Danny Puts Demands on Squad

Clyde manager Danny Lennon has shared some thoughts ahead of the first competitive match of the 2018-19 season against Edinburgh City this weekend.

Danny was speaking after a 2-0 win over Hamilton Accies at Broadwood on Saturday, which followed a victory over Alloa Athletic a week earlier.

“I think the players can take confidence from the friendly results,” he said. “I don’t think who the opposition is matters too much during pre-season, it’s about what you do, but we’ve been pleased with the progress made each time we’ve gone out.

“We’ve had a few games now including closed door matches and we’ve been adding layers each time in terms of getting our points across and laying things down. It’s still early days and we’ve still to get to the level we want. We saw on Saturday, particularly in the first half, that we were able to press the game but I’d like to see that sustained for longer periods. That will come with continued hard work and application.

“We also saw in the last 15 to 20 minutes that we had to be ready to manage the game and see it out. It was pleasing that we still had the tools to be able to counter attack, but what we didn’t do very well was make them count and that’s something for us to work on.

“Getting a clean sheet was a positive step forward and Kieran made a good quality save to contribute to that.”

Looking ahead, Danny went on to talk about the squad in general:-

“We’ve got great depth within the squad and we’ve created that by keeping the good quality that we already had and recruiting players that we felt could add to it. It’s now up to Allan and myself to make sure we have the right combination on the pitch for each match.

“What has been very pleasing is the commitment, desire and togetherness that the group have shown. Anything that we have thrown at them, they have grabbed it in abundance.

“We know that there is an expectation on the squad this season, from both outside and inside. There will be no greater demand on them than from myself and the coaching staff. The players are ready to stand up and be counted. They’ve had a positive pre-season and worked hard, but that level of application will be demanded for the full season.”

Finally, Danny also gave an update on Tom Lang’s progress in returning from a knee operation earlier in the year.

“Tom is doing very well. He saw the specialist last week and got the good news that he could start his own pre-season schedule. Our medical team are doing a terrific job with him and it’s just a matter of getting him back up to speed now as quickly as we possibly can.

“He’ll have another meeting with the specialist before getting the final go ahead, but we’re hopeful that he’ll be back in contention in August.”