We’ll need to grind our way to title

Barry Ferguson admits this year is going to be a major grind for his new look Clyde squad as they aim for promotion.
Scott Linton nets Clydes winner at Stirling on Saturday.Scott Linton nets Clydes winner at Stirling on Saturday.
Scott Linton nets Clydes winner at Stirling on Saturday.

The Bully Wee opened their Ladbrokes League Two campaign with a hard-fought, although not convincing, win over Stirling Albion at Forthbank.

And Ferguson admits it is crucial that his side churn out victories, especially away from home.

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It took Clyde until 15 minutes from the end to break through against a Stirling side seeking a quick return to League One after relegation last term.

Ferguson’s side will look to build on that win this Saturday when they take on Queen’s Park in their first home league game at Broadwood.

And the Bully Wee boss believes that matches on their own ground may be more suited to their style of play than fixtures on their travels.

“The players have the mentality that it’s going to be a grind this year”, the Clyde boss explained.

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“At Broadwood, on the big wide pitch, we can play the way I want us to play but we’ll need to change our game plan to suit some of the smaller, bobbly pitches.”

Clyde’s matchwinner at Forthbank was Scott Linton who marked his league debut for the Bully Wee in style following his summer switch from Dumbarton.

Ferguson spoke highly of Linton, who grabbed the winner from the penalty spot.

The manager said: “He’s a top player and I’m surprised we managed to sign him up.

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“He should be playing at a much higher level than us but I somehow managed to convince him to come here.”

Asked why he had decided to take the plunge two divisions to the bottom tier of the SPFL, Linton explained that his main motivation was that he wanted to be in the hunt for silverware.

“Every season in the Championship was a bit of a relegation battle”, he explained.

“It sounds great going to grounds like Ibrox and Tynecastle every other week but not so good when you’re defending for 90 minutes.”

“Barry’s a huge idol of mine so I really wanted to work under him.”