Clyde v Gretna

Recap

Clyde entertained Gretna at Broadwood, for the third time in 5 years, this time as First Division rivals in the 3rd round of the Tennant’s Scottish Cup. The home team was hampered by the loss of the suspended McKeown and McGowan, and by the decision to leave Dundee bound Paul McHale out.

The game had just started when Gretna could and really should have taken the lead after a defensive mix up allowed the usually deadly McMenamin to be left one on one with Hutton. Fortunately for Clyde, the hitman was less than lethal on this occasion and lobbed onto the bar and over.

Both teams were canceling each other out, with Gretna more direct, and Clyde playing a better possession game with Masterton in particular enjoying some good moments of passing and possession. In opposition Frenchman Erik Paarpalu was instrumental in most of Gretna’s positive moments.

Other than Gretna’s early chance, the only other goal incident of note came when Arbuckle’s drive from a narrow angle, squirmed under Main, but there was no one following up for Clyde and the chance was lost. Malone and Grainger both had free kicks in dangerous areas, but neither threatened.

As the game appeared to be heading for stalemate at half time, Gretna took the lead, and was certainly one the Clyde defence and Higgins in particular will feel was avoidable. A long ball from Grainger saw the back three appeal for offside, and then catch Higgins on the wrong side of diminutive striker David Graham fire low past Hutton right on the stroke of half time. What looked to have been a reasonable first half performance looked less so, after the uncharacteristic defensive lapse.

Any thoughts of a second half revival sadly never came to fruition, and it was more likely that it would be last season’s runners up who would add to the lead.

Sadly, for the home support, this would prove to be the case, and again a goal came that could have easily been avoided. The normally excellent McGregor failed to deal with possession, and surrendered possession to the lively Graham, who would cut the ball back to the excellent Paarpalu to drill past Hutton to effectively kill the tie.

6 minutes later there was no doubt. Again Graham would be involved as he feed Skelton, who’s blocked shot saw McMenamin react the quickest and put Gretna 3-0 up.

There was not much of note that happened after that, and there was a real disappointment from the home crowd, as we never even came close to exacting any sort of revenge from last season’s cup exit, or even the two league games this season when Clyde could have taken much more than the measly 1 point they have.

MOM: Very difficult to pick any Clyde player of note as all the star performers were Gretna players, but Stevie Masterton had a decent shift.