Stranraer 2
Clydebank 1 (AET)
Scottish Cup (3rd Round)

Match Report

Clydebank exited the Scottish Cup by the odd goal in three at the third-round stage after a valiant but ultimately fruitless effort against League two side Stranraer at Stair Park. The Bankies controlled the match particularly in the second half but didn’t quite make the most of the few good chances we created.

Gordon Moffat was quite aggressive with his substitutions giving me the impression that he felt his best chance of winning the game was in the ninety minutes. When the match went into extra time we contrived to lose what turned out to be the winner within a minute of the kick-off and Adam Hodge’s red card seven minutes later really made the result a near certainty though were still able to give the Blues the odd fright.

I decided to delay this match report until I had seen the highlights, particularly to have a better view of the red card incident, and to clarify the two goals which we lost as I would have been guessing otherwise.

We might as well start with the red card. Hodge had already been booked within two minutes of entering the field as a substitute. He slid in from behind as a Stranraer player was breaking upfield. It was quite clear from my vantage point that Hodge got a toe on the ball, but challenges like that nowadays almost invariably end up as a free kick and a yellow card.

The dismissal in my opinion has not come from the initial aerial challenge which whilst robust was entirely fair, but the subsequent standing on the prostrate player is what has brought about the red card. Hodge, will no doubt argue his innocence, but he probably could have taken a little more care to avoid the player. He gave the referee a decision to make and he made it.

The goals we lost were both self-inflicted and unlucky at the same time. The opening goal for Stranraer after 31 minutes came from Lee Gallacher being dispossessed deep in his own half. To give Lee a break, he was given a terrible pass by Neil McLaughlin with two Stranraer players in close attendance. He should still has disposed of the ball, but he was instead quickly robbed.

The ball was worked out to the left-wing to Dolan and his low cross was deflected goalward by David Syme. Looking back at it, Owen Stott should really have done much better than push the ball in off the far post. Sure, the ball was going away from him at an angle, but I’m certain he will feel he should have deflected it away from goal.

At the start of extra-time, you wondered if the Bankies would have the legs to win the game. Fatigue got the better of us against Annan Athletic a few years ago, and in under a minute we were behind. I’m not sure what Arran Preston was doing. At the time I thought he lost his footing, but he may just have been looking for a foul. Unfortunately the ball skidded off the back of his head into the path of Edgar.
Fortune was on Stranraer’s side as the forward attempted to shoot across Owen Stott, but the luckless Adam Hodge deflected past the keeper as he tried to charge down the effort.

It should be said that Arran Preston had a great game after replacing David Syme at half-time. He looks to have all the attributes to be a quality player for the Bankies and I fully expect to see him as a regular in the team before too long. It was a shame for the goal to come from his error as his powerful header from a Lee Gallacher corner kick had drawn the Bankies level after 47 minute, and he was otherwise strong, assured and never put a foot wrong.

So now we have the main incidents out of the way, the question is should we have won the game. The answer to that is probably a yes, but it requires a further question. Why didn’t we? Given that we are a lower league side then it was impressive to dictate the game in the manner we did. Other than a short period after Stranraer scored when we were a little rattled, the Bankies controlled proceedings. Nicky Low was in fantastic form and is having his best season at the club and he was prominent throughout.

I think everyone has been impressed with Neil McLaughlin this season, but clearly, he isn’t the long-term solution to the striking problem we have. Keir Samson may be absent for an extended period of time, and Ciaran Mulcahy is probably a fair distance away after his foot surgery. We also have Nicky Little being out of touch by his standards. After a strong start to the season, he has scored just twice in thirteen games. The two best chances of the first half fell to Little. The first he needed two touches to get the ball under control then he made a bit of a mess with his shot. The second was a more difficult volley, but you would have fancied an in-form Nicky Little to bury one or both those chances.

If the club has the means to do so, we should be looking at bringing in a striker. This is obviously a difficult time of the year to sign any player, but with the league race being as tight as it is, we don’t want to let our title aspirations drift away from us. The squad has been seriously stretched in recent weeks, and we have now suffered three away defeats in a row and which is a sign that we are in need of reinforcements.

The second half brought more attempts at goal. The pick of the bunch being Neil McLaughlin’s drive which struck the crossbar. McLaughlin tried to pass in another effort which was cleared, and Dean Cairns was unlucky to see a piledriver off a defenders face. Thomas Collins also had a great chance to head home from close range, but he didn’t make a strong enough connection and the ball glanced wide.

Even after we went behind in extra time, Collins had an unbelievable miss when he tried to bundle in a Nicky Little header from close range, but keeper Lane saved with his legs, and Rocco Hickey-Fugaccia sent a shot narrowly wide. We shouldn’t forget, however, that Stranraer could have scored a killer third on a couple occasions as the Bankies desperately chased the equaliser.

The Scottish Cup adventure is over for another year, and the club has to now concentrate on the two battles that are ahead. We are chasing the Lowland League title and the need to upgrade our SFA Licence to bronze level to allow us promotion to the SPFL if we are good enough to win said league. Both have their challenges.

We could not have asked for too much more in the first half of the season, and its relentless nature continues with two more away games over the next ten days. We make a first visit to Caley Brave’s Alliance Park next Saturday and that is quickly followed with a trip to Forthbank Stadium to play Stirling Uni the following Wednesday.

The support was once again outstanding at Stranraer, and we need more of the same to lift the players for these difficult tests.

Match report written by Stuart McBay