Clyde lose out to promotion rivals Peterhead at Broadwood

Clyde dropped further off the pace in the promotion race as they went down to title rivals Peterhead at Broadwood on Saturday.
Tom Lang was sent off for a second yellow card as Clyde went down to Peterhead (pic by Craig Black Photography)Tom Lang was sent off for a second yellow card as Clyde went down to Peterhead (pic by Craig Black Photography)
Tom Lang was sent off for a second yellow card as Clyde went down to Peterhead (pic by Craig Black Photography)

The defeat saw Danny Lennon’s side slip to fourth in the table, eight points adrift of table toppers Edinburgh City ahead of a crucial visit to the capital this Saturday.

It was the division’s match of the day, third hosting second at the start of play, and there was a lively start in the Cumbernauld sunshine with a win crucial to both sides.

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Clyde’s 20-year-old debut striker Kristoffer Syvertsen, signed only the day before, impressed whenever he was in possession. Fast, strong and able to pick out a pass he was a danger in every Bully Wee attack as the home side had the better of the early stages.

But it was the Blue Toon who took a spectacular lead in the 20th minute, midfielder Scott Brown with a thunderous shot from outside the area that bulged the net to give a lead very much against the run of play.

Soon after Brown almost turned provider squaring from the left side of the penalty area for Jack Leitch, but he couldn’t adjust his feet in time to get a shot off.

On the half hour a long ball over the top from midfield by Willie Gibson gave captain Rory McAllister space inside in the area but unusually he was wasteful and shot high beyond the far post.

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As half-time approached Clyde almost equalised. A mazy run from Syvertsen looked like ending with a shot but instead he slipped the ball to his left for Ally Love but his effort went into the side netting.

Moments later a Syvertsen header went straight at keeper Greg Fleming.

The second half began as the first half had ended with Clyde fastest out of the blocks and the Blue Toon defence led a charmed life as the home side mounted attack after attack.

With just over an hour played Peterhead were down to ten men following a crunching tackle in midfield by Michael Dunlop on David Goodwillie and it was going to be a tough last half hour with a man down...or so it seemed!

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An out of sorts McAllister came off to be replaced by Derek Lyle as the Blue Toon reshape their line up, but then it was Clyde who had to do likewise after Tom Lang foolishly received his second yellow in the space of a few minutes.

There was more drama after 73 minutes as Peterhead netted again on the break. Substitute Ryan Dow raced down the right and swept a pass inside to Brown who did likewise into the path of Lyle to pick his spot low into the corner for a clinical counter attack goal.

Five minutes later Clyde were back into it, substitute Karim Belmokhtar with a shot from an angle to the right of goal although it struck the leg of a Peterhead defender in a crowded goalmouth on the way in. Game on!

Not for long though as Lyle netted another, a brilliant strike into the postage stamp corner from 22 yards out in the 83rd minute to put an emphatic look to the scoreline that Clyde will feel was harsh.

What they didn’t dispute was the quality of the goals, their defensive fragility and failure to turn possession and chances into goals.