September 28, 2014 ·
Drew
·
2014/2015 Season, Match Reports
Points dropped as mistakes prove crucial.
How the Shipyard contrived to throw this one away is anyone’s guess but throw it away they did, with the now all too familiar horrendous mistakes, as 10 man Kelso fought back to secure a 2-2 draw. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Shipyard had 75% of the possession and territory but chance after chance was missed and they were made to pay for it big style. Kevin Masson, Joe Samson, Andy MacDonald and Alan Clark were all unavailable and that meant starts for youngsters Todd Arthur and Ethan Anderson.
A Dale Robertson corner in the 7th minute hit the near post before the danger was cleared, however, the visitors took the lead three minutes later when good build up between Pete Bell, Craig Lowe and Ewan Henderson set up Adam Doig and he made no mistake from 18 yards. Kelso keeper Elliot Turnbull pushed a Shaun Keatings free-kick away for a corner before Kelso were dramatically reduced to 10 men in the 32nd minute. Dean Boyle seemed to barge or push Brendan Napier in the upper body and the referee immediately produced his red card. Napier then went close a minute later with a drive from the edge of the area and he then supplied the second Shipyard goal four minutes later. His low cross into the six yard box was turned home by Keatings from close range.
The Shipyard looked to press home their advantage in the second have and a Robertson shot was blocked in the box with the visitors appealing for hand ball. In the 52nd minute Henderson burst forward and set up Robertson but the latter’s strike cleared the bar. Robertson was continually in the action and on the hour mark he worked his way across the edge of the Kelso and fired an effort just wide of the target. The Shipyard were stunned two minutes later when Kelso pulled a goal back after a calamity of errors. Rather than clear their lines the Shippy defence tried to pass their way out as they found it difficult to control the bobbling ball, when the ball was played back to keeper Jordan Mushet he sklaffed his clearance and then handled the ball resulting in a free-kick to Kelso inside the box. The ball was laid off to ex-Shipyard player Dean Clark who rifled the ball into the roof of the net. Again Robertson was in the thick of the action when good play from Henderson set him up for a chance but again his shot was blocked. Robertson then became the supplier when he crossed to Keatings but his header was off target. In a rare Kelso attack the Shipyard defence scrambled a corner kick away to safety. Lowe almost made the game safe for the Shipyard but his left footed effort drifted agonisingly wide of the far post. Keatings then set up Doig inside the Kelso box but Turnbull pulled off a great save to deny Doig his second of the match. Then disaster struck for the Shipyard with a minute of normal time remaining. Kelso were awarded a free-kick out on the touch line around half way. The ball was fired into the box but although Mushet shouted for the ball he got nowhere near it and Steven Tait headed in from close range. In added time the Shippy had one more chance to win the match but Keatings saw his shot fly wide of the target.
Caretaker manager James Lock was naturally unhappy after the match when he said “It’s hard to take the positives out of that after seeing us throw away a two goal lead and drop two points. I’m really disappointed in the manner of it to be honest. At times we were naive in the way we played all over, and once again silly mistakes has cost us goals. We ask the guys to raise their standards each week and try to play football that we think is the right way. Once again we saw flashes of that today and the goals we scored came from good passing football. Once the second goal was scored though, we stepped off the gas, allowing Kelso a route back into the game and that’s not good enough. We did create chances towards the end of the game, but we need to be more ruthless in our play, creating chances and finishing chances when we’re in the lead to kill a game off, rather than what we’ve seen in the last couple of games. While we’re all still pretty sore from this, we’ll look to learn from it and be determined to improve from it going into preparation for next week’s game”.
Kelso United: E. Turnbull; B. Herdman; S. Angus; T. Hazlett; D. Bowie; S. Tait; F. Rankin; R. Beveridge; I. Cowan; L. O’Rourke; D. Boyne. Subs: D. Clark; O. Benzies; J. Ngoa;
Burntisland Shipyard: J. Mushet; E. Anderson (B. Rogerson); P. Bell; B. Smart; T. Arthur; B. Napier; D. Robertson (JP McPhail); C. Lowe; E. Henderson (D. Watt); A. Doig; S.Keatings.
Referee: D. Graves.
September 24, 2014 ·
Drew
·
2014/2015 Season, Match Reports
Late goal earns Shipyard a point.
A beautiful day in Fife played host to a thrilling draw against a Duns side looking to continue their good league form after drawing with Peebles Rovers a couple of weeks ago. Injuries and illness to a few players led to changes within the Shipyard first eleven, with Todd Arthur, Ethan Anderson and Alan Clark replacing Andy MacDonald, Peter Bell and Joe Samson in the defensive set up.
It was the home team who looked the most threatening from the start, with half chances created for Dale Robertson and Brendan Napier inside the first sixty seconds. Shaun Keatings found space on 11 and 15 minutes, being able to get shots on the goalkeeper that were both well saved. On the 29th minute, defensive errors allowed a Duns counter attack down their right wing the opportunity give the visitors the lead. A ball inside Ethan Anderson led to a cross from the by-line, where Jordan Mushet could only parry away to Martyn Tait for a simple finish. An immediate response then followed, with Shaun Keatings being upended in the box by Dun’s Keiran Lee after a driving run. Ewan Henderson stepped up, sending the keeper the wrong way to equalise on the half hour mark. The rest of the half saw few chances of note, with both teams restricted to long range opportunities to try and break the deadlock. Neither team massively troubled the keepers and at the break it left the teams tied 1-1.
The second half continued the same way, with neither team able to create many chances. On 51 minutes however, a ball played through left Ewan Henderson clean through on goal, however his effort sent the ball wide of goal. On 69 minutes a telegraphed ball from Ethan Anderson led to Michael Robinson being through on the angle, and his fine finish across goal beat Jordan Mushet to end up in the far corner. With the game entering the final stages and the Shipyard pressing for the equaliser, a last gasp finish from Ethan Anderson in a penalty box scramble provided a share of the points.
After the match manager James Lock said “I’m pleased with the result and feel that it was no less than we deserved over the course of the game. To take a point against a Duns side with ambitions to challenge for the title shows what we’re capable of and we need to build from that. I felt we had a good spell of dominance in the first half, but didn’t capitalise on that. Getting punished from two defensive errors shows the standards of teams in this league and we have to eradicate these, but I’m pleased in the manner of the reaction from the lads to carry on going until the end. Hopefully we can build on that looking to the game away against Kelso next weekend.
Burntisland Shipyard: J. Mushet, T. Arthur, A. Clark, B. Smart, E. Anderson, D. Robertson (B. Rogerson), B. Napier, C. Lowe, S. Keatings, E. Henderson, A. Doig (D. Watt). Unused Subs: Samson, McPhail.
Duns: Tansey, Chisholm, Walker, McHoul, Ainslie, Brydon, McGregor, Tait, Shennan, Robinson, Lee. Subs: Burns Hastie.
September 14, 2014 ·
Drew
·
2014/2015 Season, Match Reports
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.
September 6, 2014 ·
Drew
·
2014/2015 Season, Match Reports
Lock stock and four smoking barrels.
Caretaker manager James Lock got the perfect start to his tenure in charge as his side cruised to a 4-0 win over Hawick at Albert Park. In a match packed with incident both teams were reduced to 10 men and the Shipyard even had the luxury of a missed penalty as Brendan Napier saw his kick saved by keeper Jordan Dunsmore just before half-time with the score at 1-0. With three players having left the club and three players unavailable the Shipyard travelled with a thinner but still strong squad to the borders. Blair Smart, Pete Bell, Dale Robertson and Adam Doig returned to the starting eleven after last week’s horror show at Peebles.
The Shipyard were on the attack from the word go and a Shaun Keatings ball into the box had Dunsmore scrambling to thwart Kevin Masson as he looked to get onto the ball. A Hawick corner flashed across the Shipyard six yard line were a touch would likely have given the home team the lead. It was the Shipyard who took the lead in the 7th minute when Napier played a delightful ball to Ewan Henderson who rounded the keeper and rolled the ball into the net. Henderson would prove to be a thorn in the Albert’s side the whole afternoon as he turned in a fine performance. A long thrown into the Shipyard box had to be hooked clear by Bell before the portly Nick Ramsay headed wide for the homesters. A Robertson corner had the Hawick defence under pressure before the ball was cleared and at the other end Jordan Mushet had to be on his toes to save from N. Ramsay as possession was conceded far too easily. Mushet then pushed away a headed effort from Andrew Noble as Hawick searched for an equaliser. The Shipyard almost scored a freak second when an innocuous ball way beyond the back post was headed across the face of goal by Keatings and the ball hit the base of the post before being booted clear. The match had been simmering away as the referee tried to keep a lid on it but in the 37th minute it exploded when the Shipyard’s Masson received a straight red card for a poor challenge in the middle of the park. In the 41st minute Hawick were almost level but Mushet was able to get fingertips to a fierce free-kick, tip it onto the bar and then gather the loose ball. The game took another twist on the stroke of half-time when Keatings burst into Hawick area and was crudely challenged by Sean Loughlin. The Hawick player was only receiving a yellow card but his reaction to the decision saw him earn a second yellow and an early bath. Disappointingly for the Shipyard Napier’s spot kick was easily saved by Dunsmore.
If the Shipyard players were affected by the spot kick miss it did not take them long to forget about it as they doubled their lead in the first minute of the second half. Henderson gathered a pass at the corner of the Hawick area, found himself a bit of space and fired a great shot across the keeper and into the top corner. Hawick tried to get back into the match immediately and Mushet pulled of similar saves in the space of a minute by tipping strikes from Greg Summers and Ronald Fleming over the bar. Dunsmore then pulled off a great save from Doig as he dived full stretch to push the ball away. In the 53rd minute the visitors went three ahead when Bell overlapped down the right wing and his excellent cross was turned into his own net by Shaun Fallon as he desperately tried to stop the ball from reaching the Shipyard forwards. Still Hawick kept at it and Mushet did well to block a shot with his legs. Henderson was giving the Albert defence a torrid time and Dunsmore was able to tip his driven shot onto the bar. A minute later the keeper foiled the big striker again as he smothered his left foot strike. Mushet punched clear under pressure at a corner and Smart headed away a dangerous cross as the Shipyard players seemed determined to keep a clean sheet. The Shipyard then scored the perfect breakaway goal as the ball was moved from their own area to the other end in seconds and substitute Craig Lowe finished the move off from ten yards after good build up play between Keatings and Henderson. Mushet saved well from a lobbed G. Ramsay effort and at the other end Dunsmore did equally well in denying Bell after he was set up by sub Daniel Watt. The Shipyard comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to finish a turbulent week on a high with a well deserved victory and a clean sheet to boot.
After the match James gave his verdict on the proceedings when he said “I’m really pleased with the performance today. It’s always a cliché to talk about the character of a team but that is exactly what I was looking for from the lads and they did themselves proud against a competitive and physical Hawick side. To keep a clean sheet too I’m particularly pleased with. Lee and I only had one session to get some new ideas across so there is plenty more to come from the boys. Going forward we’ll be looking for another step up in effort this week as we prepare for a very difficult game against Spartans”.
Hawick Royal Albert: J. Dunsmore; I. Zenati; G. Shillinglaw; S. Loughlin; S. Fallan; G. Summers ( C. McLeod); A. Noble ( C. Muttitt); R. Fleming; N. Ramsay; G. Ramsay; P. Brown ( K. McCulloch). Unused Subs: M. McFerrin & S. Russell.
Burntisland Shipyard: J. Mushet; C. Samson; P. Bell; A. MacDonald; B. Smart; B. Napier; K. Masson; D. Robertson; A. Doig ( D. Watt); E. Henderson ( C. Lowe); S. Keatings ( E. Anderson).
Referee: S. MacLean.
August 31, 2014 ·
Drew
·
2014/2015 Season, Match Reports
Shipyard routed by rampant Rovers.
The Shipyard suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat at Peebles as goal after goal was gifted to the hosts in what was a woeful performance. A wonderfully finished consolation goal from Brendan Napier was the only crumb of comfort that could be taken from the game. Ethan Anderson joined Pete Bell and Billy Rogerson on the injury list after picking up a head cut on Wednesday night. Continue Reading
August 28, 2014 ·
Drew
·
2014/2015 Season, Match Reports
Honours even at University.
The Shipyard were involved in a six goal thriller as they came from behind to earn a share of the spoils at Riccarton Campus. The match had swung back and forth all night and even at 3-3 both teams had chances to win it in the dying minutes. Manager Myles Allan decided to shuffle his pack as strikers Adam Doig dropped to the bench and Daniel Watt missed out altogether. Pete Bell missed out after picking up an injury on Saturday. Jordan Mushet, Alan Clark, JP McPhail and Ewan Henderson returned to the starting eleven with the latter lining up against his former club. There was a healthy crowd at Riccarton but unfortunately they were all watching a Hearts and Hibs kids seven a side derby on the adjacent pitch. Continue Reading
August 24, 2014 ·
Drew
·
2014/2015 Season, Match Reports
Shipyard edged out in tight encounter.
The Shipyard lost their first league match of the season to Ormiston at Recreation Park in what was an entertaining match, though at times highly controversial as both teams were upset by some of the referee’s decisions. Jordan Mushet, Blair Smart, Billy Rogerson and Dale Robertson were all unavailable for the Shipyard though Shaun Keatings, Joe Samson and Alan Clark returned to the squad. Continue Reading
August 16, 2014 ·
Drew
·
2014/2015 Season, Match Reports
Poor defending proves costly as Shipyard exit cup.
Once again the Shipyard fell at the first hurdle in the William Hill Scottish Cup but they can only have themselves to blame as, after a very good first half performance, poor defending in the second half allowed Lothian to score three unanswered goals. Ethan Anderson and Pete Bell returned to the starting eleven having missed out in the Fife Cup tie. Shaun Keatings was suspended for today and Joe Samson was unavailable. Continue Reading
