East Fife 2-0 Clyde

Clyde lost out to in-form East Fife in Ladbrokes League 2 this afternoon, at a windy and bitterly cold Bayview Stadium.

With Scott McLaughlin ruled out by illness, Barry Ferguson added David Marsh to his midfield. Ross Millen was also handed a debut, taking the place of the suspended Michael Bolochoweckyj in defence.

The Bully Wee suffered an early blow when Scott Ferguson was forced to leave the field after suffering what looked like a nasty knee injury following an innocuous collision. He was replaced by Archie Campbell.

In difficult conditions, chances were limited in the first half, but Scott Linton came close to forcing in a header at the back post.

At the other end, John Gibson did well to block Nathan Austin from close range before Campbell’s snap shot from the edge of the box was held by Fifers ‘keeper Liam Kelly.

Early in the second half, Clyde missed an excellent chance to take the lead and potentially change the course of the match. JP McGovern’s long pass found Linton on the left wing and, after beating Scott Mercer, his shot was parried. David Gormley couldn’t find the net from the rebound though, with his effort being blocked on the line.

The home side soon took advantage of that let off by taking the lead. Austin found space on the right and his cross was turned in by Jamie Insall.

Gibson then pulled off a fine save, low to his right, to keep the scoreline at 1-0.

However, The Fifers did get back on the scoreline after 66 minutes, with another Gibson save proving fruitless as Kyle Wilkie took advantage of slack defending to convert at the second attempt.

There was little chance for The Bully Wee to get back into the match after that as East Fife ended up deserved winners after a strong second half showing.

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