Berwick Rangers 3-1 Clyde

The Bully Wee were made to rue a string of missed chances as they opened their Ladbrokes League 2 campaign with a defeat at Shielfield Park.

Jack Breslin, Kevin Nicoll and Jordan Stewart all returned to the starting line-up, with Kyle Bradley, Lewis Wilson and Max Wright dropping to the bench.

Clyde opened the scoring midway through the first half when David Goodwillie got on the end of a lofted through ball from Matty Flynn. The striker took the ball to the byline, cut back and fired his shot high into the back of the net, from a tight angle.

He almost doubled his tally a minute later but was foiled by Ross McCrorie in the Berwick goal. McCrorie saved his side again when he got his fingertips to a Smart Osadolor shot from outside the box, which seemed destined for the top corner.

Just as it looked like Clyde were going to take a lead into the half time break, some sloppy play saw Kevin Nicoll give the ball away on the halfway line, and the home side broke up the park. The ball found it’s way to Andrew Irving, who fizzed a low shot past Blair Currie to equalise.

After the interval Osadolor had the chance to play in Goodwillie or Miller in better positions, but dallied and tried to beat McCrorie himself in the end, to no avail. Goodwillie had a couple of more half chances, and Flynn also saw his shot held by McCrorie.

Max Wright came off the bench and almost claimed an assist with his first touch, but Goodwillie’s lob landed on the roof of the next. Wright later had an effort on target himself but could not find a way past McCrorie.

With the game entering the closing stages, Goodwillie looked to be clearly fouled on the edge of the Berwick box, but this was missed by both the referee and his assistant; the former then awarded the hosts a free-kick in a similar position up the other end of the park seconds later.

Currie could only parry the shot from McKenna’s free-kick, and Aaron Murrell was the quickest to react and squeezed the ball home from close range.

Irving sealed the three points for Berwick a minute from time when his shot from the edge of the box beat Currie, and sent Clyde to their first opening day defeat in eight years.

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