Paul Hartley was left to lament Cove Rangers shooting themselves in the foot as their winless run extended to five games.
The manner of the defeat was hard to take, not only because of Mark Lamont’s stoppage-time winner, but also due to the self-inflicted nature of the goals.
Mitch Megginson, on his return to the side, had delivered two well-taken finishes, in between two David Goodwillie spot-kicks.
It was the cheapness of those penalties that most irked Hartley, with Cove enduring a spell they have not faced in their recent history.
The Cove boss said: “I’m bitterly disappointed. We shot ourselves in the foot.
“We gave away two penalties and, the last goal, we just didn’t defend well.
“We didn’t have enough desire to get out and block the shot. We’re giving away some bad goals.
“We seem to have a little pattern. We come in at half-time doing fine and we say the opposition will come out, you have to make sure you start well.
“We gave away two soft penalties because we don’t do the basics well.
“We dive in, go to ground, against an experienced striker in David Goodwillie, who’s one of the best in the league. As soon as you go to ground, you give yourself a problem.
“It’s our mistakes, that’s the problem. It’s a totally different ball-game this league. It’s not like it was last year. You’ve got to be on your mettle every game.
“It’s not quite good enough at this moment in time. We’ve got to manage the game better and do the basics as a team.”
Goodwillie had Clyde in front after 12 minutes, gliding across the penalty area and being caught by Connor Scully. The visiting skipper tucked away his first penalty with ease.
Megginson dug a way back into the game for his side. They had greatly missed his presence and goalscoring threat in the last two games, which he missed through a hamstring injury.
His first came on 27 minutes, where he drove at goal from the left side and fired past David Mitchell at his near post.
The second came five minutes later and was taken with aplomb. Seb Ross, handed his first league start by Hartley, teed Megginson up 20 yards from goal. He cleared his feet and produced a sumptuous finish into the top corner past a stationary Mitchell.
The lead they held at half-time was a relatively comfortable one. Despite the high winds, they were seeming to control the conditions and the tempo of the game.
Ten minutes into the second period the visitors dragged themselves level again, however.
Goodwillie was central to it, winning a second penalty for a foul by Ryan Strachan, before beating Stuart McKenzie again from 12 yards.
The visitors now had their tails up and were more of a threat, despite the worsening conditions. Cove, meanwhile, were not forcing Mitchell into any meaningful saves.
Hartley’s side were close to scrambling in a third when Connor Scully’s cross cannoned off the post and rebounded into a melee of players. However, a foul on Mitchell was instead given by referee David Dickinson.
A late rally from the hosts renewed hopes of a winner, with Strachan and Jamie Masson having shots blocked at point-blank range, before Lamont delivered the knockout blow with his fine strike.
It is now five games without a win for Cove, which is casting a shadow on their impressive start to life in League One.
Any aspirations of ascending stress-free through the division must now be cast aside – this is a battle they have not been used to fighting.
No stone will be left unturned to rectify the blip, but it must be stopped before it spirals into a full-blown crisis.
“We had a good start, but we’ve been patchy,” added Hartley. “We’ve given away three penalties in the last three games. Three goals have also come from distance where we’ve not pressed the ball enough, which is a concern.
“You’ve got to have a bit of honesty from the players. Can they do better? Of course they can.
“I think we all look at ourselves as a staff and the players have to say what can I do better? How can I help the team?
“You’ve got to stand up and be counted. We’re going through a tough period – this hasn’t happened in Cove’s recent history. People have got to realise it quickly, as we don’t want to get involved in a battle at the bottom end of the table.”