Clyde v Annan Athletic

Recap

Clyde and Annan left Broadwood with a point each this afternoon, following a tough and closely contested IRN-BRU Third Division match.

With Felip Mentel out injured, Jim Duffy moved to add an experienced player to the goalkeeper position, with former Dundee United, Bradford City and Kilmarnock man Alan Combe taking to the field as a trialist. Jack Sloss was also added to the line-up for his first start for the club and Paul Hay returned following a suspension.

There wasn’t a great deal for Combe or his opposite number, Alex Mitchell to do during the first half, as the majority of the play took place in the midfield area. Combe did react well, however, to turn away a shot by Sean O’Connor that looked to be heading for the bottom corner.

At the other end, a cross by Sloss was met by Brian McQueen but he couldn’t direct his header away from the visiting ‘keeper. There was also a moment of controversy before the half-time break, as Mitchell caught the ball outside the box with John Neill in close pursuit. After a long discussion, the officials decided to show Annan’s keeper a yellow card.

The second half saw a similar pattern emerge, with little to choose between the sides. John Neill saw his first time shot from a low John Sweeney corner cleared off the line, while Liam Cusack should have done better after being put through on goal by Neill, with the striker blasting over the bar from close range.

Stephen McDonald was shown a second yellow card for diving as the league leaders began to carve out some chances, although they failed to test Combe with the majority of their efforts.

The numbers were evened up when Peter Watson also saw a second yellow for a cynical foul on Neill, but neither team could use the extra space on the pitch to find a winning goal before the end of the match.