A superb balmy February afternoon at Gayfield, perfect or football. With a decent showing of away fans the crowd was bigger than of late and boosted by large drunken (wedding?) party of Lichtie `fans' who brought some life and atmosphere to the terraces.
Arbroath's new-look side included McLaughlin, Moyes and Booth at the back with Rattray, Nimmo with Gibson McLean and Lunan in the middle and Scott and Doris up front. It was strange to see both Flyer and Steven Rennie as subs - a sign of changed times
Arbroath started well. Scott's run and cross in the first minute almost found a taker. We continued to look hungry and press forward for much of the half. A headed corner was held by the keeper on the line, then from another corner, one of two Clyde defenders on the line clearl handled the ball to stop it going over. Neither ref nor linesman saw it - we thought our recent luck was continuing, especially when Bryan Scott went down badly and was stretchered off to be replaced by Jackson
Arb
roath continued to threaten occasionally but created no clear-cut chances. After halftime, Clyde began to impose themselves and much of the play was in our own half with several chances not converted or saved by Hill saves. Occasionally we broke out but our play seemed disjointed and ragged
As the game wore on Clyde looked likelier to score. But on a rare foray in their half, we won a free kick 25 metres out. We had been rather wasteful of corners, but this time Maclean floated in a peach of a ball for Robbie Ross (on for 14 minutes after replacing Nimmo) to attack and head powerfully past the Clyde keeper. Great breakthrough then we kept their corner out
Ross had a chance a minute later when sent clear but a speedy Clyde defender got back fast enough to block. The closing stages were nervy but we managed more possession in the Clyde half. On 90 minutes Andy Jackson was put through but his strike was blocked by the keeper (and he was injured) - with the Clyde defence pulled 
apart, Lunan passed to Ross outside the box who fed Doris who - from about 25 yards - smashed a screamer of a shot on the run past the Clyde keeper.
The ref blew the whistle almost immediately. We had won! and at Gayfield - barely believable, almost historic, certainly a great relief