Shipyard were once again on the wrong end of a controversial and ultimately match winning decision as the referee somehow missed a glaringly obvious offside, allowing Lucas Dobson to run through unchallenged and slot the ball beyond Kacper Okupnik with 79 minutes on the clock. As they say, “It wasn’t even close.” Unfortunately, such was the Shippy players anger at the decision, that Ethan Bauld was sent off for something he said. Prior to this it had been an evenly contested match as despite Shippy being the more dominant team in the first half it was the students who led at half-time thanks to a back post header from captain James Farrell following a 36th minute corner. The second period saw Stirling more on the ascendency, however, this time the roles were reversed as Shipyard scored against the run of play with Shippy captain Mikey Gibb equalising in the 65th minute. Gibby latched onto a long ball, lobbed advancing keeper Alex Sutherland and headed the ball into the empty net.
There was a debut for Stuart Forster who arrived from Bo’ness Athletic during the week, though he had played for Shipyard as a trialist earlier in the season. Innes Marr also made his debut from the bench, following his arrival from Lochgelly Albert. There was also a rare appearance from Ben Anthony.
New boy Forster was involved in the action as early as the 6th minute as he ran at the hosts defence, but he was unable to beat Sutherland with his shot. Darrell Anthony then headed over from a corner and from another set piece Dan McBay hit the side netting with his attempt. There was a scare for Shippy in the 25th minute when a free kick was missed by the defence, however, they were able to regroup and clear the danger. More good work in the 27th minute from Forster set up a chance for Jordan Hunter but he was denied by a good save from Sutherland. Stirling took the lead in the 36th minute when the Shippy defence failed to deal with a floated corner and Farrell’s looping header found the back of the net. Shipyard still maintained their dominance despite falling behind and Hunter just failed to get on the end of a Forster cross. The diminutive Forster was involved in everything as he linked with McBay to set up Jordan Galloway whose strike was saved. Forster dragged a shot wide in what was the last action of the first half.
Okupnik saved low down at his near post in the 48th minute before he saw his side equalise in the 65th minute. A long ball from McBay saw Gibb outpace the Stirling defence and Shippy’s top scorer showed great composure as he netted the leveller as described previously. The Students saw a free-kick attempt come back off the bar as they looked to regain the lead, then Shipyard substitute Cammy Bell saw his fierce net bound strike pushed round the post though remarkably a goal kick was awarded. We then had that controversial goal awarded despite Shipyard protestations that Dobson was clearly offside, however, the referee was adamant that someone, goodness knows who, played him onside. Bauld was sent off for his legitimate complaints. Okupnik pulled off a good save with his legs in the dying moments of the game but Shippy were unable to create another opportunity to grab a draw, which would have been the least they deserved. Manager Lee Richardson said after the match “You can’t legislate for decisions like that. I felt we never got much the whole game, however, it’s hard to deal with these kind of things and I have sympathy for my players and their frustrations. I thought Stuart had an excellent game tonight was unlucky on several occasions.”
Next Saturday we travel to Blairwood Park to face Oakley United for another vital league match. Kick off is at 2.30pm.
Stirling University: A. Sutherland; T. Martin (J. Mitchell 92’); J. Wyles; J. Farrell; O. Hunter; C. Myles; R. Munro; R. Mann (E. Spatz 63’); A. Leese (D. Paterson 81’); L. Dobson (R. Robinson 92’); B. Craig-Hislop (J. McCann 81’).
Burntisland Shipyard: K. Okupnik; D. Brockie (I. Marr 66’); E. Jowitt (C. Bell 63’); E. Bauld; M. James; D. McBay; S. Forster; D. Anthony (K. Beard 89’); M. Gibb; J. Galloway (B. Anthony 63’); J. Hunter (B. Kerr 89’). Unused Subs: K. Ritchie & K. Crielly.
For the second time this season the Shipyard were knocked out of a cup competition by Livingston United. Shippy went down 2-1 to Livi in the first game of the campaign at Station Park and on Saturday the visitors ran out deserved winners as they recorded a 3-2 win at Recreation Park. The bulk of the damage was done in the first half as goals in the 19th and 29th minutes had Livingston two ahead at the break. Although Shippy got back into the match early in the second half through Michael Gibb, a third goal was conceded shortly after and despite Mark James reducing the arrears again, Shipyard were not able to at least take the match to extra time. The Shippy team showed two changes from last week’s win over Coldstream with Ethan Bauld and Darrell Anthony replacing Matty Robertson and Blair Kerr.
An excellent cross in the 8th minute from Elliot Jowitt caused panic in the box and Livi were relieved to see the ball get deflected behind for a fruitless corner. The visitors then went close when Matthew Sampson headed over from a good position. Billy Dunlop then drove over as Livi looked to make the breakthrough. Livingston took the lead in the 19th minute when a free kick from wide on the lefthand side found its way into the net though it was difficult to see if anyone got a touch with the goal awarded to Grant MacDonald. Captain Iain Millar limped off in the 28th minute to be replaced by James. United doubled their lead in the 29th minute when a free kick was headed on and Ross Guy was on hand to head the ball beyond Kacper Okupnik. Gibb had a shot saved in the 32nd minute as Shipyard struggled to make in impact on the game.
Shippy made a flying start to the second half as Galloway saw his strike parried before Gibby pulled a goal back in the 49th minute. His initial attempt was blocked; however, he regained the ball and despatched it into the net from the edge of the box. Ryan Mahood was off target in the 54th minute, but his team did not have to wait long to score again as Guy got his second of the match. Despite being grounded he was still able to get his shot away and it beat Okupnik to find the net. Anthony saw his header hit the post before the danger was cleared in the 61st minute. Shippy got back into the match once again through a James header as he beat keeper Steven Clark to the ball and looped it over him and into the net. There were still twenty minutes left with everything to play for. That being said, there was very little in the way of goalmouth action until the 92nd minute when Okupnik was at full stretch to tip a dipping shot over the bar at the expense of a corner.
We are not back in action until a week on Friday (14/03/2025) when we travel to face Stirling University for a league match. Kick off for this one is at 7.45pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: K. Okupnik; K. Crielly (D. Brockie 46’); E. Jowitt; E. Bauld; I. Millar (M. James 28’); D. McBay; C. Bell (J. Hunter 64’); D. Anthony; M. Gibb; A. McAndrew (K. Ritchie 82’); J. Galloway (B. Kerr 64’). Unused Subs: K. Beard & C. McBay.
Livingston United: S. Clark; D. Lennie; E. Quinn; Z. Avinou; M. Sampson; E. Arthur; R. Mahood; B. Dunlop; K. Whyte (A. Smoleanu 88’); R. Guy (R. Allan 82’); G. MacDonald (M. Meechan 73’). Unused Subs: D. Keough; P. Gilbowski; J. Connelly.
Shipyard put last Saturday’s disappointment behind them as they rolled up their sleeves and secured a hard fought 1-0 victory over Coldstream at Recreation Park. The winning goal came in the seventh minute as Dan McBay shot home after being set up by Mikey Gibb. Obviously, there were changes due to suspension and injury with Elliot Jowitt, Cammy Bell, Tony McAndrew, and Blair Kerr replacing Daniel Brockie, Darrell Anthony, Jordan Hunter, and Kris Murphy. The Club was delighted to welcome some of the players and management from 1994/95 team that reached the last thirty-two in the Scottish Cup that season. A truly remarkable achievement for a team playing in the Kirkcaldy & District Amateur League at the time. All the boys certainly enjoyed themselves at the match and were delighted to see the current Shippy team come out on top.
Bell had a shot on target in the fourth minute before McBay gave his side the lead three minutes later, firing the ball home from some eight yards out. Kerr saw his shot saved by visitor’s keeper Matt Hall. Coldstream had a free kick on target and forced a couple of corners as they started to impose themselves on the game. Gibb and Jordan Galloway both had attempts at goal, however, it would be fair to say that neither keeper was having much work to do at this stage.
Anthony replaced Kerr for Shippy at the start of the second half. Coldstream enjoyed their best spell of the match at the start of the second period and Shipyard breathed a collective sigh of relief when an attempt struck the bar before the ball was cleared by the defence. The visitors had two free kick attempts both saved by Kacper Okupnik. Anthony had his strike well saved as Shippy looked to stretch their lead. After this both teams huffed and puffed but in truth another goal never looked like coming at either end to be fair and Shippy saw the game out to collect three hard earned but deserved points.
After the match, a happy Lee Richardson said “What a difference a week makes. When everyone turns up and does their job it makes life so much easier. I am pleased with the win and more so with the clean sheet, something that Kacper more than deserved today.”
Next Saturday (01/03/2025) we welcome Livingston United to Recreation Park for a League Cup 1st Round tie. Kick off for this one is at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: K. Okupnik; K. Crielly (E. Bauld 65’); E. Jowitt; M. Robertson; I. Millar; D. McBay; C. Bell (K. Beard 85’); A. McAndrew (C. McBay 85’); M. Gibb; J. Galloway (K. Ritchie 90’); B. Kerr (D. Anthony 46’).
Coldstream: M. Hall; M. Freire; K. Ingram; B. Wright; M. Boyd; S. Kennedy (L. Roberts 46’); T. Grey; C. Brian; J. Paxton (L. Rutherford 70’); B. Paterson; M. Fox. Unused Sub: T. Hume.
The Club has decided against publishing a full match report as a truthful account of events would likely lead to disciplinary action from the football authorities. College won by three goals to nil thanks to strikes from Blair Ramage in the 17th minute, Lewis Bushnell in the 78th, and Gibril Balde in the 81st. We would like to wish Edinburgh College all the best for the rest of the season.
Burntisland Shipyard: K. Okupnik; D. Brockie; K. Crielly (C. Bell 84′); M. Robertson (E. Jowitt 84′); I. Millar; D. McBay (E. Bauld 75′); D. Anthony; J. Galloway (A. McAndrew 65′); J. Hunter (B. Kerr 75′); K. Murphy; M. Gibb. Unused Sub: K. Beard.
Edinburgh College: B. Bain; M. Robertson; L. Alexander (M. Delgarno 75′); J. Cook; J. Chapman; J. Fital (J. Kay 61′); O. Main; K. Gaff; B. Ramage (K. McPherson 84′); L. Bushnell (L. Graham 84′); J. McBride G. Balde 61′). Unused Subs: R. lannelli; B. McCamley.
The 2-1 scoreline was not a true reflection of the match as unfortunately, for those of a Shipyard persuasion at least, it could have been a lot worse. It was only Iain Millar’s late goal that offered some form of consolation for Shippy. Manager lee Richardson summed it up perfectly after the match when he simply said, “That’s the worst we have played all season.” It is hard to disagree with his sentiments as individual errors proved to be costly as his team struggled to put two passes together, win a challenge or trouble Jamie Newman in the Thistle goals. It was only when big Millzy was pushed up front in the closing stages that the home defence came under any real pressure, however, it was too little too late for Shipyard to get anything out of the game.
The only change to the starting eleven from the last match against Harthill saw Darrell Anthony return from suspension as he took the place of the unavailable Mark James. The playing surface was in extremely poor condition prior to kick-off and as the match progressed, unsurprisingly, it became very difficult to play on. Incredibly, Shippy might have been ahead with barely twenty seconds on the clock when Mikey Gibb won possession on the left-hand side, cut inside, and fired a shot just over the bar. From the restart Dalkeith took the lead when Cameron Leslie controlled a long ball on his chest, held off his marker, turned and shot. His effort really should have been dealt with, but Kacper Okupnik was caught unawares, and the ball rolled into the back of the net. Okupnik pulled off a good save in the 22nd minute when he leapt high to push away a close-range header. Dan McBay saw his shot held by Newman, though most of the action was at the other end as Millzy dealt with another dangerous attack. His central defensive partner Matty Robertson was also called upon as he bravely blocked an attempt at the back post.
Photo courtesy of Groundhopping Adventures.
Jordan Galloway replaced Cammy Bell and Ethan Bauld replaced the injured Daniel Brockie at the interval. In the 47th minute Dylan Greig shot straight at Okupnik before the big keeper had a moment he will want to forget. He produced a fine stop to deny Dalkeith from close range, however, as he got up, he fumbled the ball and it crossed the line, much to the astonishment of everyone inside the ground. It really was an unfortunate moment for the young keeper. Jordan Hunter curled a shot over in the 66th minute and at the other end Greig headed wide from a good position. Greig was involved again in the closing stages, however, this time he shot over. Millar saw a chipped attempt go just over the bar in the 93rd minute, but the big man was not to be denied as he fired the ball home from six yards a minute later. Alas, there was no time for Shippy to search for an unlikely equaliser, as the referee blew for full-time moments later.
Next Saturday (15/02/2025) we return to Recreation Park with Edinburgh College the visitors for another league match. Kick-off is at 2.30pm. This will be the first of three games in a row at the Shippy.
Dalkeith Thistle: J. Newman; R. Aitchison; R. Clelland; M. Lennie; J. Mackie; L. Russell (S. Moffat 76’); D. Greig; C. Leslie (J. Clark 59’); C. Cameron (M. Gould 76’); A. McNeill; E. Grieve. Unused Subs: K. Brockie; A. Faulds; R. Forsyth; C. Malcolm.
Burntisland Shipyard: K. Okupnik; D. Brockie (E. Bauld 46’); E. Jowitt; M. Robertson (C. McBay 60’); I. Millar; D. McBay (K. Beard 69’); C. Bell (J. Galloway 46’); T. McAndrew (B. Kerr 69’); J. Hunter; D. Anthony; M. Gibb. Unused Subs: K. Ritchie & K. Crielly.
Thankfully, Recreation Park survived storm Eowyn relatively unscathed, therefore, it was game on as Harthill Royal travelled to Burntisland for the very first time. The big disappointment was that the teams served up a poor goalless match, with very little in the way of clear-cut chances, in front of a decent attendance, with 94 spectators inside the ground. With Ryan Couser still feeling his injury Kacper Okupnik returned in goals and he could be very happy with what was a solid performance. Mark James replaced the unavailable Blair Kerr in the only other change from last week’s win over Vale of Leithen.
The visitors started the brighter and held the upper hand early on though they never really troubled Okupnik in the Shipyard goals. Shippy passed up the best chance of the contest so far when a well worked short corner found the head of Iain Millar, however, big Millzy would be disappointed not to get his header on target. A Jordan Hunter cross was met by Mikey Gibb, but the Shipyard’s top goal scorer couldn’t direct his effort on target either. That was the last chance of a very drab first half with neither keeper having a difficult save to make.
Big Millzy was involved in the action at both ends.
Five minutes into the second half a deep Hunter cross found the inrushing Cammy Bell at the back post; however, the young midfielder’s volley flew wide. Harthill created a good opportunity that had Okupnik making a save though the referee blew for offside in any case. A Harthill corner fell to Oliver Jessimer but the big striker hooked his attempt over. Okupnik came to the edge of his area to clear potential danger following a long ball played through the middle of the Shipyard defence. Gibby had a chance when he burst clear and rounded keeper Thomson as he came out, however, a well-timed tackle denied him as he was about to pull the trigger. Both teams pushed looking for a winner in the closing stages and both Hunter and substitute Kierren Ritchie saw shots blocked while Harthill had the ball around the Shippy box but could not engineer a shooting opportunity.
Manager Lee Richardson cut a frustrated figure when he spoke after the match as he said “I am very disappointed today. All the good things we did in the attacking third last week were missing today. We just didn’t create nearly enough chances as our final pass or delivery into the box was not good enough. Defensively we were terrific with Kacper, Millzy and Jamesy all solid.”
With no match next week, our next competitive game is away to Dalkeith Thistle on Saturday 8th February 2025.
Burntisland Shipyard: K. Okupnik; D. Brockie; E. Jowitt; M. Robertson; I. Millar; D. McBay; C. Bell (K. Ritchie 85’); A. McAndrew (J. Galloway 60’); J. Hunter; M. James; M. Gibb. Unused Subs: K. Beard; C. McBay; K. Crielly.
Harthill Royal: D. Thomson; A. Cross (C. Morrison 65’); G. Bonnes; G. Moore; L. Kelly; J. McNie; E. Buchanan (K. Kalala); L. Paton; O. Jessimer (M. Casey 65’); F. Hall; D. Strickland (D. Campbell 80’). Unused Subs: P. Gilbowski; P. Lauk; L. Mulvanny.
