Shipyard secure vital win
The Shipyard were involved in another goal feast after Tuesday’s 10 goal thriller. There was ONLY 7 goals today but it was the Shipyard who came out on top, scoring one more than a Strathmiglo side one place below them in the league. Three suspension’s and an injured player did not help the Shipyard’s team selection, however, credit must go to the players who came in, as they twice helped the team to come from a goal down to go on and win the match.
The Shipyard started the match with the strong East wind behind them but it was Strathmiglo who struck first scoring after 30 seconds when indecision in the Shipyard defence allowed Kevin McCreadie to score from around 8 yards. Strathmiglo continued on top and Chalmers was forced into a fine save in the 5th minute when he diverted a shot over the bar. The Shipyard finally started to get going and in the 10th minute a Brown effort from 30 yards was held by keeper Gibson in the Strath goal. Whyte was next to test Gibson with a long range effort propelled by the wind that was palmed over for a corner. In the 22nd minute a corner to the near post was almost knocked in by J. Williams but it was Gibson who gathered the ball. Both teams were creating chances but it was the Shipyard who made one count when Craig Russell excellently headed home a McAndrew cross from the right. The Shipyard were only level for two minutes as Strath scored a controversial goal when two players looked yards offside. Play was waved on and it was Kevin McCreadie who scored his second of the match, lobbing Chalmers and seeing his shot go in at the far post. The Shipyard were trying to use the wind to their advantage and three long range shots in 5 minutes were close, without causing the keeper too much trouble.
The Shipyard were level 2 minutes into the second half with a fantastic strike from Owen McCue. From around 20 yards out at the corner of the box he lashed the ball into the net giving Gibson no chance. Two minutes later Strath were almost ahead again but McCreadie delayed his shot and when the ball eventually fell to his teammate, he put the ball into the net from an offside position. Strath had another chance in the 51st minute but the shot was hooked over from a good position. The Shipyard went ahead in the 54th minute from the penalty spot with Owen McCue doing the needful after Steven McAndrew had been tripped in the box. In the 65th minute Strath No9 White hit the top of the bar with a long range effort. The Shipyard went 4 – 2 ahead in the 69th minute with another good goal, this time Lee Small burst into the box and delightfully dinked the ball over Gibson from 12 yards out. Strathmiglo continued to push forward, with the wind behind them showing no signs of dying down and like the Shipyard in the first half had a few long range shots on goal. The Shipyard broke forward in the 74th minute and a fine pass from S. Hamilton sent J. Williams away down the left hand side. He outstripped the defender and as the keeper came out he put the ball past him, but also wide of the far post. Strath pulled a goal back with 7 minutes remaining when a free-kick from around 10 yards inside the Shipyard half took a deflection on the way to goal and wrong footed Chalmers to set up a nervous few minutes for the Shipyard. The Shipyard did see out the final few minutes without too many dangerous moments to earn the victory that their performance deserved. A pleased Billy Whitehead said “the players showed a lot of character to come from behind twice and it was a lot of hard work and effort that saw us home for a deserved win”.
Teams: Burntisland Shipyard: Chalmers; McAndrew; McCue; Grieve; Whyte; Small; Brown (Hutt); Leishman; S. Hamilton (Paul); Russell; J. Williams. Unused Subs: Dow; Johnston; Houston.
Strathmiglo United: Gibson; Patrick; Smith; Hunter; Hall; Duncan; Anderson; Shanks; White; McCreadie; Page. Subs: Spence; Ritchie; Slaven; Clark.
Referee: P. Simmons.