Clyde seal SPFL safety as Elgin City go down to first half Liam Scullion double
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Elgin City’s season ended in defeat as Clyde confirmed their League 2 safety in front of a 1000-strong Borough Briggs crowd.
Buoyed by a big travelling support, Bully Wee won 3-0 to ensure that Stranraer finished in bottom spot and face a play-off with East Kilbride to stay in the SPFL.
Clyde started the game like their lives depended upon them winning, and pinned the home side back in their own half in the opening stages.
Liam Scullion sent out a warning shot on four minutes, curling a 20 yard effort on to the top of the Elgin net.
Clyde survived a scare on 14 minutes when Ryan MacLeman’s slide rule pass put Dajon Golding on a run towards goal but his powerful effort flashed just wide of the near post.
A minute later Bully Wee made a crucial breakthrough.
Cammy Ballantyne’s speculative shot took a deflection and spun kindly for Scullion, who wheeled and planted a low effort into the corner of the net from just inside the box.
A minute later Golding troubled the visitors once again with a strike from the corner pof the box which spun off a defender and looped just wide of the mark.
Clyde seemed to burn out after their fast start and settled to try and hold their advantage as Elgin held the upper hand for the next 20 minutes without troubling Clyde keeper Brian Kinnear, and it was against the run of play when the visitors doubled their lead seven minutes before half time.
Martin Rennie had two bites at getting a cross over from the right side of the box but his second attempt invited Scullion to dive in at the edge of the six yard box and head his second goal of the game.
Brian Cameron volleyed past from a diagonal Mark Gallagher ball on the stroke of half time as the home side tried to find a lifeline in the contest.
The away side started the second half like they did the first, going straight on the offensive.
Captain Barry Cuddihy and Martin Rennie both had shots blocked in the home goalmouth within 30 seconds of the start of the half.
Scullion then eyed up a hat-trick from the edge of the box and his volley wasn’t too far over.
On 63 minutes, Clyde striker Jordan Allan teed up Ballantyne on the edge of the box and his strike skimmed the outside of the post on its way past.
Two minutes later, Clyde keeper Brian Kinnear had his first save of the game when Mark Gallagher crashed in a fierce half volley which was too close to the keeper to trouble him too much.
Sub Matty Jamieson stretched Kinnear further on 71 minutes with a powerful strike which the keeper repelled and was relieved to see spin wide of the left hand post.
Clyde’s safety was confirmed with a third goal six minutes from time as Allan fed Rennie in the box and his effort fizzed past sub keeper Ollie Kelly, who had come on only a minute earlier.
Elgin: McHale (Kelly 83), Bray, Dolzanski, Ewan, Cairns, Gallagher (Fraser 83), Cameron (MacEwan 68), Dingwall, Dangana (Taylor 59), Golding, MacLeman (Jamieson 59).
Clyde: Kinnear, Lyon, Howie, Dunachie (Kabia 80), Hamilton, B.Grant, Cuddihy (Hynes 76), Scullion, Rennie, Allan (Sula 87), Ballantyne (Young 87).
Subs: P.Grant, McGinn, Cameron, Leslie, Parry.
Ref: D.Williams
Att: 1002
