Clyde left to rue poor first-half display against Queen's Park

Clyde paid the penalty for a flat first half performance against Queen's Park at Hampden as a spot-kick brought their winning run to an end.
Mark Lamont gets a cross over against Queen's Park (pic by Craig Black Photography)Mark Lamont gets a cross over against Queen's Park (pic by Craig Black Photography)
Mark Lamont gets a cross over against Queen's Park (pic by Craig Black Photography)

It proved enough to earn the home side the points as Danny Lennon's men, despite a vastly improved showing after the break, failed to salvage anything from the derby clash.

Queen's, looking to end their own run of three successive defeats, took the initiative early. They pressed high and their physical presence up front made life uncomfortable for the Bully Wee backline.

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That said, Clyde keeper Blair Currie didn't actually have a great deal to do. The Spiders did create openings but couldn't get them on target, Peters (twice), Jamie McKernon and Scott McLean all seeing efforts fly wide.

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As it happened: Clyde beaten by Queen's Park at Hampden

It took Clyde a while to settle, but David Goodwillie did fashion an opening for himself inside the box. But his effort was blocked and appeals that he had been fouled were ignored by referee David Lowe.

Instead it was the home side who made the breakthrough on 25 minutes when a nudge by Kevin Nicoll on the back of Lewis Hawke was deemed sufficient to warrant a penalty.Nicoll was yellow carded and Peters stepped up to score, despite the unlucky Currie getting a hand to the ball.

Going behind seemed to spark Clyde into life and Karim Belmokhtar looked the most likely route to an equaliser.

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The striker, given his first start after his match-winning double as a sub at Berwick the previous week, lashed a half-volley over from 15 yards and then saw powerful header safely collected by Jordan Hart.

Belmokhtar then cleverly fashioned an opening for John Rankin who could only watch in frustration as his shot zipped across the turf and wide of Hart but also inches beyond the far post.

But Clyde still looked vulnerable at the back. Peters should have done better than lob weakly wide when through with just Currie to beat and Hawke also got in behind the Bully Wee backline only, fortunately for Clyde, to lose control at the vital moment.

For the second week running Clyde went in behind at the break and requiring a half-time recovery plan.

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Lennon's response was to replace Nicoll with Jordan Stewart, moving Raymond Grant from left-back into a more comfortable midfield position. It made a difference as Clyde came out with much more purpose about their play.

Grant fired just wide after great play by Goodwillie set up the opening and Goodwillie should have scored when through on Hart who saved with his legs.

Goodwillie then brought out another save from Hart when the cut in from the right and left fly with his left.

Gradually Queen's seemed to weather the storm, although it was a measure of Clyde's improvement that it took them until the 66th minute to pose any kind of second-half threat to the Clyde goal, Peters drilling just wide of the far post.

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After seeming to pause for breath, Clyde launched a fresh wave of assaults on the home goal as they game entered its closing stages. But the equaliser just wouldn't come.

Chris McStay just couldn't direct on target a difficult headed chance from a Stewart cross and Rankin scorched a free-kick just over from all of 30 yards.

The activity was becoming increasingly frantic around the home goal and twice the Bully Wee were denied as the home defence somehow contrived to scramble the ball to safety.

But they held out, leaving Lennon to rue that first-half display.

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The Clyde boss admitted: "We can't have the level of performance we got in the second half and not have it in the first.

"They pressed us aggressively, but that's when we have to be intelligent in how we adapt and come up with a solution. In the second half, we did that better."