Chance for redemption

Clyde 0 Arbroath 3

The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Third Division

Clyde defender Ally Park is delighted to be facing Arbroath tonight (Wednesday) in the hope of making up for Saturday’s poor performance.

In the first of a double header the league leaders visited Broadwood and left with a comfortable 3-0 win courtesy of goals from Keith Gibson and Clyde old boys Adam Strachan and David McGowan.

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Park said: “It’s only a few weeks since we drew 1-1 with them so we went in the game full of optimism, but we lost three soft goals and were left bitterly disappointed as we should have done much better.

“Apart from the Queen’s Park game we had been playing pretty well, but we badly let ourselves down and now need to pick ourselves up for the match at Gayfield.

“It’s actually good that we have Arbroath again so soon as it gives us the opportunity to prove that Saturday was just a one-off and it won’t happen again.”

With Gavin Brown suspended following his sending off in the 1-1 draw with Montrose last week, Park was delighted to be given a rare start in his natural position of right back.

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He said: “I seems to have played everywhere this season, in central defence and across the midfield, so it was good to be a right-back.

“That being said I don’t think I really did myself justice, I felt really tired and while some of the boys might have that excuse I’d had a few weeks off recently so I should have been fine.

“I can only assume that maybe I was carrying a wee injury, but hopefully that can be sorted out and I’ll do better next time.”

Park though may find himself moved again tonight with club captain Ross McMillan due to miss the game after separating his knee joint on Saturday.

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Park said: “Ross will be a big miss as everyone knows what a good player he is, but we have cover and hopefully he won’t be out for too long.”

Things could all have been very different as Marc McCusker strode forward and unleashed a thumped shot in the seventh minute, but with Darren Hill beaten the ball crashed off the post.

The Red Lichties regained their composure and took the lead in 20 minutes as Kieran McAnespie’s free kick to the back post was squeezed in by Gibson.

Three minutes later they doubled their advantage as Paul Sheerin got to the byeline and cut back for Strachan to pick his spot in the corner.

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Right on half time a Jamie McCluskey free kick found McCusker unmarked in the box, but his header hit Danny Griffin and bounced wide, referee Frank McDermott blowing for the break before the corner could be taken.

Any thoughts on a Clyde comeback were sadly foolhardy as they failed to register a shot on target in the whole second half.

The closest the Bully Wee came was a McMillan header from an Alex Gramovics cross that went just over, before ex-Clyde man McGowan showed them how it was done.

Strachan played the ball down the right and Gavin Swankie touched the ball inside for McGowan to unleash a magnificent shot past Bryn Halliwell from the angle of the box.

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Following the Arbroath return match Clyde will have further travels to make on Saturday when they hit the road to face Elgin City and by the time they host East Stirling at Broadwood next Tuesday will be hoping to be in a position to overhaul their guests at the foot of the table.

CLYDE: Halliwell, Park, Waddell, Scullion, McMillan (Lithgow 65), Gramovics (Stevenson 76), Finlayson, Sweeney, Stewart (Sawyers 76), McCusker, McCluskey.

ARBROATH: Hill, Sibanda, McAnespie, Falkingham (DiMilta 83), Wedderburn, Griffin, Strachan, Gibson, Doris (McGowan), Swankie (J Sheerin 75), P Sheerin.

Referee: Frank McDermott.

Attendance: 725.

News and Chrionicle Man of the Match: Kevin Finlayson.

BRIAN YULE

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