Band of Brothers

When two of The Bully Wee’s brightest prospects, Ruari and Roddy MacLennan, lined up against Montrose on Saturday they became the first brothers to play in the same Clyde team since Gary and Graeme McVie in 1990.

Club records also show that the MacLennans (left), aged 20 and 18, became the youngest brothers to start a Clyde match together since Jim and Paul Kean a further decade back.

The McVies both featured in just one match at a very young age – against Falkirk at Brockville on 13th January 1990 – but Gary only appeared as a late substitute. Both Keanes started several games and were a combined age of 37 at their first outing against Meadowbank in 1980.

That means that the MacLennans just missed out on the accolade of youngest brothers ever to make a Clyde starting line-up, thought to be held by Jim and Paul (pictured below on a visit to Broadwood).

However, Ruari and Roddy may not be the last or only siblings to both pull on the white jersey in the near future. Neil McGregor’s brother Calum, 18, and Michael McGowan’s brother Martin, 17, are both a big part of the under-19 squad and are pushing hard to break into the first team set up in the coming months.

With the very unusual possibility of two (or even three!) sets of brothers playing in the same team being very much on the cards, it really does prove correct the old sentiment that Clyde are a “family club!”