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ROSS COUNTY 0; Clyde 2 |
The old adage about never getting a second chance to make a first impression will certainly ring true for Ross County when the First Division newcomers ponder what was an unmitigatedly dismal display.
The Dingwall side were comprehensively outfought and out-played by a robust Clyde outfit, who not only gained promotion last term, but won the Second Division championship in doing so. Ross County's solitary moment of respite came on the hour mark when Alex Bone, a recent recruit form Ayr, crashed a drive off the visitors' cross bar with the 'keeper well beaten.
Alan Maitland's charges, uncompromising in the tackle and soundly organised, began in sprightly fashion and took a deserved lead on seven minutes when Adam Proudlock shimmied past Dave MacKay on the left before cutting inside and driving the ball past Nicky Walker.
It was the first of many impressive contributions from the on-loan Wolves striker, although the remainder of the opening period degenerated into an unsightly tussle.
The fare was equally turgid in the second half with both teams failing to achieve a link between defence and attack. None-the-less, Clyde went on to secure the points with a second goal in the 65th minute.
Ritchie McCusker, the substitute, sent over a corner which was rifled home by Pat Keogh. The lack of home marking will worry Neale Cooper, the Ross County manager.
Clyde then let the home side attempt a series of attacking forays, none of which threatened to pull the Dingwall side back into the game. Bone did have a "goal" disallowed for off-side.
The match then petered out amidst a flurry of bookings and substitutions. It was a well-earned success for Clyde, but much improvement is essential for County to move away from the lower reaches of the table.
Ross County: Walker; Gilbert, Cunnington, Maxwell, MacKay, Taggart (Henderson, 37), Escalon (Ferguson, 77), Fraser, Bone, Miller and Holmes (Ross, 66). Unused Subs: Hamilton (gk) and Canning.
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Clyde 2; ROSS COUNTY 2 |
Allan Maitland will be pleased that his under-strength team put a good face on things.
After a bad run of four defeats and one draw, the Clyde manager was landed with an extra concern as eight first team players were either injured or ill, and so he moved quickly to tie up 26-year-old Frenchman Frederick Boniface on a two-year deal.
The former Paris Olympique striker had shone during the week, scoring two goals in the reserves, and his power and pace were evident yesterday in some promising moves up front. But he wasn't delivered many opportunities froma midfield that looked scrappy early on and appeared to have a few problems himself in finishing.
Both sides started briskly and only 30 seconds had elapsed when Craig Taggart was booked for an over-enthusiastic challenge on David Dunn. The Clyde man limped off eight minutes later, r4eplaced by Sean McAulay.
County sniffed out the first opportunity, but Alex Bone hit the ball straight at the Clyde 'keeper. Nevertheless, the home side showed promise, and in eight minutes Jack Ross crossed over for Andy Kane who headed just wide. Three minutes later, Clyde defender Mark McLaughlin swept in a shot from 25 yards, rattling the bar above Nicky Walker's head. A few seconds later, Boniface met Kane's cross, but his header floated wide.
Clyde's hopes of imposing control on this game then began to slip. In 25 minutes, County's Dave McKay floated over a cross, Hanley stepped forward to clear the ball away but Craig TAGGART intercepted the cross to head home County's first goal.
In the second half Clyde lifted their heads. The midfield seemed better patrolled and the home side earned a goal in the 52nd minute. Kane crossed and from the resultant scramble Pat Keogh poked the ball home. But equality only lasted five minutes: a corner from Steven Ferguson, who had replaced Paul Kinnaird, was met by Brian Irvine, who flicked the ball down for Darren HENDERSON to shove the ball through a scrum of legs and restore County's lead.
Clyde weren't fazed and with Craig Bingham and Kan working hard their equaliser came in the 69th minute. A Kane corner was thumped into the net by a powerful McLaughlin header.
Both sides piled on the pressure but there were no more goals. County manager Neale Cooper will be disappointed that his side failed to capitalise on Clyde's personel problems.
Ross County: Walker; D McKay, Cunnington, Maxwell, Irvine, Taggart (McQuade, 64), Henderson, Holmes, Bone, Millar (Gilbert, 89) and Kinnaird (Ferguson, 53). Unused Subs: Gonet (gk) and Shaw.
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ROSS COUNTY 2; Clyde 0 |
Ross County stretched their unbeaten First Division run to seven games at Victoria Park last night.
But it was only after opponents Clyde had given them a thing or two to think about in a game where the Bully Wee were unlucky to finish empty-handed.
County manager Neale Cooper conceded the victory had more to do with resilience than a scintillating performance but he insisted that bodes well for the future.
He said: "We looked tired tonight, especially in the first but we had a much better second half."
County led at half-time courtesy of an own goal from Clyde defender Andy Millen but a 55th-minute strike from Derek Holmes, his eighth goal of the season, made the points safe for County.
Cooper added: "Derek came on and took his goal very well but we had a lot to thank Brian Irvine and Nicky Walker for in the first half when Clyde looked much sharper.
"That was a legacy of very little football before our cup tie against Rangers because of the weather. It showed in our legs.
"I'm confident we'll get sharper now that we're playing regularly again and we'll be looking to let the lads rest between games with a hectic schedule to tackle over the next few weeks.
"But I was particularly pleased with our win tonight because it showed how much we've learned this season. The signings we brought in have made us a more determined and more resilient side that we were seven months ago."
Cooper named the same starting line-up for the third successive game.
Exiled Aberdonian Alan Maitland made one change to the Clyde side which drew with Ayr United at Somerset Park, dropping Jim Hendry to the bench to bring in Gordon Greer.
Clyde almost grabbed an opener in the seventh minute when Pat Keogh nodded a Brian Crawford cross just over the bar.
The woodwork saved County 'keeper Nicky Walker four minutes later when Brian Mitchell let fly from 22 yards.
Cooper immediately changed his side's formation, switching to a back four with Frank Escalon pushed into a four-man midfield. The little Frenchman almost put the home side in front in 21 minutes, sliding a measured left-foot shot just wide from the edge of the box.
Three minutes later County got their noses in front, courtesy of Millen, who tried to clear an angled drive from Darren Henderson and only succeeded in knocking the ball past his own 'keeper at the near post.
Almost immediately, Brian Irvine had to clear a shot from Jack Ross off the County line as Clyde pushed for an equaliser and County's frustration mounted when Henderson was harshly booked by referee Colin Hardie for diving in the Clyde box.
Walker pulled off a terrific save to keep out another well-struck effort from Mitchell in 42 minutes but County finished the first half on a high thanks to Karim Boukraa, who sent a shot dipping just over the Clyde bar.
County had a bizarre let-off three minutes into the second half when Mitchell's six-yard header appeared to spin over the line before Walker, who was fooled by the ball's flight, flopped on it.
Clyde were convinced they had equalised but referee Hardie, after stopping play to consult his assistant, restarted the match with a bounce ball.
The home side squandered a superb chance to double their lead in 55 minutes when Boukraa cut the ball back from the left but Escalon, making a run into the box, arrived too late to take advantage of the easiest chance of the game.
HOLMES, on for Henderson, made it 2-0 in 58 minutes, taking his time before he swept the ball past Halliwell from eight yards after Boukraa burst away from the halfway line and picked him out in acres of space.
Clyde could have pulled one back in 79 minutes when Irvine conceded a free kick which earned him a booking. Mitchell floated in a clever free kick but the alert Walker smothered Millen's downward header comfortably at his near post.
Ross County: Walker; Perry, Robertson, Maxwell, Irvine, Escalon (Fraser, 80), McCormick, Ferguson, Bone, Boukraa (Cunnington, 70) and Henderson (Holmes, 54). Unused Subs: Hamilton (gk) and D McKay.
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Clyde 2; ROSS COUNTY 0 |
Two second half goals ensured that Clyde manager Allan Maitland's hopes for a party atmosphere to celebrate taking fifth spot, their highest finish in the First Division in 25 years, were not dashed.
In their last home game, Clyde had the better of a tedious first half, but initially failed to exploit their possession. In the first few minutes, Ross County defender Mark Perry cleared from Jamie Mitchell, then David Dunn had a go, the ball grabbed by 'keeper Nicky Walker as Andy Kane tumbled into him.
On 16 minutes it was Leigh Hinds' turn, but Walker slid in to clear. Hinds had another chance minutes later, but was impeded by Ian Maxwell and hit the ball wide.
One encounter between Jack Ross and Hugh Robertson left the County defender flat out, and referee Cammy Melville was obliged to have a quiet word with Mitchell and Robertson, and later County striker Steve McKay, after he tangled with Clyde defender Darren Murray.
County picked up the pace as half time neared, Eddie Cunnington replacing the injured Robertson. Bryn Halliwell made an easy save from Mark McCormick but three minutes later fumbled another shot from the same player and he tangled with John Fraser and Maxwell to hold the ball.
Clyde began the second half in a determined fashion, and were awarded a free kick in the 51st minute. In the confusion around the box after Mitchell's shot, Ross found the ball at his feet and curled it neatly beyond Walker and into the net.
The chase for a second was on. A Mitchell shot was kicked clear by Walker, but the 'keeper had to save the rebound as Craig Bingham blasted the ball goalward from 18 yards. Five minutes later, Dunn hit the post and then Brian Crawford, who had replaced Kane, picked up a good ball from Hinds, but his shot trickled wide.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, Stephen Convery replaced Hinds and this proved to be an inspired substitution as the player sealed the game for the home side when he scored in the 88th minute.
Ross County: Walker; Canning, Robertson (Cunnington, 34), Maxwell, Perry, Fraser (Holmes, 61), McCormick (McQuade, 79), Ferguson, Bone, D McKay and S McKay. Unused Subs: Hamilton (gk) and Irvine.
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