The Shipyard recovered from Saturday’s poor result to record a fine win against Fair City in a hard fought and pulsating match in Perth. Billy Whitehead made three changes to the team from Saturday with McCue, McNeill and Henderson coming in for Tasker, Drummond and Bell.
The match was barely 2 minutes old when the Shipyard took the lead, Brian Muirhead crashed home a free-kick from 25 yards. However, the lead was short lived as Fair City equalised 3 minutes later, when a corner reached the back post and was nodded into the net. The game was moving at a frantic pace and 2 minutes later the Shipyard were ahead again. After good work by McCue, Lee Henderson was on hand at the back post to bundle the ball over the line. In the 10th minute the Shipyard almost scored again when a shot from McNeill hit the bar. The Shipyard continued on the front foot and after Johnston rounded keeper Robson, his effort was cleared to Grieve whose header drifted wide of the far post with Henderson trying to knock the ball in. Fair City almost scored in the 33rd minute but, Chalmers saved and McCue was on hand to clear off the line. Fair City were more prominent now and Chalmers was called into action again, this time blocking at his near post. In first half injury time the Shipyard conceded a poor goal. The defence tried to let the ball go out for a goal kick but the Fair City player got a foot in and squared for his team mate to make it 2 – 2.
The second half continued at the same pace but no chances were created until the 59th minute when Chalmers held a shot from the edge of the box. 2 minutes later Chalmers was beaten to a through ball outside his box but, with the pace taken off the ball, Cook was able to get back and clear. The Shipyard were more on the back foot in the second half but Grieve almost put the Shipyard ahead again, when after a fine turn his shot was saved by Robson. In 73 minutes Chalmers pulled off another good save turning a fierce shot round the post for a corner. 4 minutes from time the Shipyard scored a sensational winner when Steven Tasker gathered the ball at the corner of the 18 yard box and a hit a volley across and over the keeper and into the far corner of the net. It was a goal fit to win any match.
After the match manager Whitehead said “ the players have got to show this commitment and attitude in ever match.”
Teams: Fair City: Robson; Taylor; Barnett; Simpson; Fertacz; P.Blyth; Jay; Nairn; McKay; McLaren; Beattie. Subs: R.Blyth; Wylie; Wilmott; Dott; Birrell.
Burntisland Shipyard: Chalmers; Ferguson; Muirhead; T. Williams; Cook (Couper); Grieve; McCue; J. Williams; McNeill (Tasker); Johnston; Henderson (Drummond). Sub Unused: Houston.
Referee: W. Grieve.