Match Report
Even with the otherwise near ever present Simon Storey free from suspension Ian McCall elected to keep the same starting eleven for this fixture that had defeated Queen of the South seven days earlier. The only changes coming on the substitute bench. The aforementioned Simon Storey took up a place on the bench and there was also a slot for Ryan McStay with Steven Lennon and Chris Turner dropping out of the sixteen altogether.
Thistle had made the more enterprising start to the game and in the 9th minute took a deserved lead. An Ian Maxwell free kick was headed across goal to Liam Buchanan who turned before despatching a shot high into the Clyde net.
Thistle took confidence from that early strike and Stephen McKeown wasn’t far off target with a low drive from 20 yards.
Buchanan wasn’t too far away from a second goal in the 17th minute. A Kevin McKinlay cross from the left found Buchanan at the back post but he wasn’t quite able to direct his header on target.
Willie Kinniburgh was nearly an unlikely scorer in the 24th minute. His powerful shot from 25 yards out was straight at Hutton but the Clyde goalkeeper still needed two attempts to grab the ball.
For all Thistle’s dominance in the first half they were unable to find the second goal that their play had clearly merited.
Thistle had the first half chance of the second half with Gary Harkins hooking the ball over the bar in the 52nd minute.
Thistle though were reminded a short time later of just how fragile a one goal lead is. Without either a shot on or off target to that point Clyde were nearly gift wrapped an equaliser. Willie Kinniburgh was short with a pass back leaving Willie McLaren with just Jonny Tuffey to beat. Tuffey though was sharp off his line to make an excellent blocking save.
In the 57th minute Thistle made their first change of the afternoon. Simon Donnelly, who had been on the wrong end of a hefty Mark Brown challenge in the first half, being replaced by Damon Gray.
On the hour mark a quick Thistle break involving Liam Buchanan and Damon Gray looked promising but Gray, who had looked eager since coming on, was just too close to Hutton with his cross.
As Thistle looked for the second goal that would give them some breathing space Gary Harkins tried his luck from 30 yards and was a little unfortunate to tug his shot wide of the post.
Thistle were starting to get careless and the one goal advantage was beginning to look increasingly precarious. A fact that was underlined in the 71st minute when David McKay seized upon a Kevin McKinlay error only to knock his shot wide of the post.
In the 73rd minute, however, Thistle took a massive step towards maximum points. The ball fell nicely into the path of Stephen McKeown right at the edge of the Clyde penalty box. As soon as the ball left McKeown’s foot there was little doubt surrounding the ball’s final destination and sure enough McKeown had his sixth goal of the season.
Thistle took the opportunity to make a second substitution in the 74th minute with Scott Chaplain coming on in place of Liam Buchanan.
David Rowson decided it was his turn to try and get into the scoring act but although his shot in the 77th minute was powerfully enough struck it was always on the rise.
Clyde weren’t giving up and Jonny Tuffey did well to smother the ball at the feet of Alan Trouten before Pat Clarke tested Tuffey with a long range shot.
With eight minutes remaining Thistle made used of third permitted substitution with Ryan McStay coming on in place of Gary Harkins.
With the game drifting to a conclusion a Ryan McStay pass very nearly found Scott Chaplain in space inside the Clyde box.
