Bankies battle into last four

Published 24 Mar 2010 13:00 0 Comments

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EQUALISER: John Jack ecstatic after Ross Campbell's leveller

Clydebank 2

Hill of Beath 1

A DRAMATIC fightback from brave Bankies earned a coveted place in the semi-finals of the Emirates Scottish Junior Cup for the second year running.

Budgie McGhie's men overcame a poor first-half performance to turn the tie on its head and march into the last four.

The Clydebank boss was raging at his side's low-key start to their biggest match of the season.

And he let his shell-shocked squad know it with a blistering verbal volley at the break that left the players in no doubt as to what was required to oust the stuffy Fifers.

To their credit, Bankies rose to the challenge thrown down by McGhie and battled to a famous victory.

Michael Stewart gave Hill of Beath the lead after two minutes with a well-placed low shot after a slip on the edge of the box by Ross Campbell.

The visitors started the game well but that should have come as no surprise to anyone familiar with their formidable record.

They went into the tie on the back of a 10-match winning run and had only lost one competitive match this season.

Clydebank showed signs of recovery from their poor start before the break, but is wasn't until the second half that they started dominate.

Campbell made amends for his earlier error when he powered home a header past Beath keeper Stuart Hall from a Gary Lynn free-kick on 52 minutes.

The 600-plus crowd at a sunny Holm Park didn't have to wait long to see Bankies take the lead.

What turned out to be the winning goal came from a John Harvey free-kick that was deflected into the net.

It was some turn-around, but Hill of Beath responded well and Brian Smith booted a net-bound effort clear from the line to end one attack.

The Fifers were then given a great chance to level the match when Harvey brought down Michael Gemmell for a stonewall penalty.

The defender held his head in his hands as the referee pointed to the spot.

But he hadn't reckoned for the intervention of last season's cup hero - Bankies No.1 Stefan Gonet (read Gonet's reaction on page 50).

To Harvey's and the home crowd's delight, Gonet threw himself to the right to parry Stephen Bathgate's well-struck spotkick wide of the goal. It was an excellent stop and the last time the visitors seriously troubled the home goal.

Bankies could have made the win more comfortable with a string of late chances, most notably a Mark Hailstones shot from a Chris Mackie pass.

But that quick-fire double from Campbell and Harvey was enough and Clydebank can look forward to a Scottish Junior Cup semi-final.

It's back to league business on Saturday for Clydebank, who travel to North Ayrshire to take on struggling Dalry Thistle.

This article appeared in Clydebank Post 24 Mar 10

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