Shipyard suffer heavy defeat.
Sometimes in football you just have to put your hand up and take your medicine after taking a heavy beating, and that was the case for the Shipyard as the gulf in class between themselves and The Spartans was all too evident. This is a club that has aspiration to be playing in the SPFL next season and it showed. The visitors dominated the match throughout and barely gave the Shipyard a sight of goal. Craig Lowe for the suspended Kevin Masson was the only change to the eleven that had beaten Hawick comfortably the previous week.
The Spartans took the lead in the 8th minute when ex Stenhousemuir striker Errol Douglas burst down the left and his cross into the box was swept home by Sean Mushin. Joe Samson drove a 22 yard free kick just over in a rare Shippy attack before the visitors doubled their lead when Douglas was on hand to nod home from close range. Any hope the Shipyard had of making a game of it disappeared in the 28th minute when Andy MacDonald was penalized for a foul in the box. Kevin Motion made no mistake from the spot. Jordan Mushet in the Shipyard goal made a fine reaction save by sticking out his left leg to deny Douglas just before half time.
Ethan Anderson replaced the unwell Joe Samson at the break for the home team and it was the visitors who continued to dominate as Jack Beesley hit the outside of the post. Mushet was on hand to deny the same man again in the 61st minute but the next goal was only delayed for a couple of minutes as John Grant turned in a low cross from the right hand side. A Brendan Napier free kick lacked the direction to beat The Spartans keeper Kevin Swain as the Shippy looked for a consolation. Jack Beacher made it 5-0 in the 74th minute with a fine finish from the edge of the box leaving Mushet helpless. The visitors added two more goals in the final ten minutes with Beesley finding the net from the edge of the area and Motion doing likewise though Mushet was unlucky not to keep it out.
Caretaker manager James Lock was philosophical after the match when he said “Playing Spartans was always going to be a tough ask for us and it proved to be so. Their movement, physicality and desire throughout the pitch was a big lesson for us and we need to learn from their performance and take that into how we go forward. This club have ambitions to get up to that level in time, and if that’s to happen, we need to be able to consistently perform at those standards”. Lock went on to add “The Spartans showed what a professional club they are and I admire them tremendously for how they go about their business and I would like to wish them all the best for the rest of the season in both their Lowland League campaign and of course the Scottish Cup”. Lock then turned his attentions to the next match as he said “Looking forward, we can now go back to focusing on the league and we have Duns at home next Saturday. They’re going to be another tough challenge as they’re one of the teams rated to be finishing higher up the league this season. We’ll be preparing for that and looking to raise the intensity and standards in training this week to try and get a good performance”.
Burntisland Shipyard: J. Mushet; C. Samson ( E. Anderson); P. Bell; A. MacDonald ( A. Clark); B. Smart; B. Napier; C. Lowe; S. Keatings ( B. Rogerson); D. Robertson; A. Doig; E. Henderson. Unused Subs: T. Arthur & D. Watt.
The Spartans: K. Swain; G. Cennerazzo; K. Motion; K. Sivewright; M. Bruce ( A. MacKinnon); C. Stevenson ( I. Thomson); J. Beesley; J. Grant; E. Douglas ( D. Henretty); J. Beacher; S. Mushin. Unused Sub: W. Bremner.
Referee: M. Gill.