Hamilton Academical v Clyde

Recap

A solitary header from Ian Harty was enough to give Clyde another victory and a much needed boost in confidence. The gusty conditions and plastic pitch meant this was never going to be a classic but Clyde showed enough spirit to grind out another victory. However it was disappointing to see the players not acknowledging the support in the aftermath of the Bells Cup disaster.

Clyde reshuffled the pack and brought in Malone, Sheridan, Arbuckle and Marsiglia. The inclusion of Arbuckle playing an attacking wide right role made a big difference as he used his pace and strength to unsettle the Accies. His run and cross after fifteen minutes saw Harty’s close range header hit the back of the net.

Accies hit back straight away and twice the ball flew across the Clyde goal with fortunately no takers.

Both sides were toiling in the conditions and Clyde especially were finding it hard to retain possession with Wilford in particular being culpable. Marsiglia didn’t make the impact Clyde had hoped for either. He’ll need time and games to settle in. Clyde were more than happy to keep their advantage as the whistle blew for half time.

Conditions got worse with heavy rain in the second half and Margilia was pulled off after only three minutes to be replaced by Walker. The replacement soon found himself galloping down the left and into the box but his shot was well saved.

Accies were applying pressure but lacked a finish and Clyde seemed content to play on the break as Gibson’s surges forward became more of a feature.

Wilford had a great chance to extend the lead as he broke into the box but he shot straight at the keeper to further dent his confidence. Clyde were hanging on and former Bully Wee star Keogh decided to stroll forward and smack a long range effort off the junction of post and bar just to keep us on our toes. At the other end Harty ran along the by-line rounded the keeper but couldn’t find the net which seemed to sum up the game perfectly.

Another win and another clean sheet for Halliwell and his defence. Sheridan added a bit of composure to the midfield and Arbuckle made a difference going forward. The midfield/forward blend still isn’t right though as Clyde struggled for long periods to retain possession and build pressure. The big test comes at Falkirk next week and we trust the lads can rise to the occasion.

Clyde Star Ratings *****
Halliwell **** Steady in difficult conditions.
Mensing ** Booked again as he goes through a tough time.
Malone ** Solid in defence but delivery was very poor.
Wilson **** Hardly put a foot wrong.
Potter *** Well up to standard again.
Sheridan **** Tenacious as ever and used the ball wisely.
Marsiglia ** Very quiet debut.
Gibson *** Came onto his game in the second half.
Wilford ** Needs to work on strength and holding the ball up.
Arbuckle **** Fine performance in a more accustomed attacking role.
Harty **** A goal and full effort for the ninety minutes.

Walker *** Fitted in well on the left.
Gilhaney * Hardly had time to break sweat.