Dundee United v Clyde

Recap

Short-term signing Canadian international Lars Hirschfeld made his debut in goals for United, in place of regular goalkeeper Tony Bullock, who broke his collarbone at the weekend and is expected to be out for ten weeks.

In the fifth minute the Canadian could only watch as a Darren Sheridan eighteen yard shot, from a Marsiglia corner, went just went wide of Hirschfeld’s right hand post. Clyde had started brightly and four minutes later it took a David McCracken clearance off the line to stop the Bully Wee from scoring after Ian Harty had skipped around the keeper before firing a shot on target.

Eleven minutes later McCracken was again in the thick of it when he sliced Gary Arbuckle’s dangerous low cross wide. At this stage it was all looking good for the sprited Clyde side, with the skillful Mickael Marsiglia impressing much more than he had in his debut against Hamilton Accies, but he should have scored after twenty-five minutes when he failed to connect with an inviting cross from Gary Arbuckle.

The home team, perhaps with their poor Motherwell showing in mind, were looking far from settled at this stage but their confidence was boosted in the thirty-fourth minute when striker Jim McIntyre, from twelve yards, strongly headed in a teasing cross from the influential Andy McLaren, to settle the home side.

Clyde were not out of things and Aron Wilford did well with a hooked shot in the forty-first minute that drifted narrowly wide. A minute later Bryn Halliwell (pictured) pulled off a magnificent full length diving save to beat out another McIntyre header. Four minutes later, right on the half-time whistle, Barry Robson’s powerful low left foot drive from twenty-five yards out strike made Clyde’s second half task doubly difficult.

Barry Robson was again prominent in the fifty fourth minute when he floated over a delightful cross which was headed into the net by a stoopping Grant Brebner, the ex-Hibs man’s first goal for United.

Three minutes later Craig Bryson came on for Jimmy Gibson but the game was going away from Clyde. A powerful Mark Wilson free kick in the sixtierth minute was turned past the post by in-form Halliwell, and from the resultant corner kick Stuart Balmer needlessly handled in the box. The spot kick was taken by outstanding Scotland Under 21 internationalist Wilson, who blasted it beyond Bryn Halliwell’s left hand into the far corner, sending the Clyde keeper the wrong way in the process.

The game was well and truly over as a contest from this point on, but Ian Harty came close to netting a consolation goal, Hirschfeld saving his angled drive.

In the end Clyde just could not match United’s experience and quality, but for at least the first thirty-four minutes they did just that. The home team’s Barry Robson was named Man of the Match but few Arabs would have objected if Brynn Halliwell had been chosen. Once again he was absolutely outstanding for Clyde.