Clyde v Airdrie United

Recap

It wasn’t pretty and left a lot to be desired but it was a win where Clyde had to come from a goal behind. For a lot of the game Clyde looked ponderous if not a little nervous and it’s clear that things aren’t quite right. Clyde were very wasteful of possession and continually lobbed the ball up to Harty and McConalogue to no effect. A snappier passing game is a must to bring our small forwards into the game.

Tonight’s surprise was that McLaughlin gained a starting spot in what seemed to be a back four along with Kernaghan, Potter and Mensing. How wrong we were as Kernaghan proceeded to play in midfield in front of a back three. Up front Clyde went with Harty and McConalogue leaving Gilhaney on the bench.

Clyde were physically bigger than Airdrie and it looked as though the difference would soon pay dividends. After 5 minutes a free kick found the head of McLaughlin but he could only place it onto the base of the post. During this time Harty and Ross were showing up well down the right but Airdrie’s defence blocked many a shot as they were to do for the whole game. A fine run by Fraser also brought a good save from the Airdrie keeper. By midway through the half Airdrie had gained their feet and had a couple of chances but both were straight at Halliwell. To liven things up the Airdrie keeper pulled off a fantastic triple-save. First Hagen cut in from the left and let fly but it was saved, Harty picked up the rebound and shot for goal but it too was saved then to finish he blocked another attempt at his post. Clyde fans began to see it was going to be a struggle as Airdrie began to create some flowing moves of their own.

With no changes at half time it was Airdrie who took the initiative at the start of the second period. After 5 minutes they scored the opening goal. Clyde were carved open down their left and Glancy nipped in to flick a cutback over Halliwell and into the net. With Clyde playing badly the signs were looking ominous for another tragic cup exit. Thankfully Clyde bounced back straight away. Clyde were awarded a free kick about 25 yards out and Kernaghan rolled the ball to Fraser who was unmarked. He struck it powerfully enough but it was straight down the neck of the keeper. The keeper spilled it and Millen was on hand to sweep the ball into the net. Clyde regained their confidence and quickly brought on Gilhaney for the labouring McConalogue. Gilhaney made the difference as Clyde’s passing became far more crisper for a while with the young forward zipping around. Clyde won a corner and from the knockdown Gilhaney took possession with his back to goal about six yards out. Showing good strength he held off the defender and turned to stab the ball into the net. Gilahney thought he’d grabbed his second from a Jack Ross knockdown but the officials either saw an offside or a foul. The game looked sealed as former Clyde man, David Dunn, was ordered off. Dunn had shown far more appetite for the game than he’d ever done in a Clyde shirt and a 50-50 with Andy Millen loomed. With Millen already on the deck and sliding into challenge, Dunn, probably through familiarity from his Clyde days, decided to get his retaliation in first in anticipation of a sore one. The Referee deemed it a straight red offence and off he trooped. To be fair, it’s not Millen’s style to writhe on the floor as he’d much rather jump to his feet and threaten to fill the wrongdoer in. With the man advantage Clyde should have killed the game on the break but Airdrie to their credit pushed Clyde back for the remainder of the game. After one or two hairy moments Harty saw his net-bound shot cleared off the line in the final act of the game.

It wasn’t the fluent display that the fans were hoping for but Clyde showed enough spirit to come from a goal down to win the game. Why Kernaghan decided on a midfield role is another mystery. Yes he’s got physical presence and can spray a good pass but the 34 year-old legs don’t move fast enough for a congested midfield. If Clyde play like that at Palmerston on Saturday they’ll return with nothing.

STAR RATINGS (*****)

Halliwell **** Good stops and a safe pair of hands.
Potter *** Got turned a lot but kept it going.
Mensing *** Booked early doors so had to watch his step.
Kernaghan *** Will have to decide where he wants to play.
Fraser *** Showed early promise but then faded out.
Ross *** Some great runs again spoiled by some daft stuff too.
Hagen *** Great effort but lost possession too easily at times.
Millen *** Scored and harried – what more do you want?
Harty *** Thankless task but always looked for work.
McLaughlin *** A bit rusty but a good workout for him.
McConalogue ** Shows well but loses the ball too cheaply.

Gilhaney *** Super-sub strikes again.

REACTION

ALAN KERNAGHAN – "I thought parts of the performance were very good. As I said before the game, Airdrie are a good team and they showed that tonight. If we had scored early on it might have been a bit easier, but I’m pleased that we created plenty of chances.

"Overall, I’m more pleased than annoyed. There was maybe a bit of a lack of confidence after Saturday’s second half and the main thing is that we’re through. We’ll see what comes out the hat and take it from there.

"We were trying to get everyone to just keep playing away after they scored, and fortunately we got back in it early with the goal. It was a great strike by John – it’s about time he hit one like that – and that’s why you follow in.

"Before the match, I asked Gilhaney to go and show me what he can do if he got a chance tonight and he did. I could see absolutely nothing wrong with his second goal. The referee has said Mark fouled the defender, but I don’t know where he got that from.

"We were a little short of options and could have gone 4 at the back, but thought that would maybe be a bit negative at home. We’d thought about myself going into the midfield at the start of the season but we’ve never really had the chance with Marko being on and off the injury list. I’m not going to say that I’ll ever be a midfield player but we got away with it. I don’t know if we will try it in the future, but it is always another option. McGroarty would have been the ideal one to go in there, as he did against St.Mirren, but he was unavailable.

"Andy Millen is alright. He has a gash on his shin; not his first and not his last. It was a bad tackle."