• Web Hosting
• Guestbooks
• Hit Counter
• Forums
• Blogs
• Mailing List
• Free Web Hosting

Central District League Division 1

The end of the season match saw some amazing twists and turns throughout the day as all three teams gunning for promotion were at one point going up! Firstly Clydebank were going up, then Yoker were, then Clydebank were going up again but Dunipace grabbed the final promotion spot thanks to a seventh-minute injury-time winner! Despite this Clydebank still played wonderfully and have nothing to be ashamed of this season.

It was a hectic start to the match and Mitchell had a header go wide with only 4 minutes gone. A couple of minutes later saw the first goal of the afternoon thanks to Clinton Maxwell heading in from a Ryan Waddell corner kick, the score was Clydebank 1-0 Benburb after 6 minutes. At this moment of the afternoon Clydebank were technically going up, based on the other result at Westfield Park at the same time.

After Benburb's Alan Thomson was booked Waddell's free-kick turned into a Sean Brady throw, and from this Crawford connected to the ball and tried to emulate what he did last weekend in the special testimonial match for Arbroath legend John McAulay - score with a header. Unfortunately for the beast his downward header hit the post and this was followed up by a Hailstones volley that was straight at Ross Stewart.

Hailstones was unlucky with that effort but he was all smiles a few minutes afterwards when he doubled Clydebank's advantage. Clinton Maxwell's mazy run through the Benburb defence was then followed up by Hailstones letting the ball run across him and onto his left foot, and his strike deflected into the bottom corner. It was now Clydebank 2-0 Benburb, after 11 minutes.

A couple of minutes later it should've been three when Hailstones swung in a free-kick which was flicked on by Ryan Scobie, and Crawford was waiting at the back post but he mis-hit the volley and it went wide of goal. From this Benburb had their first attack of the game when they won a free-kick not far out from goal, but Robert MacMillan's effort was straight at Scott McNab. 15 minutes gone and it was all going to plan so far.

Things did noticibly slow down a bit and after a few tame efforts from Clydebank Benburb blew a golden chance to get back into the game when Mark Davis headed wide after half an hour. Clydebank responded through some magnificent passing football and Benburb's offside trap was to no avail when Hailstones put through Maxwell one-on-one with Ross Stewart in goal, with all the time in the world. He done some fancy footwork to put him off and then fired a shot in at the near post, but it hit the inside of the post and bounced back out across the face of goal. No idea how he missed, it seemed easier to score! This was followed up by a substitution, Sean Brady coming off for David Fisher after 32 minutes.

Donnie McDonald had his shot turned around the post superbly by McNab and from the corner kicks taken by James Canning, his cross in found John Sheridan who broke free of his markers but just headed wide. It was a big let-off for the Clydebank defence, the game was far from over! The final effort of the first half fell to Crawford and he cheekily tried lobbing Stewart from a good 25 yards out, but his effort went just wide of the goal. The ref blew his whistle to bring the half to a close and the scoreline stood at:

CLYDEBANK 2-0 BENBURB

Fans spent the half-time finding out the Dunipace V Yoker scoreline and there was word of a goal for Yoker. This was soon confirmed just as the second half at Glenhead kicked off, and as it stood Yoker were to go up on goal difference! Benburb had made two half-time changes, George O'Malley on for Stephen Morrison and Billy Davidson on for Willie Gilogley.

The players and management were unaware of proceedings at Westfield Park (for now) and got on with their own game, and a few minutes had gone before a moment of brilliance astounded even David Fisher himself. He received the ball from Hailstones and fired in a left-footed shot straight into the top corner, Ross Stewart was completely helpless and I could not believe it had went in. He hardly flinched, probably didn't believe it went in! But it was a great start to the second half, Clydebank at this stage needed to win by 5 clear goals to leap-frog Yoker and the fans raised the volume. The scoreline now stood at Clydebank 3-0 Benburb, after 48 minutes.

Ten minutes passed by before Hailstones went on a mazy run himself, his shot went wide though. A change was made, Waddell being replaced by Des Kelly, after this opportunity. Then Clydebank ensure their biggest victory of the season when Fisher's cross found Maxwell free in the box, his first effort well stopped but the rebound finding the back of the net. It was now Clydebank 4-0 Benburb, after 60 minutes. Clydebank needed one more goal to beat Yoker on goal difference if their own scoreline stayed at 1-0, so the fans obviously kept pushing the Bankies for more goals.

Des Kelly fired over the crossbar from a Hailstones free-kick and then an amazing flurry of chances saw Maxwell head off the post from a Hailstones corner. The ball bounced out and a Clydebank player, no idea who, fired the ball back in and Stewart got his body in the way of the shot. Another shot was rifled in but the human shield that was the Benburb defence blocked this attack and the ball was frantically cleared. There was less than 20 minutes remaining, and a couple of minutes after Clydebank came within a post's width of scoring made their final change as John Mitchell went off for Paul McGlinchey.

Benburb tried to get a consolation but Mark McCall fired over. It was around this time that some amazing news passed through the Glenhead terraces like a Mexican Wave - celebrations and cheers erupted from the Bankies fans after hearing of Dunipace's equaliser with only a few minutes to go in their own match. There was around 15 minutes left at Glenhead Park and I believe James Canning was booked for Benburb in amidst the celebrations by the Bankies fans. This feeling of joy spread to players and management alike and soon Budgie had his mobile phone out.

The team knew they were within ten minutes of going up if results stayed the same and eased off a bit, and George O'Malley should've grabbed Benburb's consolation but he directed his close-range volley past the post. Ten minutes remaining, and the pressure was intense on everyone. Robert MacMillan had his free-kick go uselessly high and wide and then Clydebank were denied their fifth of the afternoon when a superb Des Kelly run found Scobie, and his shot made it past Ross Stewart who slowed down the shot but not enough for it to stop moving towards goal, thankfully for Benburb they had a defender to clear it off the line.

No other chances were made. Ecstasy and jubilation soon turned to shock and devastation. Budgie and John Mitchell on the bench were the first to find out, and showed their disappointment. Dunipace had scored an incredibly late winner and had sealed promotion and nothing Clydebank could do would make any difference now. The fans, to my own joy, kept on singing and stayed after full-time to keep on singing and applauding their heroes. Crawford was down-hearted and there were many disappointed faces but they certainly were delighted with the crowd's reaction to their continued effort this season, an amazing season that has saw both promotion and relegation go down to the wire. I have loved this season and I've made a few new friends along the way as well, friends I will be seeing again next season (St Anthony's, EK Thistle) and friends I hope to be seeing next season (Benburb).

Full Time score at Glenhead Park was:

CLYDEBANK 4-0 BENBURB

Gary Kirkwood was the man in the middle today and had a generally good game, he certainly likes blowing his whistle but I haven't many complaints about his performance. It's rare for me to say that but yes, well done Gary Kirkwood, you didn't have a terrible game!

Benburb had a few great chances but failed to take them. Clydebank took some of their chances and it paid off, the two early strikes and it should've been at least 6-0 but it wouldn't have really mattered anyway, as Dunipace finish a single point ahead. Cruel fate, Dunipace have gotten lucky this season a good few times and I will say now, their hero this season: Tam Meighan. Saved them from losing away to Vale of Clyde and saved them from losing to Clydebank at Westfield Park.

Then there's the first clash between Yoker and Dunipace at Holm Park - who'd have thought that the whole promotion race could stem around that?!? It would've ended 1-1 if Yoker hadn't got hack-happy and kicked the living crap out of Dunipace and got 5 players sent off, thus having the game abandoned and the points being taken away from Yoker and added to Dunipace's total. So the extra 2 points for Dunipace from that helped them in promotion.

This season could not have been written by any sports pundit themselves, it really had everything. Controversy, celebration, devastation, crappy refs, fights, brawls, wonderstrikes and goal droughts and even a bunch of small kids ripping the crap out of Scott McNab during a half-time show at Glenhead Park.

STATISTICS