Shipyard edged out in nine goal thriller.
It’s a hard one to explain this one. The Shipyard were 3-0 up after 43 minutes and as the manager said after the match “The team did not play that well in the first half” and 4-3 down after 54 minutes summed up the kind of match it was with both defences having the day off and between them conceding three penalties. In between there was also some cracking goals scored. The Shipyard had a much stronger squad to choose from today will only four missing through injury and suspension.
The opening stages of the match did not give us a clue as to what was about to happen as neither team threatened to break the deadlock. Just before the quarter hour mark home keeper Jordan Mushet made a save from John Dunn. Soon after Craigroyston keeper Stuart Addison then had to look sharp to punch clear a Brendan Napier corner. The Shipyard opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Kevin Masson was adjudged to have been fouled in the box. Napier saw his spot kick saved by Addison but was on hand to knock in the rebound. Craigie looked to draw level quickly and forced a couple of corners and the Dunn was unlucky to see his snapshot go narrowly wide. In the 34th minute the Shipyard doubled their lead and it was that man Napier again, this time netting a sublime free-kick from all of 25 yards. At the other end Mushet had to be alert to hold a Ewan MacIntosh dead ball effort. Two minutes before half time the Shippy incredibly went three up. After a great burst from Craig Lowe, his initial effort was blocked but he squared the rebound to Lee Henderson who tapped home from close range. Unfortunately for the home side they conceded just before half time when Steven Moncur crashed home a header from a free-kick on the right hand side.
If the Shipyard players thought the game was won they were very much mistaken as they conceded three goals in an incredible four minute spell. Firstly Michael Morrison was deemed to have committed a foul in the box and Paul Lynch rammed home the resultant penalty to make 3-2. The scores were level in the 53rd minute when Dunn scored for Craigie after a poor clearance from the Shipyard defence. Incredibly the visitor scored a minute later and again it was a penalty as Mushet rushed out from his goal and barged over the forward as he tried to go past him. Lynch smashed the ball down the middle for the second time to give his side the lead. Mushet then kept his side in the match with a couple of good saves and his teammates managed to regain their composure after the shock of losing those three quick goals. The homesters drew level in the 64th minute with a wonder strike from young Stuart Blake. He gathered the ball just inside the Craigie half, strode forward and smashed the ball over Addison from all of 35 yards. Mushet was by far the busier keeper as the visitors pushed for a winner and it arrived with ten minutes to go when the ball was worked across the pitch to the back post and Dunn was on hand to slot home the ninth and final goal of the match.
For the neutral spectator it must have been a fantastic match to watch, however, neither manager would have been particularly pleased with their teams defending as goals were conceded far too easily.
Teams: Burntisland Shipyard: Mushet; Morrison (Crombie); Bridges; Clark; McKay; Blake; Fotheringham (Sartarello); Lowe; Masson; Napier; Henderson (Robertson).
Craigroyston: Addison; Young; Hogarth; Barbirou; Somerville; Ritchie; Dunn; Lynch; Moncur; Dickson; MacIntosh. Subs: Greenhill; Guy; McCormack; Rendall; Sinclair.
Referee: M. Gill