VENUE #68 CLYDE Broadwood Stadium

LADBROKES LEAGUE 2

14th November 2015

@ Broadwood Stadium

Ground Cap:  8,029 (All seated)

Kick Off: 15:00

Entry Fee:  £12

Programme:  £2.50

                                                                  Ground #68

CLYDE ... 4             ELGIN CITY ... 2



      A six goal thriller at Broadwood that had everything but the kitchen sink that made a cold November afternoon seem quite pleasant

for the neutrals like myself that came along to see what Clyde FC were all about and there were quite a few of us.
     The first goal came as soon as the second minute when a free kick from the left from Michael Bolochoweckyj had the Elgin defence and goalkeeper ball watching, John-Paul McGovern came charging into the Elgin six yard box for an easy tap in.
     In the twelfth minute Elgin were level when Craig Gunn received the ball in the Clyde six yard box and moving away from the goal was bizarrely brought down by John Gibson the Clyde keeper.  Referee Stephen Finney awarded a penalty which Gunn dispatched himself giving Gibson no chance.
    

Eleven minutes later and the referee went for the  Mr. popularity award giving Gunn another chance to convert from the spot judging that Chris Smith had deliberately handled the ball in the area.  With an irate home support baying for the officials blood a calm Gunn blasted the highlanders into the lead in almost an identical fashion to the first penalty.
     Clyde showed their resilience and in the 27th minute equalised their selves when the ball dropped for Scott Ferguson in the centre of the Elgin penalty area and he sent the home fans wild crashing the ball into the back of the net.
     Half time came and gave everybody chance to catch their breath and visit the footy

foods kiosk on ground level.  The Scotch pie was most excellent in fact so good I queued up to get myself another one before going back to my seat, I washed them down with a large cup of hot chocolate which was just the right temperature unlike most grounds who desire to take the roof of your mouth off with their hot drinks.  Gold star for the footy foods staff for a wonderful half time feast.
     The second half began and it didn't take long before the goals started to come along again just five minutes into the half and Clyde broke down an Elgin attack in the centre of the pitch and a long ball into the Black and Whites box found David Gormley who knocked the ball to the side of the Elgin keeper and turned sharply to lash the ball into the empty net.
    

Elgin didn't give up and came back at the Bully Wee looking to level the tie for a third time and in the 81st minute the home faithful became very jittery when Chris Mitchell committed his second bad challenge of the afternoon and received another yellow card followed by a red to reduce the home side to ten men.
     But the loyal home support needn't have worried as six minutes later Clyde broke from the left through David Gormley who found my home team man of the match Scott Linton who hit the sweetest volley from about twelve yards past a stranded Mark Hurst to make it 4-2 and game over.              

     Broadwood Stadium is only a 15 minute walk away from Croy railway station in Cumbernauld.

As you come out of the station onto the B802 road turn right and walk straight ahead past a set of traffic lights and a roundabout until you reach another roundabout and keeping to the right hand side follow the road round to the right onto Smithstone road.  You will see a housing estate ahead of you and take the first turning left into Craiglinn and follow the road all the way down to the bottom and take the walkway leading to a main road the B8048.  Turn left and then first right onto another walkway with green fields to the left and a small factory with car park to the right, this path leads to Ardgoil drive where you turn right and follow the road all the way down and the ground is right in front of you.

 

 The Broadwood has been open for twenty years now, Clyde moved here after leaving their previous home the Shawfield Stadium where they played their football for around 95 years.  Its another one of those three sided stadiums with the North side housing a leisure centre  which seems a little pointless to me OK they may never fill the stadium unless they play Celtic or Rangers in a cup semi-final there but it just feels as though the space is wasted.

     The Main stand runs along the East side of the pitch it's fully covered and slightly bigger on oneside than the other two stands.  Away supporters are allocated the right hand third of the stand as you look at it.  The toilets on the ground floor by the footy foods stall are looking old and tired but were heated and it almost made you want to stop in there away from the bitter cold in the stands.

 

   The West stand is obviously on the opposite side of the pitch to the East and is also fully covered and single tiered.  The ground is an all seated stadium.  The seats are red with some painted white to spell out the words CLYDE - OK.

     On the opposite end to the North side leisure centre is the South stand and as the other two standsit is fully covered, single tiered and all seated.  The West and North stands weren't used for this match which is a good thing really as the seats looked in an appalling state with many being broken and as a result a danger to the public.  Seeing that the ground is only twenty years old it seems to of had a lot of wear and tear and could do with a good facelift.





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