Match Report
With the return of a number of players unavailable for the Challenge Cup tie with Livingston manager Ian McCall had the best kind of selection headache for this fixture with Clyde. Ultimately the Thistle manager elected to make three changes. Back into the team came Jonny Tuffey, John Robertson and Steven Lennon. Craig Hinchcliffe, Willie Kinniburgh and Damon Gray were the unlucky trio to drop to the bench. Although not included in the sixteen both Liam Buchanan and Stephen McKeown joined in with the pre-match warm up. Included in the Clyde starting eleven were former Jags Billy Gibson and Ricky Waddell.
Gary Harkins, who scored at Broadwood last season with a shot from distance, tried his best to repeat that feat with a similar effort inside the game's opening minute but Peter Cherrie was able to get his body behind Harkins' shot.
In a bright and typically frantic opening to the game Stuart Kettlewell shot wide from 25 yards.
Gary Harkins clearly had in mind to score from distance and he tried his luck again in the 9th minute but Cherrie was again equal to his effort managing to get down low and save at his right hand post.
The game was beginning to settle down to an exchange of fouls but Scott Gemmill created space for himself at the edge of the Thistle box with a nice touch of skill but his finish let him down and Tuffey wasn't required to make a save.
In the 22nd minute Thistle needed the timely intervention of Ian Maxwell to clear a dangerous Ricky Waddell cross as Clyde began to enjoy a period on top with Thistle struggling to produce much in the way of good football.
Two minutes later Waddell again caused the Thistle defence problems and when Thistle could only half clear his cross Paul Emslie's shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Simon Storey.
It was very much out the blue then when Thistle took a 28th minute lead. A cross from Harkins was only cleared as far as Scott Chaplain and Chaplain, who has a habit of scoring against Clyde, fired powerfully into the back of the net from the edge of the box with Cherrie left standing motionless.
While Clyde continued to press Thistle nearly fashioned an opening for a second goal right on half time.A neat interchange of passes nearly put Steven Lennon clean through on goal but he was tackled before being able to gather the ball with shouts for a penalty, from the Thistle fans at any rate, ignored by referee McDonald.
The first half chance of the second half came Thistle's way in the 54th minute. Paul Paton swung over a free kick from wide on the right and although Ian Maxwell was able to get his head to Paton's cross he was unable to direct his header on target.
A half chance too fell to Stuart Kettlewell but his shot from the corner of the Thistle box lacked direction and Tuffey wasn't troubled. Still Clyde took heart from that and a David McKay cross from the right only required a tocuh from a Clyde player to produce an equaliser.
In the 58th minute Thistle made their first change of the afternoon with Mark Roberts coming on for Simon Donnelly.
Clyde substitute Gary McSwegan was able to latch onto a through ball in the 65th minute but although he managed to get his shot on target it was an easy save for Tuffey to make.
Thistle broke quickly from a Clyde free kick in the 66th minute. Steven Lennon came forward with the ball, pushed it through to David Rowson who in turn knocked the ball into the path of Gary Harkins who really should have done better than fire wide of target.
It was a costly miss as Clyde were level in the 68th minute. Marc Twaddle fouled David McKay inside the box and Pat Clarke converted the penalty.
With the game well and truly back in the balance Chris Turner, a replacement for Scott Chaplain, found himself in the book for a poor challenge in the centre circle.
Thistle made their final change in the 73rd minute when Willie Kinniburgh was in
troduced in place of Marc Twaddle a move that required a reorganisation of the Thistle defence, John Robertson moving into Twaddle's position on the left. Kinniburgh himself was soon in the wars himself when a clash of heads forced the referee to stop the game with Clyde on the attack.
Clyde were inches away from taking the lead in the 78th minute. Scott Gemmill's shot from 25 yards being touched onto the bar by Jonny Tuffey.
It were Clyde that were very much on top at this stage and in the 84th minute Jonny Tuffey made his second excellent save of the afternoon saving low down from Billy Gibson.
A deflected Chris Turner shot in the 85th minute earned Thistle their first corner of the afternoon and when that corner was worked to David Rowson at the edge of the box Paul Cherrie made an excellent save to turn the ball round the post for a corner. Rowson's reaction made it clear that he thought his shot was destined for the back of the net.
Scott Gemmill wasted an injury time chance for Clyde as this game went deep into injury time with both teams keen to claim all three points. The aforementioned Gemmill thought he had scored the winning goal only to be denied by the save of the match from Jonny Tuffey.
Thistle weren't at their best in this match and may feel slightly the happier to have come from the game with a point.
