Sat 06 May 2023 KO 2:00 pm	Holm Park, Clydebank
PDM Buildbase WOSFL Premier League	Match 29
Clydebank 6 (3)	Kelly, Little 2, Gallacher 2, Mulcahy
Glenafton Athletic 2 (1)	McLean 2

Bankies kicked off and enjoyed a lively start. Alan Kelly stripped Paul Paton of the ball and drilled a low shot from 22 yards that drifted wide of the post. Adam Hodge then intercepted a Glens clearance and lobbed the ball high to the edge of the left hand-side of the box where Kelly gathered and cracked a vicious shot that keeper Aiden Glavin, at full stretch, pushed round the post. The corner kick was floated to the back post where Mick McMullin beat Jaime Darroch in the aerial battle for ball at the expense of another corner which Glavin clutched cleanly under the bar.

Forward came Glens as Alex McWaters broke upfield and although his cross into the box was intercepted the ball was quickly recovered by Dylan O’Kane who curled a shot from 22 yards only for keeper Jamie Donelly to push it wide of the top corne; the corner that followed was cleared.

Play raged back and forth but with 11 minutes gone Bankies were forced to make an early substitution after Creag Little struggled to recover from an earlier knock and was replaced by Danny MacKenzie.

On 13 minutes the home side took the lead after Hodge gathered the ball wide on the right on the half-way line before pushing forward and switching play with a peach of a long diagonal pass to Alan Kelly tight on the left wing. He then cut inside and curled a cross from the corner of the box towards the near post seemingly for the inrushing Ben McLernan but it appears he never got a touch and the ball continued undeterred past the keeper on the line before bulging the side-netting at the far post.

The Bankies continued to press while Glens gallantly cleared their lines before Lee Gallacher picked out Nicky Little in the box only to drag his shot wide of target.

Some respite for the Glens as Scott McLean burst upfield to edge of the box from where he rolled the ball back to McWaters to fire a shot from 22 yards that was well held by Donnelly.

Back came Clydebank and after another spell of pressure doubled their lead on 23 minutes. Joe Slattery from within a pocket of defenders lobbed a high ball over their heads into the left-hand side of the box for MacKenzie to collect and drive along the 18-yard line before squaring to Kelly to skelp a low shot from just inside the ‘D’ and although Glavin got down to block it the loose ball rolled along the face of goal and the alert Nicky Little was quick to react and lash the ball into the net. The young keeper sustained an injury in trying to savek the rebound and had to be replaced with Craig Burns.

The Glens fought their way back into the game. After a determined run down the right by Ryan Nisbet he whipped the ball into the six-yard for Michael Moffat only for Jamie Darroch to intercept and head out for a corner. It was Darroch that headed the corner-kick clear out the box only for O’Kane to recover the ball and hold of Kelly to break down the left and clip a great ball high into the six-yard box for the inrushing Hugh Kerr and McMullin. However, the former was being held back by Hodge and it was the latter that leapt high to challenge for the ball with the outrushing keeper, both colliding and collapsing to the ground. The referee pointed to the spot only for the assistant referee to raise his flag, apparently suggesting the keeper had been fouled. However after a lengthy discussion the referee’s decision stood. and Scott McLean kept his cool to slot home the spot-kick an halve the deficit on 32 minutes.

(*Although, McMullin had clearly taken an accidental blow to the side of the head, my initial thoughts were that the referee must have spotted Hodge holding back Kerr with both hands – but he wasn’t booked, so the ref hadn’t spotted it.)

Soon after, O’Kane won the ball on the outskirts of the centre-circle in the Bankies half and escaped the clutches of Nicky Low and then those of Darroch to push forward with Hodge now hot on his heels with arms outstretched but again the young striker shook him off until a few yards from the box where the Bankies full back made his choice to bring him down. McLean clipped the free-kick over the wall and as the ball began to dip Donnelly leapt with an outstretched arm to tip over the bar.

McLean played the corner kick low into a packed six-yard box initiating a scramble and although Kerr was being held again, he managed to roll the ball back to McLean to clip it back into the goalmouth where Donnelly punched it clear of the box only for McWaters to hook it back by which time the keeper was in place to comfortably catch the ball.

Glens continued to enjoy a good spell of possession before the home side began to turn the screw again. With numbers in the Glens box MacKenzie won the ball and fed Little to side-foot a shot from 18 yards only for Burns to save and hold tightly. 

On 42 minutes Clydebank restored their two-goal cushion. Slattery, with his route to the box blocked, rolled the ball back to Hodge tight on the right wing who took a touch or two before lobbing a perfectly weighted ball over a couple of Glens defenders and down the wing into a space for Lee Gallacher to chase it down before cutting into the box and effortlessly jink past two defenders and as a third closed in he angled a low shot from 8 yards out just beyond the fingertips of Burns at full stretch. 

HT Clydebank 3 Glens 1

Glenafton made a change at the break with Ryan Nisbet making way for Sam McKee.

Glens kicked off the second half and McLean tried his luck from 30 yards with a low drive but the keeper was not to be caught cold and held it well.  The visitors then won a corner which was cleared and Clydebank’s counter-attack concluded with Little’s shot from inside the box stopped by Burns. Soon after the keeper made another fine save this time from Kelly’s effort from the edge of the box.

Back came Little to cut into the right-hand side of the Glens box to fire another low shot from a tight angle which Burns got down low to push away and Adam Caldwell mopped up the loose ball. It was then played upfield to O’Kane but although his attempt to head the ball on to Kerr was intercepted by Darroch the centre-half’s header fell back into the path of the lively O’Kane. From here he dashed forward leaving Low in his wake and then skipped past Hodge with ease and on reaching the ‘D’ he cracked a shot through space between Darroch and Oisin McHugh only for Donnelly, on his six yard line,  to push the ball away sending it high into the air and as it dropped the incoming Scott McLean drilled it into ground to send it bouncing over the diving keeper and it into the net. Glens back in the game, a goal behind, on 53 minutes.

Two minutes later Paton nicked the ball from Kelly and slipped it to McKee on the right who whipped a high ball into the far side of the box where Moffat had sneaked behind Hodge and Darroch only for his header from the corner of the six-yard box to be clutched by the keeper at his near post.

On 56 minutes McKee’s shot was deflected out for a corner which McLean floated into the goalmouth where Ollie Rowe’s header slipped past post while Hodge and Kerr had wrestled and fell to the ground; the Glens striker’s claim for a penalty fell also – on deaf ears!

At the other end McLernan broke into the left-hand side of the box forcing Burns to rush from his line and then coolly rounded the keeper with a great touch only for McMullin’s sliding tackle preventing him bagging a brace. Back came Glens and Kerr’s header from a Moffat cross was gathered by Donnelly.

On the hour mark Clydebank restored their two goal cushion after a powerful run from Kelly cutting inside from the left, by-passing a host of Glens player before clipping a superb ball to match Lee Gallacher’s run in from the right, to take a touch and on entering the box curled the ball between Rowe and the diving keeper into the far side of the net. 4-2 Bankies!

Bankies then brought on Larry McMahon for Joe Slattery.

Play went back and forth and Glens had a couple of half chances from scuccessive corner-kicks that saw the Donnelly clutch Rowe’s header and then watch Kerr’s header dip over the bar.

However, on 73 minutes Bankies added a fifth as Glens got into a fankle! Donnelly launched a goal kick high upfield and as McMullin prepared to head it clear it caught him square on his crown sending the ball high into the air and Glens’ defender crumbling to ground in some distress. In the meantime, McLernan leapt high to head the ball into the box where both McWaters and Little gave chase while Burns rushed from his line and it was Nicky Little that got a touch to edge it wide of the keeper before side footing the ball into the empty net.

Clydebank then made a triple substitution with the injured Jamie Darroch and goal scorers Ben McLernan Nicky Little making way for Matt Niven, Connor Higgins and Ciaran Mulcahy.

On 79 minutes McMullin picked up another injury and was replaced by Dean Currie.

Credit to Glens they worked hard to try and pull one back but soon found themselves defending a number of corner-kicks as Bankies looked to add to their tally.

With 5 minutes to go Glens brought on Leon Murphy and Cameron McKenzie for Alex McWaters and Hugh Kerr.

Clydebank side brought an impressive display to a conclusion after Gallacher played a short corner to Kelly who quickly returned it for the former Glens player to curl it into the six-yard box where Ciaran Mulcahy leapt to bullet a header home.

FT Clydebank 6 Glenafton 2

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC

Glenafton Athletic: 1. Aiden Glavin (Craig Burns) 2. Adam Caldwell 22. Ollie Rowe 35. Michael McMullin (20. Dean Currie); 14. Ryan Nisbet (7. Sam McKee) 3. Scott McLean 6. Alex McWaters (11. Leon Murphy) 8. Paul Paton 18. Dylan O’Kane, 9. Hugh Kerr (19. Cameron McKenzie) 15. Michael Moffat .  Subs Not Used: 4. Craig Pettigrew 7. Sam McKee, Callum McFadyen, 19. Cameron McKenzie 20. Dean Currie, Craig Burns (gk)..

CLYDEBANK
Clydebank: 1. Jamie Donnelly 2. Adam Hodge 15. Oisin McHugh 22. Creag Little (3. Danny MacKenzie) 5. Jamie Darroch (4. Matt Niven) 23. Nicky Low 7. Lee Gallacher 8. Joe Slattery (17. Larry McMahon)18. Ben McLernan (27. Connor Higgins) 10. Nicky Little (9. Ciaran Mulcahy) 21. Alan Kelly

Match Photos

Clydebank v Glenafton Athletic