Aberdeen battle past Clyde to reach last 16

Bojan Miovski's first-half goal set Aberdeen on their way

Aberdeen avoided another Scottish Cup giant-killing as they progressed to the last 16 with a comfortable victory over League 2 Clyde.

Barry Robson's men hit the front on 32 minutes through Bojan Miovski's excellent first-time finish.

Nicky Devlin then put the tie to bed after the break, rifling a low shot beyond Jack Leighfield after Dante Polvara played him in on goal.

It could have been more, but Robson and Aberdeen will simply be glad to be in the hat after last season's fourth-round misery.

• Reaction and as it happened

Ian McCall's game-plan was clear from the outset. Clyde sat deep in a rigid defensive structure, looking to hit the visitors on the break when they pinched possession, and almost took the lead in stunning fashion.

Young linked up expertly with Martin Rennie on the edge of the Aberdeen box before seeing his left-footed shot bounce clear off the far post with Kelle Roos stranded.

It was the closest they would come and, having almost taken the lead, they soon found themselves behind. Jamie McGrath, who was superb on the night, dinked a cross to the far post where Miovski calmly stroked home with his left foot.

Aberdeen were not at their best in testing conditions, but Connor Barron kept things ticking over nicely in the heart of midfield, and they doubled their lead 12 minutes into the second half.

The ball fell slightly fortuitously to Polvara in the middle of the park, and he played a perfectly-weighted pass into Devlin's path. The right-back set himself then fired a finish that Miovski would have been proud of into the bottom corner.

Clyde did have chances, the best of which came when Roos dropped a corner into Erik Sula's path, but the home defender fired well over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

Aberdeen could have added to their tally had they been more clinical on the break, but Shayden Morris shot straight at Leighfield, and Luis Lopes' cross was overhit with players queuing up in the middle.

What they said

Clyde manager Ian McCall: "Aberdeen deserved to win, but they didn't create many clear-cut chances. We contained them really well, and had a good couple of chances towards the end of the game to make it 2-1.

"I'm proud of them, they gave everything. It was pleasing, but we're out of the cup. I'm sure our supporters appreciated the level of effort."

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson: "The most important thing in a cup tie is to win the game. We tried to change system and stretch them a wee bit. We did that and got some goals.

"We love him [Miovski] as a boy. He's a perfect example of a player coming over and showing what it takes. We want him to be here as long as we can, but we know others will be interested in him. It's going to need to take something really special for Bojan to leave here."