Broadwood Clyde 4 - 3 St Mirrenoff FC
Scottish Supporters Football Premier League
Saints supporter’s team continues to feel sympathy pains for their senior counterparts – suffering yet another narrow defeat.
Still stinging from the pain of Rudi Skacel’s late winner at Tynecastle, the Saints supporters were to find no cheer in Cumbernauld against the Clyde fans’ team.
Much like Danny Lennon’s men, St Mirrenoff can feel somewhat hard done by, but it was the man in the middle; not the last-gasp goal which led to their downfall.
Two penalty claims fell on deaf ears, while a number of dubious decisions went the way of the home side as their long ball tactics paid off.
But with just Sparta Jags between the buddies and the foot of the table, the Paisley side must use their sense of injustice to bounce back as quickly as possible.
Saints found themselves a goal down inside the first 10 minutes from Clyde's first corner when Chris Dailly’s clearing header diverted to the back post where an unmarked home player headed past the stranded keeper Craig Muir.
Clyde doubled their lead in controversial circumstances, the referee ignoring the linesman’s signal the ball had crossed the line for a shy, allowing the home side to open up a comfortable cushion.
This seemed to spur the Saints players on and after a period of possession, they pulled a goal back. An Andy Tucker corner caused concern and as the ball bounced in the penalty area, Fraser Gray was caught on the knee by a Clyde defender's studs.
Opting for the lesser spotted ‘indirect free-kick in the box’, David Wilson showed he was as cool a finisher from eight yards as 12, lashing the lay-off beyond the entire Clyde team cowering on the line.
Soon after, Saints were back on level terms, when David Christie’s shot deflected into the path of Tucker, who drilled the ball across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.
Then followed another baffling decision from the pink-clad whistler as Dailly was hacked down inside the box, only for the referee to award a free-kick two feet outside. Wilson delivered the set-piece into the mixer, but student nurse Grant Elliott’s header was deflected inches wide of the post.
And just before the break, the referee intervened once again to punish the travelling Saints fans. Tucker coolly flicked up the ball and kneed it back to Muir, but pass-back came the cry and from the second indirect free-kick of the day in the box, a Clyde midfielder curled the ball past the Saints stopper.
Early in the second half, the referee finally awarded a penalty, but unfortunately for Saints, it went to Clyde. Ignoring a foul in midfield, the referee played on then confounded the situation by pointing to the spot as a shot cannoned off defender Ian Craig’s arm less than a yard apart. Craig, whose arm was across his chest, looked aghast, but the decision stood and Muir was once more picking the ball out of his net.
With 20 minutes to go, Saints battling spirit was rewarded as Christie pounced on a defensive mix-up to fire a left-foot volley past the rooted Clyde keeper.
An equaliser seemed a cert as the pressure mounted on the home side, but a Wilson free-kick whistled narrowly wide then striker Robert Hillcoat came close with a spectacular overhead kick.
In the dying minutes, a Saints corner was headed as far as Duncan Johnston, whose first-time dipping volley shaved the outside of the post, before the referee had the final say, fittingly finishing the match dubiously early.
St Mirrenoff: Craig Muir, Grant Elliott, Ian Craig, Fraser Gray, Duncan Johnston, Andrew Tucker, Chris Dailly (Ryan Keenan), David Christie, David Wilson, Craig Sinclair, Robert Hillcoat. Subs: Gareth Fairley, Gordian Mothersole.
Saints have no match this weekend, with several of the squad away on international duty – joining the Tartan Army for the Scotland match in London.
