Clyde hadn't won a game by this margin all season and this was only their second clean sheet of 2008. Easy to see then, why they were in danger of facing play-offs to survive in the first division. The best result of their campaign was not sufficient to avoid that fate.

It was a straightforward task: get a better result than Morton could against Partick Thistle.

But Clyde could only match Morton's 3-0 win and were behind from the start of the day's play to the end, one less goal conceded proving the difference between eighth place in the league and ninth.

Gary McSwegan and Pat Clarke, with goals either side of half-time, gave Clyde hope, quickly extinguished on both occasions with news Morton were two, then three up at Firhill. Clyde spent most of the second half creating and wasting chances, prompting some magnificent swearing from supporters unenamoured with the prospect of watching their team in two to four more games, having already witnessed 35 and a bit dire displays.

Clarke had made it 3-0 with seven minutes left. One more goal to stay up. Or a goal from Thistle to postpone punishment, by means of a play-off against Morton to decide who would then play-off against the second division sides.

The biggest cheer of the day arrived when news came in that Thistle had done their rivals that favour at Firhill . . . the news was false, planted perhaps by a malevolent Jag. Full-time and while there were dark mutterings from some of certain teams "lying down" to harm Clyde, most accepted that their team had not been good enough.

"We had a bit of mixed emotions, but I think we can take a lot of positives from the game," said McSwegan, who won promotion in a play-off with Dundee United against Partick Thistle in 1996. "We did the job we were required to do, but it wasn't to be. Fair play to Morton, two 3-0 victories in the last two games of the season is a great way to end your season.

"I think one of the radio boys started a wicked rumour about Thistle scoring. There's a tv just inside the tunnel, so the boys were going in and out and we sort of knew it wasn't true from that, but we also heard the cheers, however they started. It added to the excitement for the neutral, I suppose, but it didn't do us any favours."

Now Clyde meet former manager Allan Maitland and his Alloa team on their plastic pitch. John Brown, the Clyde manager, has homework to do ahead of Wednesday's game. Asked what he knew about Alloa, he replied: "They're in Stirling, aren't they?"