From The Other Side
Craig Anderson looks ahead to Clyde’s match against Dundee at Dens Park, a stadium familiar to Colin Hendry and where he will be hoping the Bully Wee’s fortunes change tomorrow…
Dundee v Clyde (11/11/2007)
COLIN HENDRY goes back to where it all began when Clyde visit Dundee at Dens Park this Sunday. The Bully Wee manager and former Scotland skipper started his career in Tayside, before going on to Blackburn, Manchester City and Rangers among others.
No doubt he’ll put sentiment behind him as he focuses on Clyde getting three vital points that will take them away from the foot of the table.
As away matches go this season, Clyde will have it all to do as they visit a Dundee side currently nestled three points behind league leaders Hamilton Accies. Dens boss Alex Rae has his side concentrating on promotion and with the Accies within touching distance, Rae will want these points badly. They’ve only lost one game this season, a 2-0 away loss at Hamilton and have a proud unbeaten record at home so far.
In fact their last three games at Dens Park has seen them record victories over St.Johnstone, Morton and Livingston, so Clyde will have one hell of a job to do.
Manager Hendry will know about the qualities that Dundee has and will be looking to his squad to pick up vital points ahead of the international break. The Bully Wee’s last win, incidentally, was just before last month’s international break; when Gary Arbuckle and Neil McGregor sealed a 2-0 win Stirling at Forthbank. Two defeats and a draw later, Clyde are bottom of the league, but it’s not all bad news as they are only two points from mid-table, involving four other clubs.
The man they need to watch is 21-year-old Bob Davidson, who joined the club in January after failing to make the grade at Rangers, as well as a loan spell at Boston United. His seven goals for Alex Rae’s side makes him the First Division’s second-highest top scorer, behind only Hamilton’s Richard Offiong. Worryingly, for Clyde’s defenders at least, six of those seven goals have come at Dens Park and like any striker, will be hungry for more.
Their only previous meeting of the season was at the start of September when Dundee visited Broadwood and came from behind to win 2-1. Chris Higgins’ early goal saw the Bully Wee take an early advantage, but ex-Clyde skipper Paul McHale and David O’Brien netted in the second half to seal a win. It was also the debut of on-loan midfielder Joe Cardle, who marked his first ever appearance with a red card after two bookings.
But if the squad were to emulate the sort of result they got the last time Clyde visited Dundee back in February, Hendry would bite your arm off for it now. A stirring first-half display saw Clyde roar into a four-goal lead before the break, with Craig Bryson netting twice, before a late consolation ensured a 4-1 scoreline.
A different season has brought different circumstances for both clubs, who will both look for a maximum quota of points before the enforced break.