- McBookie West Region Super League Premier Division
- Match20
- Holm Park, Clydebank
- Saturday 19th May 2018
- CLYDEBANK 2 (1)
- Deas, Cunningham
- GLENAFTON ATHLETIC 1(0)
- Andrew
Glens enjoyed the early pressure albeit without fashioning a serious attempt at goal. On 8 minutes Bankies came close only for Ryan Deas’s header to drift wide of the post. Two minutes later good attacking play down the left by Darren McGill saw him advance in the box and his attempt to pick out Joe Andrew in the box cut out by Jamie Darroch at the expense of a corner kick which was duly cleared. Glens surrendered possession in the centre circle allowing Josh Watt to break upfield and picked out Deas on the left who lost out to the back-tracking Ryan Borris to earn a corner-kick. Watt floated the kick to edge of the six yard box where the unchallenged Deas glanced his header into far corner of the net to put the home side ahead on 13 minutes.
Ryan Borris failed to recover from an injury he picked up and on 18 minutes was replaced by Conor Lynass.
Play was frantic at times with the ball being battered about as possession changed from team without either keeper being tested. On 27 minutes defender Iain McKnight was shown a yellow card for tripping John Cunningham a few a yard from the bye-line and a yard more from the left hand side of the penalty box. On a move from the training ground Watt slipped a low free-kick to the near side of the six yard box for Cammy McClair but his first attempt was a fresh-air shot while his second was blocked by defender Alan Cairns to set up a counter attack by Glens that was broken down by Andy Paterson on the half-way line. Back came Glens through Kyle McAusland’s clearance upfield that was headed on by McGill and then in turn by Chris Dallas to be picked up by Lynass only for his volley from the 18 yard line to fall comfortably into the hands of keeper Marc Waters.
Play continued at a place with no quarter given in the sunshine at Holm Park. On 36 minutes the Glens won a free-kick on the right hand side of the outskirts of the box after Paterson kicked Moore on the back of the heel. Although McGill’s kick bounced off the defensive wall the ball fell for Cameron Marlow to blast a shot from 25 yards that flew inches wide of the post with the airborne keeper beaten. A minute later a mix up in the Glens defence left McGarrity stranded outside the corner of his six yard box leaving Cunningham and McKnight to battle for the ball in front of an empty net and it was the young defender that came out on top with a last-ditch tackle to hook the ball away. Back upfield and Marlow tried his luck from 30 yards but this time the keeper could look on as the ball sailed wide of the target.
Tempers flared on 40 minutes as Moore and Ross Forsyth tussled on the ground after a robust tackle by the latter. In terms of chances the Bankies had the last word in the first half with the Glens eventually clearing Watt’s corner-kick.
H/T Bankies 1 Glens 0
Within a minute of the restart the home side created the first chance of the new half with McClair’s close range glancing header from a Paterson cross easily held by McGarrity. Glens responded almost immediately through Dallas with a snapshot from outside the right-hand corner of the box which dropped safely into the arms of Waters. A minute later Marlow floated a ball deep into the box and Andrew’s bullet header screamed past the post. The same pair combined soon after with Marlow releasing Andrew down the left to drive to the bye-line but there were no takers for his cut-back across the face of goal.
Back came Bankies and Paterson’s perseverance down the left saw him progress into the box only for his shot to be deflected wide by Marlow. Although the resulting corner-kick was headed clear by McKnight the Bankies quickly recovered the ball to set up Deas in the box for a low angled shot that was also deflected wide and the corner that followed mopped up by the Glens defence.
In the centre circle Ryan McChesney beat Deas in the air and the ball fell for Moore on the left to drive forward and cut the ball into the box where former Bankies striker Joe Andrew got between Darroch and Matt McLean to lash the ball home from 8 yards out, to level the match on 57 minutes.
Glens freshened things up as they pressed for a second with goalscorer Andrew making way for Mick McCann. On 63 minutes Lynass beat Chris Dooley in the air and Dallas snapped up the ball to break forward and fashion a shot from 24 yards out which Waters did well to get down low and hold on tight to the ball.
Midway through the half Bankies brought on Ross Alexander for Josh Watt. Still the Glens pressed and Dallas nicked the ball from Darroch before then turning the defender outside in before slipping a superb ball into the box for the incoming Lynass to gather to crack a shot from the corner of the six yard box that was brilliantly blocked by the feet of Waters.
On 71 minutes some respite for the home side through Paterson’s break down the left before cutting into the box and shooting for goal only for McGarrity to pull off a great block with his legs as McClair waited on the cut-back. Bankies made another change with Darroch making way for Reece Pearson.
The referee took Moore and Forsyth aside for a word after the latter squared up to the former another clash. Deas got on with the game with a powerful drive through the middle and evaded a tackle from Moore at the edge of the box but his shot lacked the power to test McGarrity.
Forsyth was living dangerously as he refused to surrender the ball when the Glens had won the throw in and squared up to McAusland.
Play was now more evenly matched and flowed from end to end without any clear cut chances. On 83 minutes McGarrity launched the ball upfield and Dallas snapped up Dooley’s attempt to head it clear before breaking into the box only for the defender to recover and rob the striker off the ball and give away a corner.
Lynass’s kick was cleared at the near post and John Cunningham got a touch on the centre circle to release McClair upfield. Cunningham matched his teammate’s run to pick up his pass to advance into the box where he turned Moore and McKnight and although he fell to the ground he kept his wits to poke the ball between the keeper’s legs and into the net. Bankies 2-1 up on 84 minutes.
Two minutes later Forsyth couldn’t resist the temptation to have another kick at Moore and a second yellow card saw the Bankies face the closing minutes with 10 men. However, there were to be no further chances of notes and Keiran McAnespie’s Bankies took the points.
FT Bankies 2 Glens 1
Glenafton Athletic: 1. Brian McGarrity 2. Kyle McAusland 3. Alan Cairns 4. Iain McKnight 5. Ryan McChesney 6. Cameron Marlow 7. Dale Moore 8. Ryan Borris (14. Conor Lynass). 9. Chris Dallas 10. Joe Andrew (12. Mick McCann) 11. Darren McGill Subs not used. 15. Jake Griffin 16. Craig Potter 17. Scott Watson (gk)
Clydebank: 1.Scott Waters 14. Chris Dooley 3. Andy Paterson 4. Alan Vezza 5. Jamie Darroch (12. Reeced Pearson) 21. Matt McLean 7. Cammy McClair 8. Ryan Deas 15. Ross Forsyth 19. John Cunningham 11. Josh Watt (17. Ross Alexander) Subs Not used: 18. Ross Harvie 6. Jack McInnes 16. Chris Black 20. Scott Morrison
Glenafton Athletic 