Clydebank manager Gordon Moffat was delighted with his sides ‘scintillating’ first-half display in their 5-2 win over Cumnock Juniors on Saturday.
Bankies were up against ten men for almost the entirety of the game at Holm Park after Greg Ferry was dismissed for the visitors after just a couple of minutes.
Nicky Low fired in the resulting free-kick to send the hosts on their way before Thomas Collins added a second on six minutes.
Nicky Little then fired in a stunning double before the break with two trademark wonder strikes from distance that flew into either corner of the net.
It looked as if ‘Nock were going to make a game of it after the interval as they pulled goals back through a brace from Jamie McKernon and Creag Little was dismissed for Clydebank.
However, on the hour, Matt Niven towered in a header to increase the deficit back to three and complete the scoring.
Moff admits his side should have been ahead by more at the break but was delighted with the way his troops saw the game out after a nervy 15-minute second-half period.
Speaking the Clydebank Post, he said: “I think the boys deserve credit because it’s a bit of a strange situation where after just a minute of the game the dynamic has changed but they really put their foot on the gas and in the first-half we were scintillating.
“We are always prepared for what we are going to do if there is a red card and the boys really stepped on the gas and smelt blood after being 2-0 up after five minutes.
“To be honest I thought it could have been more than four at half-time, it easily could have been six or more, but at the same time, I was happy that we had got that gap.
“It’s hard for Cumnock to reset and have a new game plan when the game is going on so it wasn’t a surprise that after half-time they came out and had a go.
“We never managed the first 10/15 minutes of the second half well and made a couple of mistakes and a breakdown in communication which gave them a way into the game.
“Once they scored the second we changed the shape and matched them up and I felt we were comfortable, it was just that first wee spell we had to get a grip on but because the guys had made such a gap we were able to see it out fairly comfortably in the end.”
Little’s stunning double put Bankies in a comfortable position before the break, and Moff admits it really is no shock to anyone when he produces his magic.
He said: “I said to Nicky at half-time that he wasn’t even set for the first one – the ball was landing in the middle of his body and he has to adjust to get it onto his right foot.
“It was incredible technique because he wasn’t set for it at all, he manufactured the volley and the second one was more instinctive where it sits up and he swings his so-called weaker foot at it and it flies in.
“They were two incredible hits but it’s not that big of a surprise anymore, even the substitutes are looking at each other and nodding and saying there he is doing it again.
“If that’s scored in the Premier League you are seeing it all weekend but for the level we are at it’s incredible technique.”
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