Can Clyde claim another famous cup giant-killing?

Roy Keane’s debut was spoiled by goals from Eddie Malone (right) and Craig BrysonScottish Cup: Clyde v AberdeenVenue: New Douglas Park, Hamilton Date: Friday, 19 January Kick-off: 19:45 GMTCoverage: Watch on BBC Scotland & iPlayer, follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & appScottish Cup shocks and Clyde are synonymous thanks to the Bully Wee’s famous 2006 win over Celtic. However, beating Premiership visitors Aberdeen on Friday would surely surpass that feat.

Clyde’s 2-1 victory at Broadwood Stadium took on greater significance not only because Celtic were leading the top flight at the time, but also because it was Manchester United and Republic of Ireland legend Roy Keane’s debut for Gordon Strachan’s side.

Add in the fact Clyde were in the second tier with a team hastily assembled that summer following open trials – after manager Graham Roberts was left with just two first-team players – and you have all the ingredients of a cup fairytale.

Clyde had two goals controversially disallowed even before Craig Bryson and Eddie Malone completed a deserved win over a team containing such luminaries as Keane, John Hartson, Shaun Maloney, Neil Lennon, Artur Boruc and Shunsuke Nakamura.

Clyde eye new stadium news by summerClyde v Aberdeen & Spartans v Hearts live on BBC TVWith Ian McCall’s current side marooned at the bottom of League 2, few are expecting a repeat against Aberdeen. Not even taking into account the Dons’ own ignominious defeat by sixth-tier Darvel a year ago.

But, as McCall and chairman Gordon Thomson said of Friday night’s tie live on BBC Scotland: “You never know in football.”

Danger of SPFL abyssWin over Aberdeen would be ‘monumental’ – Clyde boss Ian McCallClyde’s very existence, certainly as an SPFL, club, is increasingly under threat. With more than half the season gone, they sit five points adrift and are in serious danger of a second relegation in a row.

McCall is the third manager this season to be given the opportunity to turn the ship around. Eight players have exited and three been brought in by the former Partick Thistle and Dundee United boss – and money earned from Friday’s game, plus the potential of a replay or progress to the fifth round, will allow further additions.

“The place was a bit of a mess,” McCall said. “It needs changed and I’m trying to do that.

“I genuinely don’t want to see Clyde falling out of the league and that was a big part of the reason I took the job.

“It’s not been easy. It’s hard to attract the kind of players I want. We certainly need some more.”

The additions have already helped and McCall says Clyde’s “league form is starting to turn”, with the team having gone two consecutive games without defeat for the first time this season.

“To preserve Clyde’s status in the league’s the number one aim, but it’s a great distraction,” McCall said of the cup tie.

Having signed current Aberdeen boss Barry Robson for £50,000 at United before the then midfielder was sold for more than £1m to Celtic, and helped Dons centre-half Nicky Devlin develop from part-time football with Ayr United, McCall is well aware of the quality the visitors bring.

“The downside for me is that Aberdeen last year had a terrible result against Darvel and that’s quite an easy thing for Barry to use, so I don’t think they will be underestimating us,” he added.

Bully Wee’s steady declineClyde are hoping for heroes to emulate Eddie Malone and Craig Bryson (top)The downsides for Clyde have kept coming since that win over Celtic – potentially the last hurrah on the big stage for a club who have lifted the Scottish Cup three times.

Despite that last famous win in front of a live TV audience, they could only finish the season fifth in the First Division – and have never surpassed that since.

Promotion back to League 1 in 2018 proved to be a false dawn and they were relegated again last season after the fan-owned “nomads”, who lost their Shawfield home in the east end of Glasgow when the greyhound stadium was put up for sale in 1986, became homeless for a second time two years ago.

A tetchy relationship with Broadwood owner North Lanarkshire Council became a broken one after Clyde’s aborted attempt to re-sign David Goodwillie, the former Scotland striker who was ruled to be a rapist in a 2017 civil case but whose goalscoring exploits over five seasons had been instrumental in that mini revival.

Thomson admits “it is critically important for the future of the club” that they find a new home as continuing to groundshare with Hamilton Academical is “absolutely not” sustainable longer term.

He hopes to have “positive news” about earmarking an alternative new home by the start of next season, but avoiding a relegation that would “change the club completely” is the priority and the money generated from Friday’s game is “obviously important” to that.

“We’ve got a proud history in the Scottish Cup and hopefully Friday will give us some more good memories. We’ve caused upsets in the past, so there’s no reason why we can’t do it again,” Clyde’s chairman said.

Clyde might never again be the kind of club that was the breeding ground for Scotland internationals such as Pat Nevin and Stevie Archibald. However, finding a giant-killing hero on Friday to follow in the footsteps of Malone and Bryson would be a great start.

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