A DOUBLE from Michael Ruth and a long-distance drive from Aidan Connolly gave Queen’s Park the Glasgow Cup spoils against rivals Clyde.
The Spiders went down in the corresponding fixture last season but there was no question of a repeat with some clinical finishing from Sean Crighton’s number 9.
The visitors started on the front foot and after five minutes of attacks, Carlo Pignatiello’s left-footed strike curled just over.
In response, Clyde went forward with their first attack and ex-Spider Timam Scott, signed by Clyde from East Kilbride just hours before kick-off, had a header tipped over by Milosz SLiwinski.
It was tit-for-tat until 20 minutes when another strike from Carlo, low with his left after Jack Hamilton’s knock-down, was well held low by Jay Hogarth.
Hogarth made a brilliant stop five minutes later when Jack Hamilton’s near-post run met Louis Longridge’s corner perfectly, but the keeper pushed it over one-handed.
The Spiders kept the pressure up and didn’t let the Bully Wee across halfway again before they’d scored.
The corner was aimed at Matty Shiels but knocked out to Magnus MacKenzie. He helped it back in via Ollie Fisher’s glancing. Michael Ruth cotrolled the awkwardly bouncing ball, brought it down with his right and steered a left-foot volley just inside the post and out of Hogarth’s reach. Slow-moving but all about the placement.
His second, on the half-hour, was sharp.
He nipped in on a slack backpass from Sam Campbell after Jack Hamilton had flicked on Milosz Sliwinski’s kick out. Ruth raced in onto the loose ball and tucked it under Hogarth.
The Spiders had been slow to find their rhythm but they finished high in confidence.
A brilliant ball in from Mackenzie had three possible takers lining up to have a go and Jack Hamilton seized the chance but screwed his shot just wide.
Sean Crighton opted against any changes at the interval, and saved them for the hour mark. By then his side were 3-0 ahead, and another substitution forced.
Taking no chances the Spiders boss replaced Matty Shiels after he went down ten minutes into the second half.
Moments later Aidan Connolly lofted a brilliant strike into the corner of the net from all of 25 yards. It was well deserved for an energetic performance from the Spiders midfielder.
He may have had another with 20 minutes to play when he rushed in at the backpost to a clever clipped cross from Nikolay Todorov – but Callum Smith in front of him headed in instead, but was flagged offside.
Smith and Todorov had been among the subs on the hour-mark, along with Ross McLean as Crighton made changes to midfield and attack, but kept the comfortable back pairing of Darryl Carrick and Oliver Fisher intact.
Carlo Pignatiello was replaced by Kyle Rodger for the final 15 minutes and with exactly ten to play the Bully Wee pulled one back with Logan Dunachie ghosting in at the backpost.
It wasn’t enough to change the nature of the game though – even with Callum Smith being denied another goal by the linesman’s flag.
