Football Season Guide

Clyde manager Danny Lennon has specialised in getting the most out of squads that do not look like they should be able to cope at their level. Clyde appeared to have the poorest team on paper in League One last season and, while they struggled for periods of the season, they finished eighth in the standings. Somehow they defied the loss of David Goodwillie, who carried them for years, to achieve a third survival in succession. They approach this season with that same thing in mind. Once again there has been a huge overhaul in the playing staff. As many as 15 players have left the club – just about the whole playing staff – and yet not a single one has gone to team that finished in a stronger position than the Bully Wee last season. That highlights how weak they were individually. Similarly, the signings they have made are uninspiring. Again they represent a rather disparate group of players. Easily the most notable are Peter Grant and Brian McLean, who will likely form the spine of the defence and should do so capable. Otherwise, they have typically pulled players from League Two, the Lowland League or even lower. It means that many of thee players are simply unknown quantities at this level. Ray Grant is one player that Clyde fans are expected to see back, and he has been joined by fellow recruit from Stirling Albion Kurtis Roberts. The pair did not dovetail well in League Two, and there is little reason to suggest they will fare any better a step up. Indeed, it is perhaps no coincidence that Clyde’s first positive result in the League Cup came when both were benched. Indeed, Clyde fared worryingly in that competition. They were blown away by Hibs, losing five first-half goals, and then beaten at home by Bonnyrigg before surprising Morton, reprising one of Lennon’s party pieces – beating teams at home that they should have no right to.