Clyde need to improve focus

CONCENTRATION is the key if Clyde are to have a successful league campaign, according to their manager Jim Duffy.
Clyde v East StirlingshireClyde v East Stirlingshire
Clyde v East Stirlingshire

Duffy blames lapses in attention for the Bully Wee’s first home defeat, which came on Saturday from East Stirling.

All three goals in this 2-1 encounter came in the second half, with Mark Wright netting to put Shire ahead early on before John Sweeney equalised with an impressive 25-yard effort. However, rather than fight back to win a defensive mixup by Clyde allowed Wright to score again to claim all three points.

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The manager said: “We do need to concentrate better. In the second half especially we just switched off. The boys have been playing all right all season but let in the odd goal here and there due to a lapse in concentration.”

Duffy feels that Clyde’s status as a part-time club is proving detrimental in terms of focus and mental discipline for his players. “If you are playing on a full time basis you have more time to train together and learn to operate as a unit. But at the moment our options are to just train when we can.

“You see mental lapses all the time in football, even top players make obvious errors from time to time and that sort of problem just gets more common the further down the leagues you go.”

Clyde next face a trip to Annan Athletic in an attempt to overtake them in the league standings, a match which will surely test the Bully Wee’s concentration. Duffy said: “Annan have a lot of pace and are quick to go at you and catch you off guard with a quick counterattack. Jim Chapman last year has done a lot with the team and changed it quite a lot.”

Kickoff at Galabank is at 1 p.m.