, with Keir Samson returning to the substitutes’ bench after missing the last six games, while the Holm Park crowd also got their first proper look at Lance Pollard, who made his first start.

These were far from ideal conditions for a ‘ball’ player, even on an artificial surface. Pollard had some good moments and certainly looks capable of producing something if you can get him the ball at his feet, but this was more a day for players with a competitive edge and a willingness to battle.

Unsurprisingly, the ball spent far more time in the air than we are used to, and this suited the Strollers. Not because they are a particularly physical side, but because it allowed them to compete and make life difficult.

Clydebank created more moments than their visitors in the first half, but none of them forced Meek into a save. Nicky Low hit the wall with a free kick, Nicky Little skied a shot over the bar from a half-cleared cross, and Pollard had an effort blocked after superbly turning Mark Laird in midfield.

Pollard was also involved in the Bankies’ best chance of the half, picking out Oisin McHugh in a promising position inside the box. It was agonising to watch as McHugh couldn’t quite dig out a shot on his right foot before the chance was eventually cleared.

Ironically, the best opportunity of the half fell to the Strollers. They were patient, choosing their moments to attack. Callum Yeats drove to the edge of the box and laid the ball off to Tom Findlay on the left, whose cross flashed across the face of goal. David Syme took a chance by letting it run past him at the back post, as another forward almost slid in to finish.

The Bankies tried to force the issue after the restart and earned a couple of corners, but the game soon settled back into the same scrappy pattern as before. That gave the Strollers encouragement, and they showed they carried a genuine threat.

After 53 minutes a poor pass from Cairns went straight to Findlay. He moved the ball wide and, although the cross was initially intercepted, Findlay pounced on the loose ball and drove his shot over the bar.

Two minutes later a long ball down the left channel found Santos. He was too lively for Syme to cope with, and his shot from twelve yards drifted just wide. It was one of those efforts that looked like it had gone in, briefly fooling the Strollers’ full-back into letting out a loud cheer. Oops.

That spell forced Gordon Moffat’s hand, with Samson and Black introduced for Little and Pollard. From that point onwards the Bankies had much greater control, and the Strollers never seriously troubled the home defence again.

Clear-cut chances, however, remained thin on the ground. Clydebank found themselves in decent positions without quite turning potential into anything concrete. You sensed that if a goal was going to come it would be scrappy, involving a kind break of the ball — exactly as proved to be the case when Black finally broke the deadlock.

The Strollers made a belated attempt to nick a draw, with Valentine having a couple of pops at goal that caused more concern to the car wash over the fence than to Owen Stott’s goal. At the other end, Thomas Collins forced a decent save from Meek in one of our few clear sights of goal.

Almost five minutes of stoppage time were added as just about everyone agitated to get home, and the final whistle was greeted with a huge cheer. There was a clear recognition that performance was secondary on the day — this was all about the three points, and a long-overdue clean sheet.

The second half of the season could yet produce one of the most exciting Lowland League title races in its history. Five clubs remain in contention, with Caledonian Braves now also staking a claim. The Bankies host Gretna in a fortnight as we chase 2025 out of the door and welcome in 2026. A win will keep us top into the New Year. From there, we will have 12 games remaining, so strap yourself in — it promises to be some ride.

Match report written by Stuart McBay