Montrose v Clyde

Recap

The Bully Wee’s 2011-12 Scottish Cup campaign came to an early end this afternoon, following a disappointing and frustrating defeat in Angus.

There were two changes to the side that defeated East Stirling last week; Kris Irvine replaced the injured Gavin Brown at right back, with JC Hutchison taking the goalkeeper slot.

Following an even start to the match, it was Clyde that grabbed the initiative with a fine goal. Irvine found Liam Cusack on the right wing and the forward put over a terrific cross, from which John Neill steered a lovely header into the net.

However, the lead was short lived as the hosts scored a quick equaliser. A shot from the left was pushed out by Hutchison and fell invitingly to Paul Lunan at the edge of the box, who fired a superb shot into the top corner of the goal.

Both sides could have scored again before the break. John Neill’s pass gave Liam Cusack a sight at goal, but his shot past the onrushing home ‘keeper failed to find the target. At the other end, Hutchison produced a great save from close range to stop Martin Boyle.

Early in the second half, The Gable Endies gained the advantage with a second goal but its source was a Bully Wee corner. A serious of mistakes by Clyde after the corner was cleared, led to Sean Pierce getting a shot away that deceived Hutchison and found the net via the inside of the post.

That left Jim Duffy’s men with time to try and salvage the tie, but too often the attacking play broke down as the players struggled to find good form. Despite that, chances were created that could have at least forced a replay at Broadwood. Cusack had, perhaps, the best of them all when a loose ball broke to him just six yards from goal, but he couldn’t keep his shot down.

Mark Archdeacon had a similar chance and could only produce a similar result, with controversy to follow deep into injury time.

A scramble in the Montrose box led to a shot being blocked by a defender, with every Clyde player seemingly convinced that it had struck an arm. A hesitant-looking referee eventually awarded a corner but it signalled the end of the match and a disappointing cup exit.