Brechin City v Clyde

Recap

A great reverse pass by Brechin City’s new home signing, the experienced Gerry Britton, set up Stevie Hampshire for a fourth minute opener for the Angus side. Britton collected the ball from new colleague Steven Ferguson at the edge of the penalty box to set up his unmarked striking partner Hampshire who netted easily from five yards.

Clyde had a great chance to equalise in the seventeenth minute when a Stephen O’Donnell cross was cut back to Alex Williams in the area but the former Morton striker sent his effort past the post when it seemed easier to score.

Ten minutes later Michael McGowan hit a shot from eighteen yards but Steven Hamilton made a great goal-line clearance to maintain his team’s lead. That lead was nearly doubled just before the interval when scorer Hampshire’s powerful effort was nullified thanks to a tremendous stop by Paul Jarvie.

Despite long periods when Clyde were in control it remained 1-0 for City until half time. At times in the opening period the game threatened to get out of control, none more so than during a seven minute period midway through the half when three Brechin players were booked.

Less than sixty seconds after the resumption, a Clyde corner headed out of the box by the home defence arrived at the feet of Clyde captain Paul McHale, whose powerful twenty-five yard shot went through a mass of bodies but somehow eluded the normally reliable Craig Nelson in the City goal to give Clyde a well deserved if slightly fortunate equaliser.

For the next quarter of an hour Clyde’s superiority was not reflected in any more goals. Then in the sixty-first minute both teams were reduced to ten men when Clyde’s Neil McGregor and City debutant Gerry Britton were sent off. The dismissals were sparked off when Gerry Britton, apparently trying to stop the ball going for a goal kick, went in hard, and late, on Eddie Malone. The ex-Partick Thistle co-manager was then pushed to the ground by Neil McGregor who over-reacted to the Britton-Malone incident, leaving referee Mike Ritchie with no option but to send off both players.

Thereafter it was Clyde who retained control of the game, playing their usual brand of good passing football and had a number of good chances to clinch the three points against a disappointing Brechin side who have yet to win a game.

However, there was no further scoring and Clyde’s draw at Glebe Park, after an eventful and tousy match, keeps the unbeaten run going and positions the Bully Wee just three points off the lead.