Recap
Broadwood Stadium
Clyde
St. Johnstone
Recap
“One nil to the Arsenal” used to be the cry down Highbury way as George Graham made the side from North London hard to beat. In guys like Tony Adams and Martin Keown they had a solid pairing at centre back and in Ian Wright they had a little striker up front who could nip in between defenders and grab the goal for the victory.
Now the one nil cry could be at Broadwood as Billy Reid does the same by making Clyde hard to beat. John Potter and Scott Wilson may not be Adams and Keown but if there is a better centre back pairing in the First Division I have yet to see it this season.
Ian Harty may have a bit to go before he can be compared to Arsenal legend Wright, but he knows the way to goal. He might not have found the net yesterday but he caused St. Johnstone no end of problems, as he pulled defenders one way then the next, went deep and held the ball well yesterday. He also set up Darren Sheridan for the decisive goal which gave Clyde their increasingly trademark one-nil victory.
In the swirling wind Clyde started the better and were it not for a dubious offside decision by the linesman would have been one goal up inside fifteen minutes. Sheridan fed Harty through the middle and it looked like he had come from behind the defender but the near side linesman had his flag up. Harty knocked the ball into the net just in case.
A minute later Kevin Fotheringham seemed to forget which side he was playing for as he slipped the ball to Wilford just outside the six yard box but, under pressure from McGregor in goal, the big striker’s shot just clipped the outside of the post.
The goal was only delayed as a long kick out from Halliwell found Harty on the right; he held the ball up well as Wilford made the run into the box taking two defenders with him. But Harty elected to square the ball to the edge of the area, where Darren Sheridan firmly hit the ball past Saints’ McGregor.
Gary Arbuckle was next to try his luck, but his volley just went over the bar. Then Alan Mahood was first into Stuart Dougal’s book for a terrible challenge on Harty.
Saints were offering little in the way of shots on goal but a low cross into the box was missed by everyone and cleared, then Alan Mahood tried an overhead shot but only succeeded in catching Scott Wilson on the face. After some treatment and a new top Wilson returned to the fray.
The first half ended with Fotheringham’s attempted header back to his keeper going just wide for a corner.
Immediately after the break, Wilford picked up a pass from Harty and as he bore down on goal he delayed his shot too long and saw his eventual effort easily saved.
The big winner in the second half was the wind. As against Airdrie in our last home league game, it made passing football very difficult as balls held up then swung away. Indeed the closest Saints came to scoring was a long wind assisted effort from McDonald which Halliwell did well to touch onto the bar. It was the only save of any note the big keeper had to make all day.
Clyde held on for the win, but the funniest thing all day was Halliwell celebrating early when the whistle went for a free kick. Thankfully the minute he took the kick, Stuart Dougal did blow for full time. Then the keeper could celebrate what in the end was a fairly easy victory.
After the match St. Johnstone manager John Connelly was pretty disparaging when he said he couldn’t see why there were ten points between his team and Clyde. It may not be very sporting to suggest that if he can’t see why, then that may well be the reason the pre-season title favourites are ten points off the top after only nine games!
His side’s only decent effort all day was a speculative wind-assisted forty yard effort. Clyde always looked the more likely to score and with a solid back line well marshalled by Potter and keeper Halliwell having arguably his best season so far, St. Johnstone were never going to get a victory yesterday.
Goals
Clyde | St. Johnstone | |
---|---|---|
Sheridan | 17' |
Line-Ups
Clyde | St. Johnstone | |
---|---|---|
Halliwell | McGregor | |
Mensing | Baxter 87 |
|
Bollan | Maxwell | |
Wilson | Mahood |
|
Potter | Rutkiewicz |
|
Sheridan | Fotheringham | |
89 Arbuckle |
Tait 78 |
|
Gibson | Hardy | |
69 Wilford |
Sheerin | |
Malone | MacDonald | |
Harty | Hay 67 |
|
Substitutes | ||
89 Gilhaney |
Hannah | |
Morrison | Cuthbert | |
69 Bryson |
McCann 87 |
|
Marsiglia | Moore 78 |
|
Bradley | Trialist 67 |
Details
Date | Time | League | Season | Full Time | Attendance | Report Author |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 2, 2004 | 3:00 pm | Scottish Championship | 2004-05 | 90' | 1456 | Cammy Macdonald |
Officials
- Referee
Stuart Dougal