On The Road: Optimism abounds as Bully Wee fans rally behind their beloved Clyde in their hour of need

CLYDE 2 FORFAR ATHLETIC 0

In the bleak midwinter, there are rays of sunshine for Clyde. They were not offered on Saturday by the dark skies that spat a wicked rain, but by words and deeds.

The latter came on the park as the Bully Wee won a crucial three points against fellow strugglers Forfar to move to the dizzying heights of eighth in League Two. The trapdoor to a lower league is thus that bit further away, at least for now.

The words came from club director Graeme Kelly. ‘I think the crowdfunder will likely be closed,’ he said pre-match, as fans gathered in the heart of the stadium for a pint.

The fundraiser was launched to meet a monetary shortfall. It aimed to raise £55,000, with £47,000 donated by the time Kelly spoke. ‘The crowdfunder has been a success, but it looks as if we have a sponsor coming in after Christmas,’ he continued.

‘It is not quite signed yet, but we have really strong hopes of it going through. Things are looking a bit more secure. I would describe it as a fairly substantial amount to tide us over.’

Clyde director Graeme Kelly reported good news on the club’s financial future

Martin Rennie takes the acclaim of his team-mates after scoring Clyde’s second

There had been fears that Clyde could have been heading for administration and therefore an almost certain play-off to decide their league status. It looks as if that financial calamity and the subsequent impact on the points tally have been avoided.

Kelly, though, addressed the dark cloud that is still hanging over the club. Clyde does not have a permanent home. After more than two years of negotiating with Glasgow City Council, the club is no nearer to finding its own base.

One year ago, the option of Crownpoint in Glasgow’s East End was looking very good until it went to amateurs Finnart. Only this month, the second option of a site at Haghill was denied the club, after the council decided to retain it for confidential reasons.

It was a devastating blow to Clyde. Directors believed that negotiations had been progressing well and a decision in the club’s favour was imminent.

‘We need a base in Glasgow,’ said Kelly, surrounded by fans in a bar in the home of Hamilton Academical, the Bully Wee’s lodgings.

A permanent home would revitalise the club. It would give Clyde control over sponsorship and hospitality. Crucially, though, it would provide a direct link to a Glasgow community and also facilitate the running of under-age teams.

‘We are struggling with players out injured and up at Elgin in midweek you saw the difference,’ said Kelly. ‘They were able to bring on two 20-year-olds from their development sides. We could not fill a bench.’

The Bully Wee pile on the pressure in search of another as they moved clear of their visitors

Kelly, who was brought up watching Craig Brown’s fine Clyde side, with Steve Archibald as his favourite Bully Wee player, is not clouded by the lure of nostalgia. He is clear about what his team needs in the here and now.

‘We have had five managers in three years and that has to change,’ he admitted. ‘We need stability and a permanent home would be pivotal in that.’

The task of achieving that aim is led for the board by director Davie Hunter, whose disappointment was obvious as he reflected on the Haghill decision.

‘We are back at square one,’ he said. ‘It was a year of hard work and we have got nothing out of it.

‘We have to dust ourselves down and continue to look for a new home. It’s now a position of reassessment. We have to assess all options. That is a very vague answer, but that is where we are.’

At 29, he has had a season ticket since 1999. ‘I’m a third generation Clyde fan, following my grandfather and father,’ he said. This legacy has imbued him with a profound passion. ‘I care deeply about my club,’ he said.

A passing fan asked him if he was optimistic about finding a new home. Hunter replied: ‘I have to be optimistic and ambitious. I can’t get up every day thinking we are going to die a slow death at somebody else’s home.’

Clyde boss Darren Young has won the League Two title twice before with other clubs

THE atmosphere at the surrounding tables in the bar at Hamilton’s ground was defiantly vibrant. There was Leo Watson, 19, who travelled by service bus to Elgin in midweek, watched his side lose, took a bus to Inverness to stay in a hotel, before heading home the next day.

‘You can’t beat it,’ he said. ‘It was not the result I wanted but you have to follow your team.’

This has been the mantra of many in the room, most of a rather more mature vintage than the teenager.

‘The 1958 cup final was my second Clyde game. The semi-final was the first,’ said Dougie Morton. Memories of beating Hibernian 1-0 in the final at Hampden are vivid. ‘Aye, I went there on the bus with my dad. I was about eight and I stood on that vast terracing and there were 95,000 there. I recall that our goal was a bit scrappy and Joe Baker had one chalked off for Hibs. But I recall how happy I was going home.’

He conceded, though, that the upcoming fixtures could be among the most important in Clyde’s history. ‘If we were to get relegated to the Lowland League, who knows what could happen,’ he said. ‘That would be such a great unknown. But I would still be here. It is ingrained in me.’

His nephew, Stevie Morton, continues the family link with Clyde, bringing along his son, Ross. ‘I’m 65 and have been coming since I was a wee boy,’ he said. ‘My first season was 1965.’

The Morton family, including Dougie, nephew Steven and his son Ross, ahead of the game

He is a trustee on the Clyde Community Foundation that is working with the board to source a new home. He admitted: ‘My fears are that we are in a constant downward spiral.

‘We have to fight on but the decisions on Crownpoint and now Haghill leave a bitter taste.’

There was cautious optimism from Stewart Parker and George McCluckie, sitting at a nearby table. ‘We live in hope,’ said Parker. ‘These are tough times but the financial stuff seems sorted for now. Results on the park are critical now.’

McCluckie said: ‘I have been following Clyde since 1978 when I was just 13. I am still here. Yes, we need to find a home. But I am optimistic. You have to believe. I am the sort of person who always says: “Ach, we are going to win today”.’

He is right on the latter point. Darren Young, the Clyde manager, pointed out after the match that it was far from the best performance he has seen from his side. ‘But we found a way to win,’ he said.

Young has an impressive pedigree in League Two, winning the title twice as a manager, with Albion Rovers and Stirling Albion, and once as a player. This leaves him resilient in the face of challenging reality. ‘We have eight guys out injured and we had only three outfield players on the bench. We have guys playing who are not quite fit.’

He is and was focused on the football despite the crowdfunder and the failure to secure a new home. ‘I worry about the things happening on the pitch,’ he said.

Clyde have been playing at Hamilton’s New Douglas Park since leaving Broadwood Stadium

He could be satisfied with that aspect on Saturday night. But as fans drifted off into a night of driving rain and December chill, it was the words of a veteran fan that had the capacity to warm.

‘I have been coming to watch Clyde since 1965 when I was 12,’ said Richard Whiteside. His greatest memory is of the 1966-67 team, a part-time outfit who finished third in the league. The Bully Wee were only bested by champions Celtic, who won the European Cup that year, and runners-up Rangers, who lost in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup that season.

‘Harry Hood,’ he replied without hesitation when asked to name his favourite player. ‘I have seen a lot of good players. And a lot of bad ones,’ he added.

‘I am a wee bit worried at the moment because we really need our own ground,’ he said. But he instantly brightened. ‘But you have to be loyal. You just keep going on. Clyde is not just for Christmas, it’s for life.’