Clyde v Partick Thistle

Recap

Clyde welcomed first footers Thistle for the first game of 2009 with Higgins, MacLennan and McSwegan suspended. Stevenson made his debut alongside the returning Kettlewell and O’Reilly made the bench.

Given Thistle’s away from they certainly started brightly, with Donnelly and Buchanan looking lively, testing Hutton and forcing early corners. Nothing would amount from them and soon Clyde started to gain control of the game, and it was not against the run of play when the Bully Wee took the lead.

After a defensive mix up from the shaky Storey and Tuffey, Pat Clarke was presented with the opportunity from 30 yards and he made no mistake coolly slotting into the unguarded net.

Clyde pushed to increase their lead, but let Thistle back into the game. The normally assured Lowing had expertly robbed Twaddle on the far touchline. Perhaps distracted by the Thistle full back’s theatrics, he carelessly slipped the ball straight into the path of Harkins. Now out on the touchline alone, Twaddle regained whatever he was missing, received the ball and put in a great delivery that Donnelly could not miss.

Three minutes later and Thistle went in front. Buchanan managed to turn Lithgow, and the big stopper was rash in the challenge and the referee pointed to the spot, despite claims of simulation from more than one Clyde player. Harkins made no mistake.

Clyde tried to hit back, and forced a couple of corners, with one Stevenson delivery in particular causing all sorts of problems and Tuffey had to look alive to palm the delivery away before blocking Clarke’s attempted rebound.

Four minutes before half-time and Clyde went further behind. Ignoring what looked like a clear foul from behind on Clarke, Harkins played to the whistle and floated a dangerous ball to the back post. Kettlewell was unfortunate to see his clearance fall straight to Paton, who bundled the ball home, but in truth the left side of the defence was so exposed it could have been one of three stroking home, with only Kettlewell anywhere near a Thistle man.

Half-time came, and John Brown replaced the toiling Lowing and Stevenson with McKay and O’Reilly. The changes almost brought immediate dividends, with the latter flicking on for the former to race down the flank and send over a great cross that Trouten nearly scored with.

However they would pull one back eight minutes into the half. A superb pass by Willie McLaren released McKay who in delaying his shot was sent tumbling by Twaddle. Clarke added to his impressive goal tally by firing the penalty powerfully home.

Trouten then had a glorious chance to equalise when he played a neat one-two with McLaren in the box, but shot weakly with his right from 7 yards when a left foot blast was the better option.

The game was wide open now, and Thistle could have put the game to bed on more than one occasion, with Buchanan causing the Clyde back three all sorts of problems, but finding Hutton in good form. They tried to change things up front, with Roberts replacing Donnelly, but his only notable contribution was to be booked for a simulation in the box.

Buchanan would not be out-done and killed the game four minutes from time with a fine finish, from a suspiciously offside position. If he was onside he shouldn’t have been, and another poor performance defensively.

The was certainly much to talk about; the impact of the new boys, the continued goalscoring form of Clarke, the effect of the officials, but there can be no denying that the insistence on sitting back on a lead and the basic errors being punished consistently will see us remain at best in the league position we currently occupy.