The Clyde Gateway Stadium
Rutherglen Glencairn Football Club are delighted to announce that they have signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with local urban regeneration company Clyde Gateway to sponsor New Southcroft Park for a 2-year period, effective from Saturday 1st August 2009. As a result, the club's home ground will now be called The Clyde Gateway Stadium for the next 2 seasons. If you would like more information on Clyde Gateway, please look at their website here.
The Clyde Gateway Stadium with the floodlights on. (Picture by Peter Ferguson)
(Pictures below are courtesy of Billy Quigley, Lanark) (unless marked)
Glencairn club president Alex Deacon cuts the ribbon to officially open the new ground, and receives a gift from Clyde FC presented by director John Ruddy.
Provost Russell Clearie MBE JP (Provost of South Lanarkshire Council) decides to do a trial for The Glens before the game, under the watchful eye of Glens president Alex Deacon and Councillor Pam Clearie.
Glencairn's new strip is revealed before the game, modelled by Davie Dickson and Tony Fraser, along with representatives from club sponsors Mitchells Hire Drive and club president Alex Deacon.
Glencairn club officials before the official opening (left to right - Sam Totten (Football Treasurer), Alex Deacon (President), Peter Sinclair (Social Treasurer), Eddie Smith (Social Secretary), Alex Forbes (General Secretary), Brian Marchant (Vice President). Players are club captain Davie Dickson and Tony Fraser.
Tony Fraser fires in the first goal at Glencairn's new home to put The Glens 1-0 ahead.
Another view of the opening goal at the new ground. (Picture by Peter Ferguson)
John Paul Craig starts the move that leads to the penalty for the opening goal.
Ryan McArdle is denied by Clyde goalkeeper David Hutton.
Ryan McArdle battles for possession down the right wing.
The pictures below were taken by committee man Andy Handlin, except for the first one which is obviously Andy himself !
Saturday 19th July 2008 - The official opening of New Southcroft Park
Rutherglen Glencairn 1 Clyde 1 (Report by Peter Ferguson)
Glens captain Tony Fraser scores the first ever goal at New Southcroft Park.
It was a terrific occasion. The sun shone brightly and the crowds came in as the gates to New Southcroft Park were opened to the public for the first time and The Glens came home to play in the Royal Burgh for the first time in 21 months. And it was fitting that our guests for the day were Clyde, returning to play in their original home town of Rutherglen for the first time in 22 years.
After the opening ceremony when Glencairn club president Alex Deacon formally cut the ribbon, the first players to grace the excellent surface at The Glens' new home were introduced to the crowd and took to the field side by side to an excellent welcome from the extremely healthy crowd estimated to be in excess of 600.
I think it's fair to say that most people attending the match had arrived expecting Clyde to be too strong for The Glens, given the difference in status of the two clubs and the relative fitness levels of the two squads. And early in the game it seemed that would be the case.
Glens goalkeeper Brian Brown was called into action in the opening minutes, making a terrific save from a fierce angled drive by Clyde striker Pat Clarke. And Brown had to be on his toes shortly afterwards as he was called on to save from David McGowan as Clyde opened brightly down the slight slope on the new pitch. Glens defender Willie Galloway was also particularly important during this early spell of pressure, calmly leading the younger players around him with his experience and positional sense.
Gradually the home side started to get a foothold in the game, and the early pressure from the SFL side started to diminish as Glens' midfield started to get their foot on the ball. New signings Stephen O'Keane and Brian Imrie were catching the eye for The Glens, and it was Imrie who almost opened up the Clyde defence when he got to the bye-line and drove the ball across the face of the goal, but there were no takers in the middle. Shortly afterwards it was Imrie again who set up Martin Gallagher for a great chance to score, but Clyde goalkeeper David Hutton made an excellent stop, not knowing that Gallagher had been whistled for offside anyway.
It was no surprise, given the flow of the game, that it was The Glens who opened the scoring midway through the first half. John Paul Craig showed great persistence in a battle on the edge of the Clyde penalty area, and when the ball broke free to Stephen O'Keane he was chopped down by Clyde defender Ruari MacLennan, and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. Glens' captain Tony Fraser stepped forward and firmly drove the ball past Hutton to score the historic first ever goal at New Southcroft Park (pictured above).
Clyde were rocked by this and started to pressurise again for a spell, with Chris Higgins heading narrowly wide and Pat Clarke firing over from good positions. But generally the home side held out fairly comfortably till the interval and even threatened to increase their lead when Hutton was forced into a diving save from a rasping shot on the run from Tony Fraser at the end of a lovely passing move from Glencairn.
Half-time : 1-0
Amid the emotion of the occasion, Glens co-manager Willie Patterson hadn't forgotten that this was his side's first pre-season match, and match fitness of all his players was his main target, and not really the result. Consequently, there were four changes made to the Glens team at half-time, which included the introduction of new signings Thomas Hoey, Ryan McArdle and Richie Burke.
The Glens continued to frustrate their illustrious visitors by defending stoutly and competing well in midfield. When Clyde did manage to get in behind Willie Galloway and Chris Paul in central defence, they were met by in-form Brian Brown, who made excellent saves on several occasions.
The Glens' attacks began to get fewer as Clyde's superior fitness began to tell in the second half, and the home side began to sit deeper and deeper. Clyde introduced substitutes Stuart Kettlewell, Billy Gibson and Alan Trouten and the pressure began to build on the home defence even more, but all too often for Clyde the final pass was poor or the efforts on goal were high and wide.
When Brian Brown made an astonishing point blank reaction save from Pat Clarke, the Glens' fans were starting to think that they were going to hold on for a fantastic victory. But Clyde had other ideas and deservedly equalised with five minutes remaining on the clock. Trouten's cross from the left saw Pat Clarke react first to send a flashing header past a helpless Brown to make it 1-1, and it was hard to say that Clyde hadn't deserved at least a draw.
The Glens didn't deserve to lose the game though, and although Clyde pressed for the winner with Ruari MacLennan and Sean Connelly both going close late on, the draw was the correct and fitting outcome to a match played in a wonderful spirit in front of a crowd who enjoyed their afternoon's entertainment in the breezy sunshine.
