Clyde 0-0 Annan Athletic
The Bully Wee started 2018 in frustrating fashion as they recorded their fourth goalless draw in a row, against an Annan Athletic side that played the majority of the game with ten men.
Danny Lennon handed debuts to recent signings Tom Lang and Ally Love, and Kieran Duffie also returned to the starting line-up following an illness.
Just seven minutes had been played when referee Scott Millar showed Annan’s Jack Brannan a straight red card for violent conduct. The full-back had caught Darren Ramsay with a late lunge, then flicked his head towards Ramsay after both players squared up.
Clyde tried to make their numerical advantage count and came close from an Ally Love corner, which floated to the back post and had to be cleared off the line. Love then had a couple of efforts from outside the box, both of which went narrowly past the post.
It was the visitors who had the better chances to break the deadlock and Steven Swinglehurst thought he had opened the scoring when he got on the end of a free-kick, but the assistant referee had flagged for offside.
Blair Currie then showed good reflexes to keep out Blair Henderson’s header which was heading for the top corner, and right before the interval Rabin Omar hit the post with a shot from inside the area.
Tom Lang tried to create an opening for The Bully Wee after half-time when he broke down the right wing and sent a teasing ball into the box, but none of his team-mates were able to get on the end of it.
Clyde’s closest chances of the day came from a corner which fell to David Goodwillie, and the striker’s effort was cleared off the line. The ball then ricocheted around the goal mouth and was stopped on the line again, before eventually being cleared to safety.
Substitutes Scott Ferguson and Smart Osadolor then had well struck efforts from long range saved by Annan ‘keeper Alex Mitchell.
There would be another flash point four minutes from full-time, which resulted in both teams seeing out the game with ten men. Kevin Nicoll appeared to win the ball with a trademark strong challenge, but referee Millar reached into his pocket again to show the Clyde captain his second yellow card of the afternoon.
If you were at today’s match and are a CIC owner with a website account, you can vote for your top three performers in the Man of the Match vote.
200 FUND – DRAW WINNER: JOSEPH WILSON – £785