Halliwell
Mensing Potter Balmer Wilson
Bryson Gibson Walker
Harty Wilford Gilhaney
Forfar included ex-Clyde player Paul Shields up front alongside the ever dangerous Paul Tosh. Ex-Raith Rovers player Jay Stein lined up on the left wing.
Brown
Ramsey Forrest King Lowing
Booth McClune Lunan Stein
Tosh Shields
Clyde started off the brighter side, with Forfar running around chasing several quick passing moves. Clyde took the lead early on, when a neat passing move saw Ian Harty free in the box and he fired home a quality finish from 12 yards. Clyde then kept the ball extremely well for a period of time and it looked like their extra class would be too much for Forfar.
However, with Clyde light in numbers in midfield, Forfar started to gain the upper hand and had several good moves which tested Clyde's centrebacks. Then a loose ball in midfield by Jimmy Gibson saw David McClune release Paul Tosh and he finished well, with a low shot across Halliwell. The only other real effort of the first half, saw a goal ruled out for a push by Aron Wilford.
After the break, Clyde settled down with a straight 442 formation and this seemed to tighten them up at the back. Another goal was ruled out for offside and in the same incident, Michael Brown, the Forfar 'keeper was left with a serious injury after a clash with Wilford. He was taken off and replaced by Ferrie. Harty then struck the post after an excellent run.
Clyde then brought on Gary Arbuckle for Stuart Balmer and within a couple of minutes, Forfar had taken the lead. Simon Mensing, who had already been booked tried to shepherd the ball out for a corner but lost out to Stein, who nipped into the centre and was tripped by the Clyde defender. Mensing was given a red card for abusive language and a penalty was awarded to Forfar. Tosh stepped up, only for Halliwell to save spectacularly to his left. However, from the resulting corner, a push on a Clyde defender went un-noticed and McClune fired home a deflected effort from 15 yards.
Clyde introduced Arran Conway to try and get back into the match but the last 15 minutes were all Forfar and only a couple of excellent stops from Halliwell denied Forfar from adding to their lead.
At the end of this match, Clyde were left disgusted at a shocking refereeing display by Kenny Clark. However their own performance left a lot to be desired. There was no lack of effort but the players' passing was offkey and a huge improvement is needed for Saturday's trip to Hamilton. My Clyde Man of the Match award goes to Ian Harty who scored a good goal and looked lively for the entire match. Only Alex Walker and Halliwell can hold their heads up high from the rest of the team. Although he is a useful player, Wilford looks tired and starved of ideas at time. Gary Arbuckle came on and looked very good up front, so maybe he will be given a start on Saturday. Clyde missed midfield terrier Darren Sheridan and need a bit of flair.
Meanwhile, Forfar looked like a decent enough side. Their front two caused no end of problems and Jay Stein was the best player on the pitch. Their two centre halves were a bit shaky however and that could cost them later in the season.