Clyde 2 Elgin City 1: Quickfire double does job for Clyde

One minute was barely on the clock when David Gormley took Sean Higgins’ ball through on goal and slotted across Marc Waters to net his first of the season.

And if picking the ball out of the net was Waters’ first touch of the ball, then his second would have been painfully familiar. Euan McNeil fired in an excellent cross from the right, and Peter MacDonald met it beautifully, heading down to Waters’ right to put his side two ahead.

Even at 2-0 Clyde were blatantly the hungrier of the two sides, moving the ball with pace and purpose and snapping at the heels of their visitors at every opportunity.

Clyde had a shout for handball in the box waved away by the referee when Scott Linton’s ball from the right appeared to many to strike Archie McPhee’s hand. It was the first of a few decisions by the referee that would rile the home ranks.

The second came just before half-time. Just as the game had began to settle down, David Gormley went in hard on McHardy right in front of the dugouts, incensing visiting manager Jim Weir, and triggering a stramash between the playing and coaching staff of both clubs that resulted in both managers being sent off. Gormley was booked for the tackle, and no sooner was the situation resolved that the referee blew for half time.

The second half started with Ross Perry – subbed earlier as a precaution by Barry Ferguson – in the Clyde dugout in place of his absent manager.

Shortly after MacDonald missed a one on one with Waters, Clyde were left kicking themselves for not doing more when they were on top. A corner fell to Darryl McHardy and the centre-half finished like a forward, volleying the ball with venom to the John Gibson’s right.

And they had the chance to equalise just after the hour mark, when substitute Kyle MacLeod connected with Chris Dodd’s cross, but could only direct it straight at Gibson.

For all Elgin were the better team in the second half, though, Clyde dug deep, and came out of a drab second half with three very important points.