Andrew Haulage Senior Men waded on to the pitch at Bain Park at the weekend to take on Southend United for a classic Southland Saturday.
They should have worn gumboots instead of football boots in the muddy conditions.
That was not the only sticky thing about the first half either.
The rain was coming down, the wind was blowing and Clutha conceded four goals to a rampaging Southend counter-attacking machine.
Although the Clutha Shovellers played some nice passing football in patches, they gave the ball away too often without tracking back in great enough numbers, allowing Southend to break and score.
After a damp and chilly break at halftime, the Shovellers went back out and dug in to keep the hosts scoreless for the second half.
On top of this, they looked after the ball and played some lovely football to remain camped in the attacking sector for most of the half.
Despite multiple good chances being created, Balclutha could not quite put it in the net.
They were kept goalless due to a mix of shots missing the target and going straight to the Southend keeper — as well as some great saves.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Rod Deverson — on his goalkeeping debut in the second half — was only tested a couple of times.
However, he kept a clean sheet to stake his claim on the pink jersey permanently going forward.
It was hugely encouraging to see a host of youngsters in the team playing some great football, with Olly Scarth excelling and Ash Simmonds picking up man of the match.
The final result a 4-0 defeat for the Shovellers, but Southend will visit Balclutha in a few weeks to give the home side a chance at redemption.
By Matthew Morahan
