Bully Wee fans Love being on march with Ally’s army
CLYDE 2 ANNAN ATHLETIC 0
Colin Paterson Danny Lennon insisted the journey is only just beginning for revitalised Clyde after they finally secured promotion from League Two.
The Bully Wee will be playing third-tier football for the first time since 2010 after a dramatic play-off final victory over Annan Athletic.
A Chris Johnston effort clinched a narrow 1-0 win for the Galabankies in last Tuesday night’s first-leg showdown .
But second-half goals from ex-Annan aces Martin McNiff and Ally Love, who struck from the spot with just four minutes left at Broadwood on Saturday, turned the tie on its head.
Delirious Clyde fans spilled onto the pitch when referee Bobby Madden’s full-time whistle signalled the end of the match and their extended stay in the SPFL’s basement division.
And Bully Wee boss Lennon has told them that their weekend success is only the start as he looks to thrust Clyde back into the Scottish football spotlight.“I thoroughly enjoyed it,”he revealed as the squad got the promotion party started.
“I’ve enjoyed the whole week and the challenge to be honest.
“I always knew it was going to be difficult but I have so much faith in and I’m so proud of that group of players. Some of the football they’ve played has been excellent.
“We always knew it would be a journey of progression but we’re by no means the finished article and there is a lot more to come from that group.
“Getting to the next level is a nice feeling but it is a feeling that you want to sustain every year and that’s the objective for us now. Where do we go from here?
“We have to strive to improve and that’s the mentality that winners have.”
Lennon admits he and trusted assistant manager Allan Moore didn’t shy away from discussing the fact that Clyde had been stuck in League Two for almost a decade.
He added:“We have talked to the players about the club being down at this level for a long time.
“It wasn’t the most important thing, but we’ve talked about it since coming in the door.
“I’m delighted for the fans and we know how much this means to them all. The club has been down in this tier for so long now.
“It’s been great to be on this fantastic journey.”
Clyde took the lead on the hour mark when McNiff turned the ball home at the back post after Annan, who was content to defend deep and play on the counter, failed to clear a corner .
But the decisive moment arrived in the 86th minute when ref Madden ruled that Annan defender Steven Swinglehurst had shoved Love in the back as the forward attempted to get on the end of a cross.
The visitors were furious but Love calmly ignored their protests as he slammed the resulting spot-kick straight down the middle, giving keeper Alex Mitchell no chance.
Love, 27, said:“There was nobody else taking that ball off me.
“I just kept saying to myself that I had to score, no matter how the ball went into the back of the net.”