Arbroath v Clyde

Recap

In football if you don’t take your chances you don’t win games and so it proved as Clyde tried there hardest to take a defeat from the jaws of victory. But in the end it was honours even at sunny Gayfield.

It took a while for Clyde to get into their groove with Andy McClay having to save a net bound effort on the line within 60 seconds and then John McAulay, John Cusick and Craig Feroz all threatening Bryn Halliwell’s goal.

On 19 minutes Clyde should have taken the lead. Andy McClay played in Leigh Hinds but the ex-Wimbledon man scuffed his shot wide with only Craig Hinchcliffe to beat.

Four minutes later though and The Bully Wee were celebrating. McClay knocked a loose Cusick pass forward, Leigh Hinds touched it back at the edge of the area and John Fraser rifled home.

Clyde were rampant but were unable to again breach Hinchcliffe’s defences with Hinds the main culprit.

Just shy of the half hour mark a Convery knockdown fell into his path but the keeper easily dealt with his shot. Four minutes later a long ball out of defence was misjudged by Arbroath trialist John McCaig, Hinds was on it quickly – after a few jinks he unleashed a shot but it was at a nice height and Hinchcliffe acrobatically palmed it away.

Ten minutes before half time a Convery cut back gave Jack Ross time, but again Hinchcliffe was equal to the task. From the resultant David Dunn corner Simon Mensing headed just over.

Just before half-time the match started to turn a little unsavoury with Jordan Tait having to be carried off after a Dunn tackle, Murray McDowell booked for dissent and Andy Millen booked for a foul on Cusick.

At the start of the second half Clyde seemed eager to prove that the break had not broken their rhythm.

On 55 minutes Bryan Smith sent Convery scampering down the line but Hinchcliffe caught his cross with Dunn lurking. Dunn then did have two chances – Fraser played the ball out to Dunn on the left wing, he cut inside but his ambitious drive flew over. Two minutes later on 64 minutes he missed an absolute sitter, heading McClay’s cross wide when it looked easier to score.

Sixteen minutes from the end and with Clyde looking likely to escape south with all three points they shot themselves in the foot. In Arbroath’s first attack in an age, McDowell burst between Mensing and Potter, the ex-Wimbledon player seemed to haul him back and unsurprisingly McDowell appealed for a penalty. Referee Craig Thomson said no but his assistant Andrew Halliday gave it. Despite an eyeballing by Potter, who was lucky to avoid a caution, McDowell stepped up and sent Halliwell the wrong way.

Clyde were keen to get back on top to make up for all the wasted chances with new signing Stephen Cosgrove making his league debut in place of Andy McClay.

The Bully Wee conjured up two more chances for the winner. First, Ross fought his way up the right edge of the box to get a cut back in, however Hinds failed to get there and the keeper gathered.

Then after Greg Henslee is booked for a foul on Fraser, Hinds tamely sliced the 20 yard free-kick wide.

REACTION

Arbroath manager John Brownlie was delighted his side had managed to nick a point. He said: ""I thought it was even at the start then we gave away a bad goal after a square pass and I thought it was going to be two or three nothing before half time. I was really pleased to go in at only 1-0 at half time. Our keeper kept us in it, but that is what happens when you don’t take your chances at any level – from juniors right up to seniors – one is never enough. We changed it a bit in the second half and got our reward through hard graft. I thought it was a penalty kick, the boy hauled Murray back. I was glad he (Mensing) was not sent off but that would have been the referee’s decision.""

Clyde manager Alan Kernaghan was left frustrated that his team had dominated but failed to kill off their hosts. He said: ""The keeper (Halliwell) doesn’t have a save to make, we dominate the game but once we score we take the foot off the pedal and don’t want to score another one.""

""It’s really frustrating, the fans are frustrated and I can understand that – we need to get some confidence from somewhere but the only way we can do that is to go and get a win and then get an unbeaten run going but at the moment we don’t know what we are getting when we go out. The fans are after a centre forward and I can understand that but all the centre forwards I have been after I can’t afford and I can’t afford anything else now.""

At least we weren’t 1-0 down at half-time or worse but it is really annoying that we can’t go on and win the game when we should easily. I think Hinds should have scored second half, Jack Ross has done really well to get a ball across but if Leigh had broken his neck another half a yard he would have got into the box and scored – but that’s what I am battling with. I have every confidence they can do it but they are just not doing it at the moment which is very frustrating and they all need to do a bit of soul-searching and see how much they do want it.""

""I Couldn’t see if it was a penalty but I had too many things to go over in the dressing room rather than that.""