Raith Rovers 0
Clydebank 2
League (Division 1)

Match Report

With two deft touches from strikers Tom Coyne and Blair Millar, Clydebank finally did as they had threatened for weeks, and turned their outfield superiority into goals.

Time after time since the start of the season, the fans have seen their favourites dominate matches, but fail miserably in the opposition box. This was the day it all came good.

Apart from the goals, both well-worked and sweetly put away-Millar hit the bar, Coyne was on target several times and Ronald played havoc with the home defence in their area.

Ronald, along with Gerry McCabe, was immense. Both midfielders ran the whole show in a style which at times bordered on the contemptuous.

While Raith panicked, kicked the ball wildly into the virtual typhoon which engulfed Starks Park, McCabe, Ronald and their Kilbowie team-mates kept their heads, kept the ball in the ground and kept on coming at the bottom-of-the-table Fifers.

Goal number one came after eight minutes, and a very clever little effort it was too. Bankies won a free-kick about 30 yards out, and, seeing Gerry McLauchlan loping upfield towards them and no doubt having done their homework on his dead-ball ability, built a strong wall in front of the box. A clever, quick McCabe through ball fooled everyone (including, I must confess, myself) and, as the Rovers' rearguard stood dumbfounded, Tom Coyne nipped in and hit the ball first time in off the far post. Simple.

From that moment on, it was very difficult to see Raith coming back into things.

Even with £30,000 striker Willie Gibson from Partick Thistle in the ranks (why does everyone make their debut against Clydebank?), they never really looked like scoring, although twice in the early stages the blond haired striker had to be stopped with excellent tackles in the box. These incidents apart, it was one-way traffic.

Ronald beat three men on the edge of the box, and deceived the keeper with a clever cut-back, but the ball went just wide of the post. But the first-half performance would have been capped if a superb 28th minute move had produced a goal.

Ronald, going along the half-way line, left the ball to McCabe, at the same time taking two defenders with him on a dummy run. His namesake Gerry promptly switched the play to Given, who took a few strides before crossing to Millar. In one flowing movement he controlled the ball, flicked it over a defender's head and volleyed inches over Walker's crossbar. It was a quick, incisive move which cut Raith to shreds and brought applause from even the hardened home support. Bankies' play, at least, brought a ray of sunshine to inhospitable Starks Park. They tried some very clever moves, and, for the most part, they came off.

Millar should have made it 2-0 shortly before the break when a Given cross fell invitingly towards the near post, but, although he dived full-length, the big centre forward failed to connect.

There was a period from the start of the second half until about 20 minutes later, when Clydebank lost their way slightly, and the game slipped into a bit of a rut, but quite frankly Raith had neither the talent nor the brains to take advantage and get a foothold on the match.

As the game drew to a close, however, Bankies resumed their earlier mantle of dictators, and, if anything, played better football than in the first 45.

The killer goal had to come, and when it did it was well worth waiting for. Clydebank had been moving quietly down the left when Jim Given got the ball. There seemed to be little danger, but suddenly he whipped over a lovely cross and Millar appeared from nowhere to glance a header past Walker from 12 yards..

Raith could have played all night and still not have scored. In short, Bankies were streets ahead in every department. They had no Gerry McCabe or Gerry Ronald to build attacks, no Gerry McLauchlan to steady their defence and play their way out of trouble. And they had no forwards like Millar or Coyne to stick away half-chances..

The only black mark on a satisfying day out was the late injury which saw the excellent Mark Treanor carried off the field after a wild Urquhart challenge. Latest from Kilbowie is that Mark missed training on Tuesday, and is struggling to be fit for Saturday's clash with table-topping Motherwell.