Clydebank 1
Tranent 2
League (Lowland League)

Match Report

The Bankies slumped to a 2–1 defeat to Tranent, suffering a second successive home loss and passing up the chance to close the gap on league leaders Bonnyrigg Rose, whose long unbeaten run came to an end today.

Aside from the opening ten minutes and a spell midway through the second half, we simply didn’t cause Tranent enough problems. As usual, we had plenty of the ball, but there is a distinct lack of dynamism in the side at the moment. There seems to be little tempo or purpose to our passing; frustration sets in and a hopeful long ball inevitably follows. Owen Wardell offered some remedy to these issues, but we just didn’t use him often enough.

We have now lost six of our last fourteen games, having been defeated just once in our opening seventeen matches of the season. Whether teams have grown wise to our approach, or whether it is our own personnel or tactics that are at fault, the management team must make bold decisions to get the campaign back on track before it is too late.

As the first half wore on, Clydebank’s sights of the Tranent goal became increasingly rare as the visitors grew into the contest. It’s not as though we had been profligate in front of goal — we simply didn’t create enough openings.

Tranent keeper Hayward produced his best save of the match after just two minutes, diving full length to turn a Neil McLaughlin shot round the post. A dangerous dinked cross to the back post from Nicky Low was cleared away minutes later.

Other than that, we had a Nicky Low free-kick that skimmed the post and a number of decent positions that we failed to convert into efforts on goal. The most notable came from a neat one-two between Keir Samson and Low. Unfortunately, the striker delayed his shot by a fraction too long and a defender was able to intervene.

Tranent offered very little going forward in the first half. Their principal objective seemed to be to defend well, blunt the Clydebank attack and gradually work their way into the game — and that is exactly how it unfolded.

What you cannot legislate for are individual errors, and that is what cost us today. Tranent took the lead in first-half stoppage time from the penalty spot after a rash challenge by Adam Hodge brought down Cammy McKinley. It was effectively the Belters’ first shot at goal. Owen Stott was unfortunate not to keep out Dean Brett’s effort, but the power behind it proved decisive.

I must admit that, given some of our recent league performances and the lack of threat we had carried, I did not feel confident about turning things around.

For the most part we continued to dominate possession, but with a goal advantage Tranent simply had to maintain their defensive discipline. Wardell delivered a couple of dangerous low crosses into the box, yet there was never a Clydebank player advanced enough to capitalise.

Hayward was called into action to deal with long-range efforts from McLaughlin and Gallacher. Both were on target but comfortably within his capabilities, and he pushed them away for corners.

The best stop of the bunch came from a McLaughlin header which came from an Oisin McHugh left wing cross. The keeper showed great reactions to tip the ball over the bar, and not to undermine the save, but again the header was straight at him. A foot either side and we’re having a different conversation.

So, looking at my notes and 76 minutes into the game and I still haven’t recorded Tranent having another shot since the penalty kick. And lo and behold, another catastrophic individual error puts the Bankies two goals down. Chris McGowan better hope all the cameras in the ground simultaneously malfunctioned because he certainly won’t want to see it again.

Why he just left the ball for Stott is a complete mystery, when the keeper had no chance of retrieving it. Fair play to Scott Gray who was alert to the situation as ran past the static defender to slot the ball home.

So, with the Bankies having just the sum of four shots on target up to this point, it has to be said that the prospects looked bleak. Though three minutes later we did manage to pull one back when a melee of bodies with Neil McLaughlin at the centre of it saw the ball poked back to Keir Samson. With his first real shot at goal in the whole game, he smashed the ball into the net.

This did not sound the great comeback that we hoped for. The game did open up significantly, but Tranent held their ground. The match ended with Adam Hodge being dismissed by ref Jamie Wilkie when he got involved with a couple of Tranent defenders. Hodge is an experienced player and he should know when to walk away, but it has to be said the amateur dramatics of Conor Doan left a lot to be desired.

The only consolation is that Bonnyrigg’s defeat means little has changed at the top. Caley Braves and Tranent are now firmly in the mix, and the margin for error is minimal. The concern is that our rivals’ form currently looks far stronger than Clydebank’s.

Tuesday’s cup tie at Linlithgow should provide an opportunity to give the three new signings a full ninety minutes in a demanding environment. We need them up to speed quickly, as there are players in the current side not doing enough to justify their places.

After Linlithgow, we travel to Airdrie on Saturday to face Celtic B. The Colts have improved of late, losing just once in their last six. Another stern test awaits — and, dare I say it, another game we cannot afford to lose.

Match report written by Stuart McBay