Falkirk 0
Clydebank 2
League (Division 1)

Match Report

On paper, had Clydebank taken more than one point from Falkirk last season, they would now be in the Premier League.

That's theory, of course. The fact that they lost vital games at vital times is beside the point.

However, the did manage only one home draw from three games against the Brockville side and that's why it was all the more satisfying to see them record a comfortable victory on Saturday.

Even more important than the laying of the Falkirk jinx, though, was yet another indication that Bankies are beginning to shake off their unpredictable tag.

After a couple of early season shocks from Raith Rovers and Alloa, they have settled down to build the foundations of a promotion campaign by picking up points against the very teams who denied them so often last term - the rabbits.

Now, rather than beating the top sides and losing to the minnows, they have shown convincing form against the likes of Clyde, Dumbarton, Queens Park and, of course, Falkirk, and they struggled against Hearts and Airdrie.

However, you may say that's an even bigger problem. If you can't beat the top sides then you can't go up.

That's true. But surely there's nothing more frustrating than seeing your team beat the league leaders only to go down to relegation candidates the following week.

If Bankies pick up full points against the rabbits and then fail against the big guns, then fair enough. They will have done their best.

On Saturday, they weren't at their best, but did enough to beat a disappointing Falkirk side.

Despite pushing forward for most of the game, and with new signings Ally Love and Pat Carroll playing well, John Hagart's men didn't put Jim Gallacher's goal under too much pressure.

Their best efforts, in fact, came right at the start and at the end.

After just five minutes, Willie Herd burst through to beat Jim Fallon and fire just wide from the edge of the box.

Then, minutes from the final whistle, substitute Wilson's cross beat the defence only for Gary Thompson to head past from point blank range.

That proved to be the last chance and a costly miss, for within seconds Bankies went two nil ahead.

Gerry McCabe took the ball from defence to relieve the pressure on his defence and toyed with a Falkirk player long enough for Martin Hughes to make a fine run almost unnoticed through the middle of the defence.

His pass found the young midfielder clean through on keeper George Watson, and although his low shot was sliding wide of the goal, Bobby Williamson beat full-back Andy Nicol in the chase to tap the ball over the line.

Earlier, Gerry Ronald had celebrated his new contract by shooting Clydebank ahead from another incisive move.

Falkirk failed to clear their lines after some sustained pressure, and when they did they didn't come out quickly enough, allowing Williamson to stay onside and get on the end of a clever mark Treanor reverse pass.

The striker's cross was taken off Coyne's toe but only as far as Ronald who scrambled the ball over the line.

The goals apart however, there was very little else to enthuse over. Bankies did enough to win, and played enough good football to keep the fans happy, so it was a good day.

The win lifted Clydebank into third place, a healthy position despite the odd bad results which have peppered their season so far, and set them up nicely for the visit of St Johnstone.