Montrose v Clyde

Recap

Clyde suffered a disappointing Ladbrokes League 2 defeat at Links Park today, as two second half goals earned Montrose their second victory of the new season.

Barry Ferguson made one change to the starting line-up following last week’s match against Queen’s Park, with Scott Ferguson replacing Steven Brisbane in midfield.

The Bully Wee could have taken the lead inside 20 seconds when Archie Campbell was given a sight of goal inside the box, however the forward’s shot went straight at home ‘keeper Jordan Miller.

At the other end, Montrose came close when Paul Watson’s effort was saved by John Gibson, with Ross Campbell hitting the post from the rebound.

A Clyde breakaway, started by Scott Ferguson, led to Sean Higgins having a good chance to score but unfortunately he couldn’t keep his shot down. Chris Smith also missed the target with a header from Chris Mitchell’s corner as Clyde enjoyed a good spell in the match.

However, just before half-time, Gibson did well to block Gary Fraser’s effort from close range.

Similarly to the first half, Archie Campbell was given an early chance to score after the restart following a mistake by the Montrose defence, but his attempt to round the goalkeeper was unsuccessful and the danger was cleared.

There was then a very strong claim for a penalty by the Clyde players, as Higgins tried to find space in the box and the ball appeared to strike a Montrose arm. That claim was waved away by the referee, but moments later he pointed to the spot at the other end, as Higgins was caught in possession and was forced into a clumsy challenge. Ross Campbell stepped up for the Gable Endies, but Gibson guessed the correct direction of the shot to make a good save.

Scott McLaughlin hit the top of the bar with a free-kick, but the home side took the lead after 78 minutes when a loose ball fell to Graham Webster at the edge of the box and he found the roof of the net with a first time shot.

Three minutes later, the match was effectively over when a mistake by Smith allowed Fraser to roll the ball past Gibson and make it 2-0. The Bully Wee did managed to force some half chances before the end, but Montrose went on to claim a clean sheet and three points.