A game of two halves

AS the old cliche goes it was a game of two halves on Saturday.

The first may have been an exercise in tedium. At least Clyde were level at the break, but by full-time once again they'd nothing to show for their efforts.

A missing linesmen and a road accident in Perth meant kick-off was delayed for 15 minutes but outside of two tame efforts by Kevin Finlayson and John Stewart nothing much happened in the first half, making you wonder why we were all forced to wait for it.

Although Ross Chisholm's 12th minute yellow card for a lunge on Nicki Paterson would prove more important later.

Presumably both teams got a real talking to at half time as the lethargy was suddenly lifted and three minutes after the restart Clyde were ahead as Paterson knocked Adam Strachan's low cross from close range.

The Bully Wee's chances of holding onto their lead were dealt a blow three minutes later as Ross McMillan had to be replaced by Murray Henderson.

And so it proved as Arbroath equalised in 58 minutes, Keith Gibson slipping the ball in for Gavin Swankie to score from the angle of the six yard box.

Less than 60 seconds later Gibson hit the outside of the post but Arbroath did take the lead ten minutes from the end as Stuart Malcolm's shot from the edge of the box took and deflection and lopped past Jordan Allan.

Parity was restored three minutes later as Alan Lithgow headed in a Strachan corner and when Chisholm was shown a second yellow for kicking the ball away on 86 minutes surely only one team could win it.

Only one team could indeed win it and it wasn't the visitors as a minute from the end former Clyde player David McGowan crossed for Swankie to nod in at the near post.

In the aftermath Neil McGowan was sent off for swearing at the referee to compete another day of frustration for the Bully Wee.

Clyde will at least get a welcome break from league action this Saturday when they welcome Berwick Rangers to Broadwood in the first round of the Scottish Cup.

ARBROATH: Hill, Rattray, Thomson, Falkingham, Malcolm, Durnan, Dimilta (D McGowan 75), Chisholm, Deane (Sheerin 61), Swankie, Gibson (Hamilton 61).

CLYDE: Allan, Park, N McGowan, McMillan (Henderson 51), Lithgow, Girvan, Finlayson (Sweeney 75), Paterson, Stewart, Waddell.

Referee: Stevie O'Reilly.

Attendance: 481.

News & Chronicle Man of the Match: Nicki Paterson.