A late Clyde equaliser means it’s a mountain for Peterhead to climb in their bid to avoid automatic relegation. It was always going to be a mammoth effort for the club with the lads gutted with the final outcome. Football is played over 90 minutes though but it was cruel for the Blue Toon after showing positive glimpses and looking good for large periods of the match.
Joint caretaker managers Ryan Strachan and Jordon Brown played a forward-thinking line-up knowing what was at stake for the club but it was Clyde who were threatening the Peterhead goal in the opening exchanges with several corners in their direction that was dealt with swiftly from the Blue Toon. Cuddihy had a tame effort after nine minutes straight at McKenzie.
Peterhead were getting a lot of joy down the wings with Jack MacIver looking hungry and he forced a booking for Cuddihy on 17 minutes. Jack Brown and Wilkie were also getting joy down the left with both pairing up nicely.
Jack Brown almost gave the Blue Toon the opener on 20 minutes, a great ball came into the danger zone by Danny Strachan that was met by the diminutive midfielder who forced Ryan Mullen to tip the goal-bound header over the bar. Jordon Brown then headed wide from the resulting corner.
Jack Brown was all action for the hosts and won a free kick on 24 minutes after a shove in the back from Erik Sula, up stepped Jason Brown 25 yards from goal but Mullen gathered with ease after the skipper failed to call the Clyde custodian into trouble.
Peterhead got the opener that gave everyone inside Balmoor a massive lift on 27 minutes, a fantastic ball over the top by Andy McCarthy was latched on to by Jordon Brown before making a colossal run into the box and guiding a composed finish high into the net past Mullen to give us the opener.
Josh Oyinsan was hungry for more goals after hitting our winner against FC Edinburgh a fortnight ago, he almost got just that on the stroke of half-time after an inch-perfect cross by Jack Wilkie found the talisman with Mullen once again having to tip the effort over his crossbar.
Clyde started the second period relatively well with Martin Rennie having an effort for Jim Duffy’s side one minute after the restart with the forward swivelling a shot towards goal but it glided past the post.
The game then got a bit fiery with various incidents missed by referee Calum Scott and a coming together involving Kieran Shanks and Ross Lyon with the latter hauling down the forward, both were booked for remonstrations which was a sign of how the remainder of the contest was going to play out.
Andy McCarthy was brought down just after the hour mark as referee Scott pointed to the spot after the midfielder was pushed to the ground by Jon Craig, after a bit of a delay, Shanks stepped up but a strong save by Mullen denied him the chance to add to the goal scored against the Bully Wee at Balmoor back in January.
Regardless of the save, we seemed to gather a lot of momentum as a result of that chance with Jack Brown having an effort from the edge of the box going wide and Josh Oyinsan smashing an effort over the bar as we looked for a decisive second.
With the Blue Toon failing to get a killer second, it gave Clyde a bit of hope who still mustered up the occasional chance which came to nothing until the 89th minute when they got a leveller which was vital for them.
A long throw-in came into the box from Lyon that was knocked down by Cammy Salkeld who hooked a shot off the post and into the net. Deflating for the hosts and frustrating for all the work put in for large periods of the match.
Joint Caretaker manager Jordon Brown said post-match, “It’s devastating, but it isn’t over until it’s over and we still have something to play for this season. The message to the young lads is don’t have feelings like that again in your career.”
Peterhead: McKenzie, Danny Strachan, Ryan Strachan, Jason Brown, Wilkie, MacIver (O’Keefe 64), McCarthy, Jordon Brown, Jack Brown (Bisland 72), Shanks, Oyinsan. Subs not used: Joshua, Allan, Ikwa, Wood, Ritchie, Melingui
Clyde: Mullen, Lyon, Sula, McLean, Craig, Cuddihy, Hynes (McDonald 75), Roberts, Scullion, (Salkeld 64), Doherty, Rennie (Duthie 64). Subs not used: Parry, Quitongo, Thicot, Kennedy, Cameron
