Shippy exit cup at first hurdle.
The Shipyard were as good as out the Scottish Cup before it had barely started as a disastrous opening five minutes saw them 2-0 down. Sure, it didn’t help that the visitors were gifted a goal with barely a minute on the clock, thanks to a controversial decision by the assistant to award a goal when the ball looked nowhere near over the line. This clearly unsettled the Shippy and they were soon two down as Lothian took advantage of a rattled Shipyard. The rest of the match, at least up until added time was more of a contest as the Shippy gained a foothold in the game, pulled a goal back shortly before half-time and looked a bit more confident. Craig Watt and Mark James were the only absentees from the Shipyard squad which gave manager Dave Costello the unusual luxury of having a twenty-man squad to pick from.
The visitors got off to the perfect start with a quick-fire goal as Sean Wringe knocked a Ben Viola cross towards goal and although the ball was cleared the assistant thought it had crossed the line and told the referee to award a goal. Without the aid of pictures for verification it looked a very poor decision indeed. Lothian doubled their lead in the 5th minute when Joe Viola broke clear and slotted the ball beyond Scott Costello. The Shipyard created a chance in the 23rd minute when a corner routine from the training ground created an opening for Shaun Keatings but his shot was blocked by some brave defending. Sam Glancy flighted a free kick just over and a Keatings half volley was not to far away either. The Shippy were enjoying their best spell off the match but unfortunately shot themselves in the foot by conceding a very poor third goal. Jack Wilson tried to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick but he was robbed by Joe Viola who squared for his brother Ben to net the third. The Shipyard got a lifeline just before half-time when Ben Anthony gathered a long ball, beat the advancing keeper Kevin Swain and netted from a tight angle with a fine finish.
Costy made a double change at half-time as he brought on Nathan Feeley and Cammy Lewis for Scott Orrock and Dan Thomson as he looked to push for a quick goal and put pressure on Hutchie. The second half was a more even affair but with not so many clear-cut chances, with Swain probably being the busier keeper. The Shippy created a great chance in the 85th minute when a fine cross to the back post was begging to be headed home, however, a lack of communication between Feeley and Iain Millar saw the chance go abegging. Any chance of a grandstand finish was quashed when Millar was shown a second yellow card for what the referee must have deemed to be dangerous play. The Hutchie defender stooped low to head clear, coming in from Millar’s blind side and he unfortunately got caught by the big man’s boot. It was totally accidental and did not warrant a yellow card. As the game went into added time the visitor’s scored another two goals through Joe Viola and Ryan Findlay, which flattered them, in terms of the margin of the final result.
Manager Costello was very disappointed when he said after the match “It was a horrendous start and obviously not helped by a controversial goal. We need to do better all over the park and I have to try and get the message over to them what is required and quickly.”
Next week the Shipyard are at home again, this time in league action as Leith Athletic visit Recreation Park. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: S. Costello; L. Ross (L. Henderson); L. Bell; J. Wilson; I. Millar; S. Orrock (C. Lewis); S. Keatings; D. Anthony (R. O’Donnell); B. Anthony; S. Glancy; D. Thomson (N. Feeley). Unused Subs: A. Brown; J. Galloway; R. Crichton; S. Strang; R. Connor.
Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale: K. Swain; L. O’Donnell; P. Crawford; S. Guiney; S. Taylor-McKenzie; J. Viola; M. Renton; K. Scott; T. Prior; S. Wringe; B. Viola. Subs: B. Galloway; F. Patterson; R. Findlay; E. McHugh; O. Walton; J. Murray; D. Ross.
Referee: T. Ormiston.