Arbroath v Clyde

Recap

Clyde fell to another disappointing defeat as a late goal from Gavin Swankie gave Arbroath all three points in a match that suffered a delayed kick off following traffic problems on the road north.
 
The Bully Wee recalled Graham Girvan and Ross McMillan to their starting line-up, whilst there was also a start for Neil McGowan. Adam Strachan moved up front to play alongside John Stewart.

The away team started the match well with Stewart holding the ball up and being ably supported by Finlayson, Strachan and Waddell. The first attempt on goal came as Strachan played a corner kick out to Finlayson on the edge of the box but his low shot was comfortably held by Darren Hill. The next chance fell to Stewart but after some neat passing involving Strachan, Finlayson and the centre forward, his weak left-footed shot was straight at the goalkeeper.

The best chance of the opening half was also to fall to Stewart. Another good move by Clyde ended with a terrific cross into the box by Ricky Waddell but from 6 yards, Stewart’s header went just past the post.

Arbroath were struggling to create anything and their frustrations boiled over when Ross Chisholm was booked for a foul on Nicki Paterson. They did create one superb chance though as Swankie was sent clean through on goal, only to be denied by a terrific sliding tackle by Ally Park.

The second half was to be a much more entertaining affair and Clyde took the lead after just a couple of minutes of action. A neat pass from Kevin Finlayson set Strachan clear wide on the right and Paterson was on hand inside the penalty box to knock home his cross.

Despite having had the better of the opening 50 minutes, Clyde then started to be pressed back by their opponents and suffered a huge blow when the impressive McMillan suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Murray Henderson. In the 58th minute the Red Lichties notched their leveller when Thomson’s cross into the box was knocked down by Keith Gibson for Swankie to slot past Jordan Allan. 

A couple of substitutions by Arbroath then continued to turn the match in their favour and Swankie was inches from giving them the lead as his flick past Allan just drifted past the post. Clyde’s attacking threat was limited to a powerful shot by Park that was blocked inside the box and it was no surprise when the home team took the lead with just 10 minutes remaining. The Bully Wee failed to clear a set piece and Stuart Malcolm had time to exchange passes with Durnan before firing in a shot from 20 yards that dipped over Allan and into the net.

However, Clyde responded well. Alan Lithgow saw a header blocked out for a corner but from the resulting set-piece, the centre half once again rose highest to loop a header over Hill and the top corner of the goal.

The last five minutes was even more hectic. With the referee looking to restart play with a dropped ball, Chisholm ran in and took control of possession. The official viewed this as unsporting play and showed the midfielder a second yellow card. Unfortunately, this inspired the hosts and they netted an unlikely winner with just a minute remaining. Ex-Clyde striker David McGowan got the better of his namesake Neil, before swinging in a terrific cross that Swankie headed in at the back post. During the home team’s ecstatic celebrations, Neil McGowan was shown a straight red card for dissent to compound Clyde’s misery.