Mitchell and Hinds' sight of goals fails to spoil party

Livingston 0 Clyde 2 After being confirmed as First Division champions last week, it was party time in Livingston yesterday.

Eight thousand supporters, many of then schoolchildren, crammed into Almondvale - a compact, modern stadium that will grace the SPL next season - to create an atmosphere not unlike that of the modern Hampden on international days.

And nothing could extinguish the party spirit - neither the home defeat, nor the dirge that is the new club anthem, also unveiled yesterday.

With nothing at stake for either side this game always threatened to turn into a good-natured affair. As a contest it had as much edge as the ball, and the men in charge at each club Dominic Keane, of the champions, and Ronnie MacDonald, of the visitors contributed to the feel-good factor with pre-match presentations.

As two of the more progressive clubs in Scotland, they can perhaps afford to indulge in some mutual back-slapping without feeling guilty. Livingston, obviously, but also Clyde, who have reason to celebrate their fifth place finish in their first season back in the First Division.

One fan's remark that this amounted to little more than a friendly seemed to be taken to heart by the Livingston players, though they might have been concerned by Keane's comments that eight new players may come in over the summer.

It was easy viewing, but it doesn't take much to rile football fans, and the air of indifference was replaced by frustration soon after Jamie Mitchell fired in a cracking goal from 25 yards, after a fantastic turn, to give Clyde a deserved lead.

Mitchell's strike brought a number of home fans to their feet, but goal number two was not similarly appreciated. That, too, was a fantastic effort, this time from Leigh Hinds, and there was another bitter twist in when Derek Fleming was sent off. Clyde's win wasn't really the done thing, but for the champions it became a fading memory at full time. Out came the trophy, then the players and their kids to parade the pitch. Thankfully, there was no further rendition of the new club anthem.

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