Under-20s Search for First Win
Clyde’s under-20 team has suffered two defeats in the most recent matches in the SPFL Development League West, against Stranraer and Ayr United.
Last week, the youngsters hosted Stranraer at Broadwood.
Clyde started the game the better of the sides and, with forwards causing the Stranraer defence problems, went ahead early on as first team member Scott Ferguson played in a cross in for a trialist striker to head home. Clyde continued to dominate the game and hit the crossbar soon after. Ferguson continued to pick up the ball in good areas, getting shots away but couldn’t double the Clyde lead. Five minutes before half-time, Stranraer equalised when a winger managed to break free down the left and found a striker unmarked in the box.
The Bully Wee started the second half in the same way and regained the lead when Ferguson drove forward after picking up the ball in the Stranraer half and smashed a great strike into the top corner. However, Clyde then conceded two poor goals from corners and Stranraer eventually ended up 4-2 winners.
CLYDE: Trialist, Bradley, Martin, Trialist, Home, Brown, Lowdon, Ferguson, Trialist, Trialist, Dachnowicz. SUBS: Millar, Warnock, Davidson, Sweeney.
The under-20s then travelled to Ayr United on Tuesday evening.
Ayr started the game very well and dominated the first 25 minutes of the match, with Clyde struggling to keep the ball when they did win it back. It wasn’t long before Ayr went 1-0 up, with a high ball allowing the striker to get in behind and curl a shot into the corner. Very quickly after that, the home side went 2-0 ahead from a corner as an Ayr player rose highest in the box to head the ball into the net. The young Clyde team started to keep the ball better though and, on 40 minutes, great hold up play by a trialist against three Ayr players created space for Jordan Lowdon, who played a defence-splitting pass for the winger who found Smart Osadolor with a cross and he headed home.
Clyde started the second half a lot better and soon levelled the scores. Jack Harrison played a great ball in behind the Ayr defenders and Osadolor found himself one-on-one with the ‘keeper, slotting the ball in to make it 2-2. As The Bully Wee grew in confidence and later in the half, Osadolor scored another header to complete a well-earned hat-trick. With 15 minutes to go, Clyde were dominating play and looking dangerous but, after Jordan Lowdon was seemingly caught by an Ayr player in the middle of the park, Lowdon reacted and the referee showed him a straight red card. The ten men of Clyde then found it hard to keep The Honest Men out and three goals in the last ten minutes saw Ayr complete a 5-3 win.
CLYDE: Trialist, McMillan, Home, Harrison, Martin, Trialist, Sweeney, Lowdon, Warnock, Osadolor, Trialist. SUBS: Millar, Davidson, Dachnowicz.
Speaking to the official website after Tuesday night’s match, coach Tony McNally said:-
“In the second half, it was the best fighting, hardworking and footballing performance since I joined the club. We’ve again seen progress, especially with such young players coming in. With the potential in them, they have plenty time at under-20 level for us to work with them.
“With the quality of the players though, it won’t be too long before they are chapping on the door of the first team, if they continue to perform in the way they did in the second half at Ayr.”