One from the archives! We cuffed Clyde 7-0 in the Cup in 1990 - here's the GLF view of the game -:)
BULLY ‘WEE WUZ ROBBED’
Motherwell supremo Tommy McLean, recently critical of the media for knocking his team's negative tactics, had no cause for complaint after his side's narrow victory against a lively Clyde outfit at Fir Park.
From the outset it was clear the Steelmen had fortune running in their favour. Before the match, John Clark, the Clyde manager, complained that the home team had failed to narrow the width of the pitch:
"It meant they could use their wingers: grossly unfair" he complained Clark also accused the Fir Park captain of substituting a double-headed coin into the referee's pocket to ensure they played with the wind in the first half.
The first-division side exploded into action from the kick-off and the claret and amber 10-man defensive shell looked decidedly vulnerable at times. After a few narrow escapes, Maxwell caught a force-nine gust, sailing the ball deep into the Bully Wee half and out of play: inexplicably, the referee awarded a corner. Cooper's badly mishit cross ricocheted into the path of absent-minded
Chris McCart, who had mistakenly started the game defending in the wrong penalty box. Realising his error, and on his way back to his own area, he bent down to pick up a sweetie paper. Only when surrounded by his relieved team-mates did he realise that the ball had amazingly skidded netbound from his head.
Undaunted by this setback, Clyde made three forward passes in quick succession, inspired by the nimble Fairlie, out to prove his ex-club wrong but yet again Lady Luck frowned upon the former Shawfield men. Their plucky young full-back was wiping a bogey on his shirt-front when another wayward Cooper effort inadvertently struck his hand. The referee, after consulting the Scotland winger, pointed to the spot. Cooper slotted the ball home, handing the ref a wad of £1O notes on his way back to the restart.
Worse was in store for the white-shirted warriors; returning to their dressing room at half-time they were confronted by a huge box of Chapman's pies and photocopies of the Sunday Mail Best Pies In The Premier article, which had the Fir Parker's top of the league. As Clark said later: "It was too good an offer to refuse- the lads all had half a dozen each."
A few bovrils later,'The Wee', whose appetites suggest a change to 'The Big', trudged out for the second half. Misfortune upon misfortune plagued their performance in the next 45 minutes.
GOAL THREE: Doug Arnott, camouflaged behind a blade of grass, sclaffed a side-footer in the general direction of the goal: the wind did the rest.
GOAL FOUR: Bobby Russell, ignoring claims for offside, his conscience ridden with guilt, popped up to score number four. Cooper again was spotted, wallet open, negotiating with the stand-side linesman.
GOAL FIVE: The referee allowed the Fir Park trainer to smear the ball in Vaseline while Cooper prepared to take yet another corner won against the run of play. The keeper, blameless, dropped the ball to the feet of Bryce who simply could'nt miss- although he tried his best.
GOAL SIX: The groundsman increased the wattage of the floodlights, blinding the 'keeper and allowing Kirk to shoot home, waving his protective sun glasses to the ecstatic home support. Every attempt by the proud Bully Wee defence to get rid of the offending ball by booting it as far out of the park as possible failed.
GOAL SEVEN: John Gahagan, having handed out begging letters to the Clyde men asking for a generous donation in his testimonial year, struck it lucky when the young Clyde keeper, a committed Christian, handed the ball to the. winger and offered him an empty goal.
With luck like this it could just be the Steelmen's year in the Cup.
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