Shipyard simply shocking!
Embarrassing! Yes. Humiliating! Yes. As one stalwart Shippy fan said, “probably one of the worst Shipyard performances I have ever seen.” And few could argue with him after what we witnessed on Saturday. Sure, Luncarty played very well but to concede eight goals at home, to anyone, was criminal. A good crowd turned up to watch the Shippy’s survival fight but what they saw was a capitulation as the visitors ran riot. Following solid defensive displays and keeping clean sheets against the top two in the division, Dunbar and Glenrothes, it was hard to believe what we were watching. Scott Costello returned in goals and Ben Anthony was a surprise inclusion after his work commitments had changed, however, it was a day both of them will want to forget.
The Shipyard were denied an early penalty as the ball was handled in the box but the referee thought otherwise and his excuse after the match, possibly on the advice of his observer, that the ball hit the defenders supporting arm, cut no ice with the Shipyard contingent. Luncarty took control of the match after this and the warning signs were there with a couple attempts at the Shippy goals. The visitors took the lead in the 18th minute and it was soon 2-0 with the Shippy defence all at sea. Luncarty scored a third and fourth goal before the interval with only an Anthony free kick, that was easily mopped up by Luncarty keeper Craig Hepburn, worth noting for the Shipyard.
The Shipyard had the strong Easterly wind behind them in the second half but any hope of sensational comeback evaporated within five minutes of the restart. Firstly, Luncarty scored a fifth goal and a minute later Anthony saw red after aiming a kick at keeper Hepburn. Three more goals including a penalty were scored as Luncarty dominated the rest of the match, while another Shipyard claim for handball was unsurprisingly turned down by the referee.
We are now down to the nitty gritty as we welcome relegation rivals Coldstream to the Shippy this week (13/05/2023) where only a win will do. Hopefully, the supporters will not give up on the team and come out in big numbers again and back the boys.
Burntisland Shipyard; S. Costello; R. O’Donnell (R. MacAuley); J. Wilson; L. Ross; M. James (D. Anthony); C. Watt; D. Thomson; R. Crichton; B. Anthony; R. Wardlaw; S. Strang (J. Galloway). Unused Subs: R. Connor; S. Keatings; S. Orrock; R. Watt.
Luncarty: C. Hepburn; D. Dobie; L. Strong; M. Cullerton; L. Mackie; C. Mitchell; R. Davies; B. Scarborough; C. Kirkcaldy; C. Anton; O. Hamilton. Subs: M. Patton; R. MacLachlan; B. English; K. Green; A. Carlon;
Referee: T. Ormiston.