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 gloomy middle of winter there are rays of sunshine for Clyde. They were not offered on Saturday by the dark sky spitting an angry rain, but by words and actions.

The latest came on the park as the Bully Wee won a crucial three points against fellow strugglers Forfar to rise to the dizzy heights of eighth place in League Two. The hatch to a lower competition is therefore a bit further away, at least for the time being.

The words came from club director Graeme Kelly. “I think the crowdfunder will probably be closed,” he said before the match, as fans gathered for a pint in the heart of the stadium.

The fundraiser was launched to address a cash shortage. The aim was to raise £55,000, of which £47,000 had been donated by the time Kelly spoke. “The crowdfunder is a success, but it looks like a sponsor will come in after Christmas,” he continued.

“It hasn’t been fully signed yet, but we are very hopeful that it will go through. It looks a little safer. I would describe it as a pretty substantial amount of money to help us.”

There were fears that Clyde were heading for administration and therefore an almost certain play-off to decide their league status. It appears that financial disaster and subsequent impact on the scoring have been avoided.

However, Kelly addressed the dark cloud that still hangs over the club. Clyde has no permanent home. After more than two years of negotiations with Glasgow City Council, the club is no closer to finding its own base.

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

It was a devastating blow to Clyde. The directors believed that negotiations had progressed well and that a decision in the club’s favor was imminent.

“We need a base in Glasgow,” said Kelly, surrounded by fans in a bar at Bully Wee’s home of Hamilton Academical.

A permanent home would breathe new life into the club. It would give Clyde control over sponsorship and hospitality. Crucially, however, it would provide a direct link to a Glasgow community and also facilitate the management of underage teams.

“We are dealing with players who are injured and in the middle of the week at Elgin you saw the difference,” Kelly said. ‘They were able to bring in two 20-year-olds from their development side. We couldn’t fill a bench.’

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

“We’ve had five managers in three years and that has to change,” he admitted. “We need stability and a permanent home would be crucial.”

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

“We’re back to square one,” he said. ‘It was a year of hard work and we got nothing out of it.

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

He is 29 and has had a season ticket since 1999. “I’m a third-generation Clyde fan, after my grandfather and father,” he said. This legacy has imbued him with a deep passion. “I care a lot about my club,” he said.

A passing fan asked him if he was optimistic about finding a new home. Hunter responded, “I have to be optimistic and ambitious. I can’t wake up every day thinking we’re going to die a slow death in someone else’s home.”

THE atmosphere at the surrounding tables in the bar on Hamilton’s premises was defiantly lively. There was Leo Watson, 19, who traveled to Elgin on the service bus during the week, saw his side lose, took the bus to Inverness to stay in a hotel before heading home the next day.

“You can’t beat it,” he said. “It wasn’t the result I wanted, but you have to follow your team.”

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

‘The 1958 cup final was my second Clyde match. The semi-final was the first,” said Dougie Morton. Memories of the 1-0 win over Hibernian in the final at Hampden are vivid. ‘Yes, I went there by bus with my father. I was about eight years old and I stood on that huge terrace and there were 95,000 of them. I remember our goal was a bit sloppy and Joe Baker had one cleared for Hibs. But I remember how happy I was when I went home.’

However, he admitted that the upcoming games could be among the most important in Clyde history. “If we were to be relegated to the Lowland League, who knows what could happen,” he said. ‘That would be such a big unknown. But I would still be here. It’s ingrained in me.’

His cousin, Stevie Morton, continues the family bond with Clyde and brings along his son Ross. “I’m 65 and I’ve been coming since I was a little boy,” he said. “My first season was 1965.”

He is a trustee of the Clyde Community Foundation and is working with the board on a new home. He admitted: “My fear is that we are in a constant downward spiral.

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

There was cautious optimism among Stewart Parker and George McCluckie, who sat at a nearby table. “We live in hope,” Parker said. ‘These are difficult times, but the financial matters seem to have been settled for the time being. The results on the park are now crucial.’

McCluckie said: “I’ve been following Clyde since 1978 when I was just 13. I’m still here. Yes, we have to find a house. But I’m optimistic. You have to believe. I’m the kind of person who always says, “Oh well, we’re going to win today.”’

He is right on that last point. Darren Young, Clyde’s manager, pointed out after the match that this 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 background in League Two, having won the title twice as a manager, with Albion Rovers and Stirling Albion, and once as a player. This makes him resilient in the face of challenging realities. ‘We have eight injured players and we only had three outfield players on the bench. There are boys playing who are not completely fit.’

He is and was focused on football, despite the crowdfunder and the inability to secure a new home. “I worry about the things that happen on the field,” he said.

He could be satisfied with that aspect on Saturday evening. But as the fans drifted off into a night of driving rain and December cold, they were the words of a veteran fan who had the ability to warm up.

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

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

“I’m a little worried right now because we really need our own land,” he said. But he cleared up immediately. ‘But you have to be loyal. You just keep going. “Clyde isn’t just for Christmas, it’s for life.”