From The Other Side

Craig Anderson managed to catch up with Stewart Greacen ahead of Morton’s visit to Broadwood on Saturday. The defender spoke exclusively to www.clydefc.co.uk with his take on the season’s opener at Cappielow and the upcoming match…

Clyde v Morton (20/10/2007)

STEWART GREACEN loved the last meeting with Clyde when Morton returned to the First Division – but he knows it’s going to be tougher this time.

The Morton skipper revelled in the sense of occasion back in August when the club unveiled the Division Two championship flag.This was accompanied by a brass band, creating a festival mood as the people of Greenock heralded their return to Division One. But Greacen was reminded about how tough life in the First Division was going to be judging by the curtain-raiser, which Morton won 3-2.

Greacen said: “It was a memorable day for us and in amongst the brass band and the paratroopers a game of football broke out and, for me, it was an excellent game. After going a goal down in the first ten minutes, we fought back constantly and got ourselves ahead, perhaps thanks to a wee bit of luck.

“If we learned anything from the game, it was that every game from then on was going to be equally as difficult, if not much harder. It was also Colin Hendry’s first game as Clyde manager and I think he was still preparing his side, as he wasn’t long in the job. From our point of view, it was probably the best time to get Clyde in the midst of their changes and we got a win from it.”

Jim McInally’s side come to Broadwood this weekend as the second quarter of matches begins following the international break. Morton’s 3-2 victory over the Bully Wee, kicking off the 2006-2007 season back in August, may still be fresh in the minds of all who witnesses that game at Cappielow.

But Greacen knows that now that everybody has played each other at least, everyone will be much better prepared, including Clyde gaffer Hendry. He added: “Everyone knows that this is Colin’s first managerial job in Scotland and he’ll have seen all the teams by now and will know their strengths and weaknesses. Colin will also have had more time to judge his own team and it’s very possible they will be better prepared than they were last time.

“As far as the season so far is concerned, the league table will start to settle down and we’ll start to see which teams may be challenging.”

Morton have failed at Broadwood since August 2000, when a Stephen Whalen double set Ton on their way to a 3-0 win. But the Greenock side have been superior in league meetings, having won 11 out of the last 26 clashes, stretching back to 1986. Clyde have won only seven in that spell and fans will agree it is an ideal time for Hendry to notch an eighth for the club.