Clydebank grind out 1-0 Arthurlie win to move top of league

A goal in the 18th minute from Liam McGonigle was enough to earn all three points when the tricky winger instinctively flicked the ball home from close range following a corner.

The Bankies came under a lot of pressure towards the end of the 90 minutes but were able to stand up well and defend their box impeccably.

It was a much-changed type of performance from the Holm Park side who have comfortably won games in the last few weeks, scoring 26 goals in their previous five games, and Moff knows that these types of showings are just as important for any side that wants to be successful but he isn’t getting too carried away by his troops currently leading the way in the league.

He told the Post: “Arthurlie work really hard and are well organised and the pitch is quite tight so it made for a tough game.

“We were okay in the first half but we spoke at half-time about being better on and off the ball.

“In the second half they stepped it up and looked for an equaliser and we got involved in a game we didn’t really want to be involved in but you’ve just got to deal with that at times.

“We didn’t really get our passing going which made it difficult to get out and as the half wears on you’re starting to think about just making sure we get through with the win.

“As much we are a bit disappointed with certain aspects of the game, I was really happy with our organisation and our willingness to dig in by helping each other and winning headers and defending our box.

“If you want to be a successful team that achieves things you’re going to have to have a few wins where you just have to grind it out.

“It won’t be the last game we have like this and as we know the league is very demanding so we know there’s going to be other games where you’re going away from home and the pitches are tighter and more difficult.

A clean sheet and three points on a drab afternoon in Barrhead (Image: Ronnie Murphy)

“After our next game, we’ll be a third of the way through the season so it is pretty early for me to buy getting too excited by the league table but it’s good for the players to see that if we’re doing the right things and do what we’re asking of them and sticking together on the pitch then they get their rewards.”

It’s Friday night football for Clydebank this weekend with Kirkintilloch Rob Roy visiting Holm Park.

Bankies were 3-0 winners in the revere fixture at the start of September but Moff isn’t taking anything for granted heading into Friday.

He added: “It’ll be a different type of game than it was a few weeks ago, but from our point of view it will just be about imposing ourselves on the game at our home.

“The minute you drop off a wee bit is where you get stung and drop points so we need to maintain our levels, we’ll have a good couple of sessions this week and go into Friday.”

Kick-off at Holm Park on Friday is at 7.45pm.

Elsewhere, Yoker Athletic earned a point after a 1-1 draw with Bonnyton Thistle at Holm Park.

Donald McCallum opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half when he capitalised on a mistake from Bonnyton but it was cancelled out in the final ten minutes when Kyle McAvoy found the net.

The result leaves Yoker tenth in the Second Division with Gordon Robertson’s men set to host Kilsyth this weekend. Kick-off on Saturday is at 2.00pm.

Drumchapel United fell off the top of the First Division after a 3-1 defeat against Petershill on Friday night.

PJ McGiff smashed home a volley to put the hosts in front before Youcef Narbesla levelled for the Drum immediately after coming off the bench.

The visitors were only level for ten minutes as Connor Higgins restored Petershill’s lead on 78 minutes and Alex Cassells sealed the points with just a few minutes to go.

The Drum host Campbeltown Pupils in the Strathclyde Demolition Cup on Saturday. Kick-off at the Donald Dewar Centre is at 2.00pm.