Clydebank 6
Scoutable Utd 1
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Match Report

The Bankies were able to draw a direct comparison with a couple of our Lowland League rivals tonight as we took on Scoutable United at Holm Park. The amateur side who showcase the talents of ethnic minority footballers with a view to providing them with a platform into the professional game had already played Caley Braves and East Stirlingshire in pre-season friendlies.

They lost those two games 6-3 and 3-0 respectively, so the Bankies 6-1 victory probably puts us roughly where we might expect to be given those two results. However, for the first ten minutes or so the Clydebank players were taken aback by the forward play from the visitors.

Scoutable weren’t up to much at the back, and there was a significant drop off in ability within the starting eleven and more so to those on the bench. The one recognisable player in their ranks was Victor Emordi who had spent the last couple of seasons at Beith. The two players who did catch the eye were Gravine Kalala and Aiman Azzarrrai and it was this duo who combined to give the Amateurs a shock lead after seven minutes.

The Bankies had almost scored when a Gallacher free kick from the left was just touched off the toe of Matt Niven. Directly from the clearance Kalala picked up the ball, broke quickly and went on a fine solo run before prodding a perfect through pass for Azzarrrai who expertly slotted past Stott.

Clydebank were not looking particularly clever in those opening moments, and it wasn’t exactly what Gordon Moffat was hoping to see from his players on his return to the dug-out after his holiday.

The inconsistencies within the Scoutable side began to show after their positive start as they just couldn’t keep their levels up, whilst the Bankies realising they were in a bit of a game increased the intensity. It took a while to get there and Balili’s fingertip save on to the crossbar from a McGowan strike was the sign that the tables were about to turn.

Three goals in an eight-minute spell did the damage, and United’s defensive frailties would be exposed time and time again. The first from Nicky Little came after 29 minutes when he intercepted a pass back and side-stepped the keeper before rolling the ball into the net.

The second goal was probably the pick of the goals on the night when Aaron Black latched onto a Craig Truesdale pass and thumped the ball home via the underside of the bar. Minutes later the same player notched his second when he cutely lobbed the ball into the net after the keeper had parried a Nicky Little shot into his path.

The second half was more of a training exercise for the Bankies as Aaron Black completed his hat trick early in the second half. The forward robbed the dithering Kris Amponsah at the edge of the box, and despite the committed effort of the goalkeeper, he couldn’t prevent Black from forcing the ball over the line.

Numerous substitutions altered the tempo and flow of the game, but Clydebank still managed to net a further two goals, both from new signing Neil McLaughlin. The first came from a Lee Gallacher near post free kick which the former St Cadocs man headed downwards into the corner.

Gallacher was also involved in McLaughlin’s second and the Bankies sixth when his angled drive was palmed out by the keeper straight into Nei’s path and he first timed the rebound into the net from close range.

The remaining 25 minutes were played out in a fairly tedious manner with no further scoring. No doubt from a coach’s point of view there is value in this, but for the spectators many were casting an eye at their phones/watches in the last ten minutes. Pre-season is pre-season and the games serve a purpose beyond this individual match and hopefully we will see the benefits when the real action begins in just over two weeks.

Our next pre-season match sees South of Scotland League winners Lochar Thistle visit Holm Park in a reversal of last season’s challenge match which the Bankies won 4-1 down at Dumfries. The kick off is at 2pm.

Match report written by Stuart McBay