Match Report - By John Hoey

City got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over basement club Clyde at Glebe Park.

The Bully Wee were the better side in the opening 45 minutes and deservedly went in at the break 1-0 up, thanks to a 39th minute goal from Aleksandrs Gramovics.

City though stamped their authority on the game in the second-half and a couple of goals from Rory McAllister, one from the penalty spot, and a further goal from Charlie King sealed City’s win.

The win was marred by a bad injury sustained by full-back Willie Dyer early on in the first-half and it was revealed after the game that he may have sustained a fracture to his left ankle.

Manager Jim Duffy made two changes to the side which had lost the previous week against Arbroath.

Paul McLean returned to the starting line-up at the expense of Jon Seeley who was absent because of work commitments, and Mark Docherty made way for Steven Canning.

Kevin Byers had an early half-chance for Brechin in the 5th minute when a Dyer pass gave him an opportunity but Clyde keeper Jordan Allan saved well from the midfielder.

Dyer had to leave the field a minute later when he was injured in a tackle and he was replaced by Mark Docherty who slotted right in to the left full-back position.

The visitors had a chance in the 27th minute when Willie McGlaughlin tried a hook shot from the edge of the box but the ball went well over the bar.

Clyde were dominating much of the play and they deservedly took the lead in 39 minutes when ALEXANDRS GRAMOVIC’S left-foot drive sailed into the bottom corner of the net after the City defence had failed to clear their lines.

The goal stung the home side into action and they came desperately close to grabbing the equaliser on the stroke of half-time when Neil McGowan cleared a Steven Canning flick off the line.

City asserted their authority on the game at the outset of the second-half and McAllister had a great chance to equalise in the 52nd minute when he raced clear of the visitors’ defence but his shot went inches past the post, and a minute later, Charlie King was unlucky to see a shot well saved by Allan.

City were pressing forward at every opportunity but Clyde showed they were dangerous on the break when Kris Doolan headed an Adam Strachan corner just over the bar in the 57th minute.

McALLISTER was very unlucky not to grab the equaliser in the 63rd minute when a shot from the edge of the box came back off the crossbar, but the striker eventually got the break-through five minutes later when he swept the ball into the net after a Docherty shot had rebounded from the post.

Brechin were now powering forward in search of another goal and McALLISTER scored the vital second goal from the penalty-spot in the 77th minute after he had been brought down in the box by Clyde left-back McGowan who was dismissed by referee Euan Norris for his challenge on the City striker.

The home side now had the bit between their teeth and they wrapped up the points in style with six minutes remaining when KING coolly lobbed the ball over keeper Allan after a McAllister pass had created the opportunity.

City boss Jim Duffy said,

“ We didn’t play at all well in the first-half when Clyde put us under a lot of pressure and made life difficult for us and they definitely deserved their half-time lead.”

“ We changed the shape of the team a bit after the break and did much better. We put in a strong second-half performance and I felt that we were worthy winners.”

Clyde manager John McCormack said,

“ It was hugely disappointing to lose the game after our very good first-half performance.

“ We were a totally different team after the break which is a hard thig to explain and we’ve just been trying to analyse what went wrong.”

“ We now have eleven games left and I still feel we have what it takes to beat the drop.”

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Cowdenbeath 0 Dumbarton 0

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East Fife 0 Stirling Albion 3

Good Away Win For Binos At Bayview

Peterhead 3 Arbroath 0

Lichties Suffer Heavy Defeat At Balmoor