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BANKIES DESERVEDLY LOSE OUT TO ST ANTHONY'S

Clydebank 1-3 St Anthony's

Clydebank played an atrocious game of football today in front of 425 people, in what was THE worst performance I've seen at Glenhead Park!

This is how both sides lined up:

Clydebank lined up EXACTLY like last week, so check out that report if you wanna see how they lined up.

St Anthony's kicked off the match, and the first chance fell to them.  On 4 minutes, a shot trundled past the post.  A minute later, Dempsey condeded a free kick, and David Dickson stepped up to take it.  Fortunately, it was right at Halpin.

Clydebank responded by having a chance of their own, through a McIntyre header.  I don't think he was expecting it, he headed it high in the air and the keeper dealt with it well.  Then on 9 minutes, the familiar routine of Maxwell threading a through pass to Hailstones created a chance for wee Mark, but his weak shot was easily gathered by David Turner in goal for the Ants.

Right after this chance, Clydebank won a corner.  Hailstones swung it right in front of goal, begging for someone to connect.  But everyone missed it, and the chance was gone.  A great ball whipped in, pity his team-mates couldnae connect.

Then the Ants came mighty close to shocking the home crowd, when a ball hit up the park to an Ants player was met with shouts of "Offside", but the lineswoman kept her flag down.  Poor control took the ball out of play, but it was a let-off for our defence.  Then Mark Hailstones outrageously flicked the ball with his heel to Waddell, but Turner came out and gathered the ball before Waddell could get on the end of it.

Kevin Ford had a chance for the Ants on 13 minutes, his shot saved by Halpin.  A minute later, James Lennox received a booking for a poor challenge.  Then our defence started to show some real problems, our back 3 didn't seem to know what to do as poor defending led to Steve Mulligan having his shot saved once again by Halpin.  For now, Halpin was sparing the Clydebank defence's blushes.

On 19 minutes, Ryan Waddell showed some good skill on the left wing, and got a cross in.  It was hit too hard, though, and too high for anyone to connect.  Clydebank started playing some wonderful football on 22 minutes, and some flowing passing play eventually led to Hailstones firing in a shot, but it was once again dealt with by Turner.

Paul Deeney was booked on 27 minutes for time-wasting, it was him who would cause outrage and disgust later on in the match.  With half an hour gone, Clydebank were trying to ease the tension, and the chance came when a cross was punched away by a defender, and it was a penalty.  Brian Harkins stepped up to take it, having not scored yet this season, and sent the keeper the wrong way, to make it Clydebank 1-0 St Anthony's, after 30 minutes.

Despite Harkins scoring from the spot, the defence were still out of place and having a disastrous game, continually making errors.  Graeme Dempsey, who was already injured apparently, had to be replaced on 37 minutes by Danny Simpson.  Looked like a bad one, here's hoping he'll be back soon, and 100% fit.  St Anthony's also had an injury concern, Greg Frearson came on for Paul Ferris a minute later.  Nothing else happened in the first half, and the score at half time was:

CLYDEBANK 1-0 ST ANTHONY'S

The half-time show was good, the subs participating in "hit the crossbar", where you whack it from the half way line and try to hit the crossbar.  I think Joe Allison was the only one who managed it.  Great entertainment, pity the actual match wasn't the same...

A couple of minutes into the second half, Mick Fallen finally got booked for consistant fouls.  Then the Ants come inches of equalising, with 49 minutes gone a run from the left into the box saw a shot fired in, and it hit the side netting.  Everyone thought it was in, including the St Anthony's management as they cheered.  When everyone realised it didn't go in, the young troop pointed and laughed, as you do, at the Ants management, and then they kicked our flag!  It's not enough for them to bend it oot of shape, the manager has to kick it an all!

On 52 minutes, Maxwell again passed through to Hailstones, but pressure from the defender saw his shot go over.  Then Clydebank made a vital change on 56 minutes, Joe Allison coming on for John McIntyre.  Clydebank were playing a bit better up front, and a chance was made for Clydebank but Hailstones couldn't connect with it.

Disaster struck on 65 minutes, as the inevitable happened.  St Anthony's just rang rings around our defence on the right, charged into the box, a shot was blocked, the goalkeeper scrambling to get it, whacked in, cleared off the line, it was like a game of Pong!  But one of these times, the linesman judged the ball to have crossed the line and it was Steve Mulligan who had got the goal for St Anthony's, to make it Clydebank 1-1 St Anthony's, after 65 minutes.

Straight after this, Hailstones had THE chance people will remember.  I think it was Waddell, who showed some good skill on the left.  He crossed the ball in to Hailstones, who should've just hit it first time.  He took a touch, and that was enough for Turner to collect the ball before Hailstones can burst the net.  His dad was fuming, but I reminded him that he seemed to be one of the few players actually DOING something positive, getting into these positions and such.

Danny Simpson got booked on 69 minutes, and a couple of minutes later Joe Allison had a shot right at Turner.  But if there was going to be a moment of genius, it was going to come from St Anthony's.  A cross from the left was flicked on to an unmarked Kevin Ford, who spectaculary overhead-kicked it into Halpin's top right-hand corner.  St Anthony's had deserved to be in the lead, I'll grant them that.  But the actions of a certain Paul Deeney made the Bankies angrier.  Gesturing to the Clydebank fans in a "gerritupya" type of way was just wrong, I immediately called over their manager (I was near them) and asked if they saw what happened.  They said they saw it, they stressed to Deeney to calm it down, and told me they'd talk to him after the game about it.  There was a small kid in a pram, right behind me, who saw Deeney's actions.  They got the goal, it was deserved, but Deeney should have some sort of action taken against him.

Steve Mulligan, the scorer of the equaliser, got booked on 76 minutes.  Clydebank were winning corners, but they were cleared each time.  With 10 minutes remaining, Waddell fired in a free kick, but it was too close to Turner.  A minute later saw Clydebank's final change, Michael Tolland coming on for Des Kelly, who seemed to me to be lacking a lot of confidence as of late.  He had a poor, poor match.

A minute later saw a scramble in the St Anthony's penalty box, similar to how they scored their equaliser.  Hailstones tried to connect on to it, mayhem ensued, it was finally cleared.  Time was running out, and on 87 minutes Hailstones' corner was headed out to Allison, who volleyed it right at Turner.  Then St Anthony's played for time, making a change.  The impressive Kevin Ford made way for Chris Gold.

A minute of normal time left saw the end of the match as a contest, St Anthony's had a free kick in a dangerous position and David Dickson stepped up to it.  It took a cruel deflection, leaving Halpin rooted as it deflected to his left as he was going right.  We were going to lose at the Fortress, and the worst part was that we DESERVED to lose.

Another time-wasting substitution was made, Dickson making way for Tony Pugh.  The referee blew his whistle, and the full-time score was:

CLYDEBANK 1-3 ST ANTHONY'S

In-depth analysis

OK, last week our midfield seemed to have problems, but thankfully our defence was awesome that day.  This week, midfield AND defence fell to pieces, meaning St Anthony's could play good football and create strong chances from our mistakes.  Dempsey is injured when he started, and went off injured, so I don't think any blame should be getting fired his way.  Crawford, Harkins and Fallen all made mistakes, I don't really know why they all had an off-day.  Brady was over-confident, in my opinion, and that was his downfall.

Des Kelly seems to be LACKING in confidence, maybe it goes back to that Shettleston incident or something.  Waddell played alright, didn't do much wrong.  Didn't do much either, though.  McIntyre is a left back, not a midfielder.  He had an alright game, but he's not a midfielder!  Danny Simpson seems a firey character, but I agree with others when they say he'd be much more influential in a central midfield role.  Joe Allison, Clinton Maxwell, Mark Hailstones, Ryan Waddell and Paul Halpin were the only players who had a decent game.

My man of the match: Joe Allison

C'mon the Bankies!