Ross County v Clyde

Recap

For the second consecutive Saturday Manager Graham Roberts was critical of his team’s defending: ""I’ve long since retired but I could have bettered some of that defending.""

In truth his young team may have been unsettled by the number of early home efforts on the Clyde goal. Right from the start, County meant business, with Alex Burke hitting a fierce shot towards Paul Jarvie, who then had to make a second save from a header from former Tannadice team-mate David Winters which led to a corner.

When the ball came over, a penalty-box scramble broke to John Rankin, who hammered the ball into the roof of the net from twenty yards. One down after two minutes!

The onslaught continued and six minutes later the margin was extended to two when County full-back Lionel Djebi-Zadi crossed, Stuart Taylor headed down and Alex Burke hit home from seven yards.

Thoughts that the recently constructed Clyde team might capitulate began to recede as the Bully Wee slowly began to make their presence felt as an attacking force, creating a number of openings without over-troubling new County keeper Ian McCaldon.

In the thirty-first minute, the type of defending which Graham Roberts finds unacceptable was again on display, this time demonstrated by the home team, as Craig Bryson was permitted to pounce by an uncertain home rearguard, hitting an eighteen yard shot that beat keeper Ian McCaldon low to his right and halved he deficit.

Just before the break, Clyde’s most recent signing Tom Brighton missed a great chance to get his team back on level terms when he sent his header wide from only a few yards out.

It remained 2-1 as the second half recommenced and the outcome was far from settled as indicated by McCaldon’s double save which denied first Brighton then Alex Williams in the box.

Almost immediately play switched to the other end, where Burke raced clean through into the visitors’ box only to be denied by the physical presence of Paul Jarvie.

In the sixty-fifth minute danger man Rankin went close with another low-placed shot from fifteen yards. A couple of minutes later, the Dingwall side restored their two-goal advantage with a clever move when Rankin’s angled high ball into the area was touched on by Steven McGarry at the far side of the box. Substitute Sean Higgins was fastest to react, nipping in and thumping it under the bar.

Assistant Manager Joe Miller forced two saves from McCaldon as the game neared its end. The result was a defeat for a Clyde side who, despite the whirlwind start by their opponents, were never really out of contention after Craig Bryson’s goal.