This turned out to be a decisive game with both teams having a chance to gain entry to the next round of the League Cup albeit depending on the result of the game and the result of the other game in the group. Montrose fielded a fairly strong side with a good mixture of youth and experience. Webster, Waddell, Hester and Watson were still unavailable due to injury and Steeves was rested to give young Callum Hannah the game time he needed. Clyde were buoyed by winning away at Partick last week so this was certainly not a ‘dead rubber’ type of game. 

Referee Alex Shepherd got it off in good weather as Montrose started brightly until Maciver-Redwood was caught offside and in the next minute Clyde almost made the most in attack as the ball went too long. Still in the third minute and Lyons fed Shrive and his shot went past the far post. Then Montrose took the lead when a ball from Lyons went out to Hannah who crossed to the far post where Craig Brown headed it onto the post and it rolled into the net to make it 1-0 in the 5^th minute.

Montrose were well on top in the first 15 minutes with Brown in great form forcing a corner then passing a through ball to Maciver-Redwood but his effort was scrambled away by the Clyde defence. Clyde did have decent possession as well but their progress was stifled by the Mo defence. Then Montrose should have made it a second goal on 21 minutes as Masson to Hannah then Lyons to Shrive saw Maciver-Redwood in space but his shot was too hasty and went wide of a gaping net.

Still Mo were well on top playing good football with Lyons and Gardyne in control with Masson linking up well with forward play and it was only a couple of minutes to half-time before Clyde had two chances one which Gill saved well and the other going well over the top.

Clyde started the second half with Rennie and Redfern on in place of Hamilton and Connelly. Gill saved the next effort and on 50 minutes, a Clyde shot went just wide as the ball bounced badly for the Mo defence. Lyons was next to give Clyde a shock when he chased a through ball but keeper Kinnear saw it coming and cleared from outside his area.

A poor back pass almost let Clyde in but Gill saved the day and a Clyde corner came to nothing. Unlike the first half it was Clyde who had the better of possession in the second half up to at least the hour mark. Two more Clyde corners came to nothing as the Mo defence mopped them up and Shrive at the other end had a shot just over the top.

Cue another two changes from Clyde as Hynes and Connell replaced Robson and Allan on 70 minutes before Masson saw yellow for a foul. Someone on the Clyde bench saw Red for something said to the linesman as the Clyde crowd were also giving the referee a lot of stick as well. 

On 75 minutes Montrose brought on Steeves and Machado in place of Shrive and Smith then Masson was replaced by Dillon. At the same time Clyde brought on Leitch for Scullion as Howie saw yellow for a foul on Lyons. All those changes did Montrose a lot of good as the game changed course again with the Mo having more possession again.

Lyons shot over the top then a corner saw Gardyne hit it low across the face of goal but no takers. Two more changes for the Mo with Harry Craig and Fraser Donaldson replacing Williamson and Hannah as we entered stoppage time with Clyde hitting it long in an effort to save the game

Quinn went off injured in stoppage time and was replaced by young Owen Emslie which meant Montrose finished the game with only 5 players from the starting eleven as the referee blew for full time and a 1-0 win for the Mo.

Reporter by Steve Doyle

Post match reaction https://youtu.be/eM_Ym-GyJlc?si=uUm-e-jCEC7sILCc