Ross County 3-1 Clyde

Clyde suffered defeat on the road this afternoon, with a fast start from League One title favourites Ross County proving to be the difference in Dingwall.

As Darren Young’s men sought to go one better than Tuesday’s victory over Airdrieonians in their previous Premier Sports Cup fixture, the Bully Wee boss named a starting line-up showing two changes. Barry Cuddihy dropped out of the squad with a knock and Scott Williamson took a berth among the substitutes, with Chris Inglis (appearing as a trialist) and Marley Redfern replacing them. Meanwhile, there were first competitive involvements for recent signings Thomas Cruden and Bobby Kiltie from the bench.

An unfamiliar Clyde defence would’ve been looking to ease its way into the match, but the hosts were in no mood to oblige. A deep early cross from Lewis Strapp evaded the heart of the visiting defence, with veteran striker Brian Graham on hand to nod into the unguarded net at the back post.

It would go from bad to worse for The Bully Wee, as they found themselves two down after five minutes. Jamie Lindsay scampered into space down the right side and delivered into the area; the ball found its way to Richard Chin, who lashed it beyond Jay Hogarth and into the net.

The away side mounted a strong response, however, and the balance of play soon started to even out. Logan Dunachie saw a towering header from a corner cleared off the line, but it wasn’t long before his team pulled a goal back. The ball was kept alive from another set piece, and Nathan Cannon rose highest in the box to loop a fine header of his own across Brad Foster and inside the post.

There was to be no further scoring before the interval, though the sides did exchange chances; Timam Scott’s goal-bound header drew a fantastic block from The Staggies’ defence, whilst Jack Turner should’ve done better than striking a close range effort straight at Hogarth.

The result was effectively secured ten minutes after half time, when Graham intelligently won a penalty under what looked like minimal contact initiated by a Dunachie challenge. The striker dusted himself down to take the spot kick, and smashed it into the top corner to grab his brace and restore his team’s two-goal cushion.

As the game neared its conclusion, County turned the screw against a tiring Clyde team and could’ve added gloss to the scoreline, but a series of shots was either well blocked by defenders or repelled by Hogarth.