Recap
Almondvale Stadium
Livingston
Clyde
Recap
Clyde drew a blank for the third consecutive game as late chances were spurned in a poor game. Ryan McCann was brought back into the line-up only to pull up injured after 10 minutes, to be replaced by Kevin Bradley. Previously suspended captain, Michael McGowan, was also brought back into the side.
The first half saw both teams scrap and run without producing any real quality. The only true chance of the half fell to Gary Arbuckle. A neat move saw Imrie slide Craig Bryson through into the box and his low cutback fell to Clyde’s top scorer, but Arbuckle saw his close range effort superbly blocked by Colin Stewart. Livingston then took a hold on possession but with the exception of a weak header by Steven Tweed, they failed to cause any threat to David Hutton.
The second half saw Clyde come out strongly and start to dominate the game. A typical fizzing strike from Steven Masterton was superbly tipped around the post by Stewart, although the referee awarded a goal kick. Despite the pacy Graham Dorrans providing problems with his trickery, the Clyde backline defended as solidly as they have done this season, providing the platform for more attacking play and this climaxed in a remarkable three penalty claims in 2 minutes. Firstly, Craig Bryson burst into the box, turned inside Tweed only to lose his footing and slip to the ground. The referee correctly turned down penalty appeals but perhaps harshly booked Bryson.
Mr Allan had been guilty of awarding Clyde a soft penalty in the recent trip to Dingwall, however, he made up for that by failing to see one of the most blatant handballs of the season, although arguably the linesman had a better view of the incident. Gary Arbuckle burst behind the Livingston backline and tried to square to Bryson, only for the ball to be diverted by the sliding McPake’s arm. A clear penalty and remarkably just a minute later, Craig McKeown saw his header loop just over the bar, despite the Clyde defender receiving a clear shove from his marker. McKeown was rightly aggrieved but once again the official ignored the protests from the Clyde side.
The ineffective Brian Gilmour was then withdrawn with Alex Williams given his chance to stake a claim for a regular space in the side, however, it was Arbuckle who threatened next. A neat hooked ball over the Livingston backline saw him move onto the ball but from a tight angle, he could only fire a low shot towards Stewart’s near post that the ‘keeper saved easily.
Livingston perhaps fancied their chances to nick a late winner and with 10 minutes remaining, they almost grabbed an undeserved goal. A neat move saw Stewart Golabek released in the box and his low shot crept underneath Hutton and towards the line. Fortunately for Clyde, Robert Harris slid back to clear superbly from his own line.
As the game petered out, there was to be one final chance and it turned out to be the best of the game. Bryson spotted Williams running from deep and sent the striker through on goal, only for the normally deadly finisher to pull his effort wide of the far post. It was an outstanding chance and the miss summed up the overall standard of the game.
Both sides probably felt safe from relegation before the game and as such, the match was your typical end of season fare. Neither side really produced enough quality to win the game, though Clyde will feel they missed several good chances to win.
Line-Ups
Livingston | Clyde | |
---|---|---|
Stewart | Hutton | |
57 MacKay |
Harris | |
Golabek | McCann 10 |
|
McPake | Higgins | |
Tweed | McKeown | |
Mitchell | Masterton | |
Dorrans | Bryson |
|
Gilmour 63 |
||
Mole | Arbuckle | |
Makel | Imrie | |
10 Teggart |
M McGowan | |
Substitutes | ||
57 Miller |
Bradley 10 |
|
Wight | Cherrie | |
10 Hamill |
Williams 63 |
|
Walker | Ferguson | |
Fox | MacLennan |
Highlights
Photo Gallery
Details
Date | Time | League | Season | Full Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 4, 2007 | 7:45 pm | Scottish Championship | 2006-07 | 90' | 1646 |
Officials
- Referee
Crawford Allan