Late goal earns Shipyard a point.

A beautiful day in Fife played host to a thrilling draw against a Duns side looking to continue their good league form after drawing with Peebles Rovers a couple of weeks ago. Injuries and illness to a few players led to changes within the Shipyard first eleven, with Todd Arthur, Ethan Anderson and Alan Clark replacing Andy MacDonald, Peter Bell and Joe Samson in the defensive set up.

It was the home team who looked the most threatening from the start, with half chances created for Dale Robertson and Brendan Napier inside the first sixty seconds. Shaun Keatings found space on 11 and 15 minutes, being able to get shots on the goalkeeper that were both well saved. On the 29th minute, defensive errors allowed a Duns counter attack down their right wing the opportunity give the visitors the lead. A ball inside Ethan Anderson led to a cross from the by-line, where Jordan Mushet could only parry away to Martyn Tait for a simple finish. An immediate response then followed, with Shaun Keatings being upended in the box by Dun’s Keiran Lee after a driving run. Ewan Henderson stepped up, sending the keeper the wrong way to equalise on the half hour mark. The rest of the half saw few chances of note, with both teams restricted to long range opportunities to try and break the deadlock. Neither team massively troubled the keepers and at the break it left the teams tied 1-1.

The second half continued the same way, with neither team able to create many chances. On 51 minutes however, a ball played through left Ewan Henderson clean through on goal, however his effort sent the ball wide of goal. On 69 minutes a telegraphed ball from Ethan Anderson led to Michael Robinson being through on the angle, and his fine finish across goal beat Jordan Mushet to end up in the far corner. With the game entering the final stages and the Shipyard pressing for the equaliser, a last gasp finish from Ethan Anderson in a penalty box scramble provided a share of the points.

After the match manager James Lock said “I’m pleased with the result and feel that it was no less than we deserved over the course of the game. To take a point against a Duns side with ambitions to challenge for the title shows what we’re capable of and we need to build from that. I felt we had a good spell of dominance in the first half, but didn’t capitalise on that. Getting punished from two defensive errors shows the standards of teams in this league and we have to eradicate these, but I’m pleased in the manner of the reaction from the lads to carry on going until the end. Hopefully we can build on that looking to the game away against Kelso next weekend.

Burntisland Shipyard: J. Mushet, T. Arthur, A. Clark, B. Smart, E. Anderson, D. Robertson (B. Rogerson), B. Napier, C. Lowe, S. Keatings, E. Henderson, A. Doig (D. Watt). Unused Subs: Samson, McPhail.

Duns: Tansey, Chisholm, Walker, McHoul, Ainslie, Brydon, McGregor, Tait, Shennan, Robinson, Lee. Subs: Burns Hastie.