Clyde 2 - 0 Ayr United (Petrofac Training Cup First Round) (26/07/2014)

Tactics

Clyde again executed an interesting and dynamic formation in this, their first competitive fixture of the season. It was filled out by many of the same players whose performances within it recently yielded emphatic success at East Kilbride; debutant Paul McManus performed in the role given to Pat Scullion then, and Ross McKinnon replaced Ryan Frances on Clyde's left-hand-side.

Clyde appear to have had a good education in the execution of their possession-volatile formation. Few were the distractions or incidences of carelessness which saw their shape permit a dangerous Ayr United attack. On occasion David Gray, the player chosen by Barry Ferguson to perform the holding midfield role, seemed to have his positional sense overridden by an impulse to join in a scrap for possession elsewhere on the field. A forgivable hallmark of inexperience in the context of this match however as Ayr lacked the quality to punish Clyde for Gray's positional indiscipline. (Below: How the formations matched up from the off - Clyde depicted in possession).

Flooding and Congestion

The most notable feature of Clyde's changeable formation was how it afforded them a numerical advantage in the areas of the field where possession was being led into or held. Attacks led by a single player soon featured three or four Clyde Jerseys in very advanced positions, equaling or outnumbering what defence Ayr could muster. In midfield Clyde always had the extra man/men and that was particularly apparent against Ayr whose midfield weren't very competitive in any case; slow to the first ball and scarcely interested in the second. Similarly, across the back Clyde almost always had two more players than were featured in any Ayr attack.

Use of the ball

As the awful footballing cliche goes, Clyde made the ball do the work for the most part. Aptly conservative/direct passing and movement made them look like an accomplished side, and prompt distribution from Jamie Barclay and from all of Clyde's defenders signaled obvious intent (Ayr really ought to have made it more difficult for Clyde to pass it out of defence). McManus looked for the ball whenever he could and intelligently so. Watt and Ferguson complimented his play with runs in and down from the flanks, whilst John Sweeney made several good, late runs into the box. He, Gray and Sinclair initiated counter attacks rapidly and are all due credit for their guile.

Beyond Doubt?

Even in a second half where Ayr were quite determined, if not intelligent or skillful about their attempts to undermine Clyde's defence, it held up without enduring much discomfort. Having said that, there were visible chinks in Clyde's armour which you might think exploitable, only by a better side. Scott Durie let Clyde's guard fall down his side several times and Clyde's central midfielders never really wrestled possession from Ayr after Donald moved forward to replace the ill-deployed Brian Gilmour. Perhaps Clyde will find an opening for a central midfielder with the ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck, so to speak.

                                                              Indecision

Clyde were visibly in two minds about going on to net a third goal. Poor passes from advanced positions and whilst under little pressure gave that much away. If Clyde are intent on promotion it will be important for them to see games out. Conceding possession in midfield or whilst counter-attacking won't assist in the achievement of that objective. Simple inexperience was the root cause of Clyde's indecision today and in Barry Ferguson they couldn't hope to have a better cure for that ill. Will he have the nous to use his experience as a player in circumstances requiring of it? (Left: How the formations matched up with the XIs that finished the 90 minutes - Ayr depicted in possession).