Shipyard and Kennoway took a point each following a 1-1 draw at Treaton Park on Saturday. Shippy were ahead at the interval thanks to Mikey Gibb’s 5th goal of the season, however, Dylan Walker equalised early in the second half and that’s how it finished as neither side could find a winner. Finlay Russell deputised in goals for the suspended Ryan Couser with club captain Iain Millar making a welcome return from injury, slotting into the heart of the defence. Daniel Brockie, Matty Robertson, Ellis McQuade and Blair Kerr all came into the starting eleven with Craig McBay, Ethan Bauld, Tony McAndrew, Kris Murphy and Ben Anthony dropping out for various reasons.
Shipyard got off to a good start as they broke the deadlock in the 11th minute. Millar played a delightful ball down the inside left channel allowing Gibb to bear down on goal and from a narrowing angle he coolly slotted the ball beyond Owen Martin in the Kennoway goal. A free kick from the Kennoway right saw Russell get down at his near post and turn the ball away for a corner. The young keeper then dealt with a couple of shots and crosses quite comfortably. Shippy were dealt a blow in the 39th minute when on form striker Liam Taylor had to be withdrawn following a collision with a pitchside barrier. He was replaced by Jordan Galloway. A throw out from hosts Martin was intercepted by Brockie and the full back strode forward before unleashing a fierce drive that just cleared the crossbar.
Shipyard had a disastrous start to the second half when they conceded a needless goal. Russell’s attempted clearance was partially blocked by the Kennoway forward and the loose ball fell perfectly for Walker who fired the ball into the empty net from around 25 yards. A free kick bounced dangerously across the face of Shippy’s goal before a long throw and a corner had to be dealt with by the visitor’s defence. Shipyard were having to deal with a few set pieces while at the other end it seemed every attack was broken up by the referee whistling for offside.
After the match manager Lee Richardson said “We tired a bit as the match wore on and maybe didn’t exert enough pressure on them in the second half. Obviously, I am disappointed with the goal we conceded but these things happen, and we move on.”
We have a free Saturday next week before travelling to Gibbshill Park to face Harthill Royal on the 21st of September.
Kennoway Star Hearts: O. Martin; B. Mair (M. Wilson); A. Cameron; L. Young; L. Black; D. Walker; S. Johnstone; L. Bennett (E. Stanfield); D. Nugent; J. McLelland; C. Anderson (C. Hutchison). Unused Subs: A. Tabengwa Sweeney; L. Gartshore; D. Meldrum; B. Duffield.
Burntisland Shipyard: F. Russell; D. Brockie; K. Crielly (E. Jowitt); M. Robertson; I. Millar (E. Bauld); D. Anthony; E. McQuade (C. McBay); B. Kerr; D. McBay (K. Beard); L. Taylor (J. Galloway); M. Gibb.
The solid defensive display in Saturday’s cup win over Dunipace seemed like a distant memory last night as West Calder United were gifted three goals and let’s be honest, it could have been a couple more with the Shippy defence all at sea. The visitors were two ahead within ten minutes and only the referee’s whistle denied them a third with barely twenty minutes on the clock. The Shippy did rally and when Liam Taylor pulled one back before the interval the game was back in the balance, however, another defensive lapse enabled United to restore their two-goal lead shortly before the hour mark. Daniel Brockie who was injured on Saturday dropped to the bench with Craig McBay filling in for him and with Mark James unavailable Mikey Gibb dropped back into the defence with Taylor starting up front.
The Shipyard fell behind in the sixth minute when they failed to clear the ball and James Mccullagh was on hand to score. Four minutes later it was two as a hooked shot beat Ryan Couser and hit the post and Jamie McAllister knocked the ball over the line. In the 18th minute a free kick from wide on the left found the United player in acres of space and he would have been disappointed to hit the bar given such a good opportunity. Taylor drove a just over the bar with West Calder keeper Ryan McIndoe beaten. The big keeper then parried a low Darrell Anthony drive round the post at the expense of a corner. Taylor got his side back into the match with a fine goal. He beat the offside trap, pushed the ball past McIndoe, gathered it again and knocked it into the empty net.
Brockie replaced C. McBay for the Shipyard at the start of the second half. Dan McBay headed a Ben Anthony free kick wide in the 56th minute as the Shippy looked to get back level, however, they gifted the visitors another just seconds later as Jason Gregory netted following another mistake. Kris Murphy had great chance in the 60th minute as he broke clear of the united defence, but he could not get the ball out of his feet as he rounded McIndoe. The ball broke to substitute Blair Kerr, but Kerr’s shot was blocked. Murphy saw his free kick held while at the other end Couser denied the visitors with a great save. With ten minutes remaining Gibb, who had been moved forward saw his strike whistle just past the post. With three minutes remaining Shippy keeper Couser was shown a red card for something he said to a West Calder player. After the match, the referee informed the Shipyard manager and a committee member why he had shown Couser the red card.
Manager Lee Richardson was perplexed after the game when he said “I can’t believe how badly we defended tonight, particularly in those initial stages. When Liam got us back into the game, I felt that we had a decent chance to take something out of it but the third goal, from another mistake, killed us.”
O Saturday we make the short trip to Treaton Park as we face Kennoway Star Hearts in a league match. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; C. McBay (D. Brockie); K. Crielly; E. Bauld; M. Gibb; D. Anthony; A. McAndrew (B. Kerr); D. McBay; K. Murphy (M. Robertson); B. Anthony (F. Russell); L. Taylor. Unused Subs:
West Calder United: R. McIndoe; G. Fallon; J. Laing; H. Maguire; J. Mccullagh (S. Hay); J. Gregory; G. Livingstone (L. Clark); J. McAllister; A. Jackson (A. Morgan); M. Zata; S. Jackson. Unused Subs: C. Chilton; G. McQuillan.
The Shipyard progressed to the first round of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup with a hard-fought but well-deserved 2-1 victory over Dunipace at Recreation Park on Saturday. Two outstanding strikes from Ben Anthony and Kris Murphy had the Shippy in a comfortable position and only a late 95th free-kick strike denied Ryan Couser the clean sheet he deserved. Couser and Dan McBay replaced Finlay Russell and Blair Kerr in the only changes following last week’s draw against Oakley.
The match kicked off under a bright blue sky and warm sunshine in front of a crowd of 142 for this preliminary round tie. The first attempt at goal came from the Shippy as McBay unleashed a venomous drive that whistled just wide of keeper Lewis McMinn’s right-hand post. A long ball into the Dunipace half wasn’t dealt with and the visitors were relieved to see the ball bounce over the bar at the expense of a corner. The Shippy took the lead with a sensational strike four minutes before half-time when Benji intercepted the ball some twenty yards inside his own half, looked up, saw the keeper off his line and smashed the ball over McMinn from the halfway line to send the home contingent wild with delight. He almost scored again three minutes later when his shot from wide on the left was tipped over by the Pace keeper.
Here are the goals from yesterday’s tie courtesy of Dunipace FC.
Liam Taylor replaced the injured Daniel Brockie at half-time with Mikey Gibb moving into the right back position with Taylor taking his place up front. Joseph McGuckin headed just wide for Dunipace after 58 minutes, however, it was the hosts who doubled their lead five minutes later with another sublime strike. Dan McBay found Murphy with a great pass and the big striker cut inside and then curled a beauty into the far corner giving McMinn no chance. The visitors finally started to exert some pressure on the Shippy defence and Conor Kelly went close with a header after 69 minutes, albeit Couser was comfortably dealing with everything else that Dunipace threw at him. Dunipace did pull a goal back five minutes into added time when Kelly scored with a free kick from around 22 yards out, however, there was no time left for the visitors to create another opening and it’s the Shippy who progress to the next round.
Manager Lee Richardson was naturally delighted with the win and he said after the match “I thought we played very well today and in particular looked solid in defence. Benji and Kris’ goals were both out of the top drawer and of the highest quality. I thought we deserved the win and I am looking forward to tomorrow night’s draw.”
We return to action on Tuesday night with a home league match against West Calder United with the match kicking off at 7.30pm. A special thanks to all the fans who came to back the team today and hopefully we will see you all back at the Shippy on Tuesday night.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie (L. Taylor); K. Crielly; E. Bauld; M. James; D. Anthony; A. McAndrew (K. Beard); D. McBay (K. Ritchie); B. Anthony; M. Gibb. Unused Subs: C. McBay; E. McQuade; S. Strang; M. Robertson.
Dunipace: L. McMinn; G. Dickie; K. Turnbull; W. Greenhorn; A. McKeown; D. Tennant; J. McGuckin (K. Wilson); R. Fleming; C. Kelly; A. Kemp (K. Anderson; M. France. Unused Subs: A. Gilchrist; L. Downie; L. Craig; A. Whitelaw.
The Shipyard and Oakley had to settle for a point apiece following a 1-1 draw at Recreation Park on Saturday, and once the dust had settled neither team will be too disappointed with the outcome. The Shippy may have felt that they should have capitalised on the extra man they had for the final 35 minutes following a red card for United defender Sean Preston, however, the visitors didn’t offer up too many chances and held on reasonably comfortably for their point. Youngster Finlay Russell was in goals again and he can be extremely proud of his performance as he turned in a display that was assured and confident and belied his tender years. Mark James, Tony McAndrew, Ben Anthony along with Russell came into the team replacing Ryan Couser, Kearyn Hicks, Dan McBay and Conor Schiavone.
Russell was sharp off his line in the 4th minute to thwart any danger, however, the keeper was beaten a minute later when the Shipyard defence failed to deal with a ball crossed into the box and Scott Bruce slammed the ball home to give Oakley an early lead. The Shippy spurned a great chance to draw level when Kris Murphy and Michael Gibb combined to set up B. Anthony but Oakley keeper Blair Gallacher blocked the close-range effort with an outstretched leg. The equaliser in the 20th minute with a well-worked goal. Darrell Anthony played a great ball out wide to his brother Ben and when the latter’s cross came in Murphy was on hand to knock the ball past Gallacher from around six yards. Russell made a good save just a minute after the goal and he was even more impressive with a double save in the 35th minute when he initially saved with his leg and then leapt acrobatically to push the ball away at the expense of a corner. Gibb shot straight at the keeper from a good position in the 42nd minute and Blair Kerr was blocked by a last-ditch tackle as he was about to pull the trigger as the first half moved into added time.
Russell held a shot from Oakley fullback Reece Strachan before Murphy had the ball in the net again only for it to be ruled offside, though it may have been B. Anthony who was penalised. A major flashpoint occurred in the 55th minute when B. Anthony and Preston clashed near the touchline with a bit of pushing and shoving before the United player seemed to headbutt Anthony. The referee showed Preston a red card and cautioned the Shippy man for his part in the altercation. A Kerr freekick looked destined for the bottom corner until Gallacher, at full stretch, pushed the ball away to safety. At the other end Russell leapt to palm away a headed attempt following a freekick played into the Shipyard box.
Manager Lee Richardson said after the match “We didn’t put them under enough pressure when we had the extra man. We probably created more when it was eleven aside. Nonetheless, it was a much-improved performance after last week’s disappointment. We defended much better today and young Finlay was outstanding in goal.”
Next week we are on Scottish Cup duty as we welcome Dunipace to Burntisland. Kick-off time for this one is at 3.00pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: F. Russell; D. Brockie; K. Crielly; E. Bauld; M. James (K. Ritchie); D. Anthony; A. McAndrew (J. Galloway); B. Kerr; K. Murphy (L. Taylor); B. Anthony; M. Gibb. Unused Subs: C. McBay; D. McBay; C. Lewis; E. McQuade.
Oakley United: B. Gallacher; A. Gallacher; R. Strachan; S. Preston; B. McAdam; A. Wilson; C. MacDonald; T. Simpson; R. Cowie; A. Penman; S. Bruce. Subs: L. Dawson; J. Irvine; D. O’Hara; D. Murray; L. Cairns; R. Yapoudjian; S. Mackinnon.
The Shipyard exited the South Region Challenge Cup with barely a whimper as they lost 6-1 to premier division Glenrothes at Recreation Park on Saturday. A catalogue of errors was their undoing as the Glens let 4-1 at the interval, with only a sensational strike from Mikey Gibb, levelling the match at 1-1, giving the Shippy faithful something to savour. Manager Lee Richardson rung the changes following the match at Armadale last week with Ryan Couser returning in goals, joining Kearyn Hicks, Dan McBay and Kris Murphy in the starting eleven. Finlay Russell, Tony McAndrew, Kierren Ritchie and Liam Taylor were the ones who dropped out.
The Shipyard defence coughed up an opportunity to Stuart Cargill in the 10th minute and the veteran striker didn’t need a second invitation as he lashed the ball home from the edge of the box. The Shippy were level in the 19th minute thanks to a great finish from Gibb. He outpaced Blair Smart to burst clear before he measured a great curling left foot shot into the top corner. Unfortunately for the Shippy they were unable to build on the equaliser as they conceded a needless second only a couple of minutes later. Confusion at the back led to the ball falling to Cargill inside the area and he placed the ball beyond Couser for his second of the match. Couser saved well from Lea Schiavone and at the other end Riley Laing also produced a good save denying the Shipyard’s Schiavone, Conor. The roof caved in on the Shippy in the final five minutes of the half as the Glens added another two goals thanks to Cammy Muirhead and Jay Bridgeford with questions again being asked about the defending. Murphy hooked wide for the Shippy seconds before the half-time whistle blew.
Jordan Galloway replaced Dan McBay before the start of the second period. Gibby shot wide as the Shippy made a promising start to the half but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished as Bridgeford got another goal in the 48th minute. The rest of the match saw a whole host of substitutions from both teams as the visitors comfortably kept control of the game with neither team creating too much until the final minute when Muirhead also grabbed a brace as the Glens netted their sixth goal of the match.
Richardson was critical of his defence when he said after the match “The defending, particularly in the first half, was not good enough. We can’t give those type of chances to the calibre of forwards that Glenrothes have. I thought that when Gibby equalised it might have settled us but to concede within two minutes, in such a manner was very disappointing.”
We return to league action on Saturday (24/08/2024) with a visit from Fife neighbours Oakley United. Kick-off is at the usual time of 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie (C. McBay); K. Crielly; E. Bauld (M. Robertson); K. Hicks; D. Anthony; D. McBay (J. Galloway); B. Kerr (K. Beard); K. Murphy; M. Gibb (K. Ritchie); C. Schiavone. Unused Subs: A. McAndrew & L. Taylor.
Glenrothes: R. Laing; C. Tully; A. McDonald; C. Wilson; B. Smart; C. Thomson; L. Schiavone; J. Watson; C. Muirhead; S. Cargill; J. Bridgeford. Subs: R. Dyce; A. Ramzan; R. Gait; J. Mackenzie; S. Allan; P. Thomson; I. McManus.
The Shipyard went down 2-0 to league leaders Armadale Thistle at Volunteer Park on Saturday, however, the Dale were made to work hard for their victory and it wasn’t until the 89th minute that they secured the win with their second goal and in the process, condemned the Shippy to their first league defeat of the season. The Shipyard were forced into four changes from the side that won just along the road at Bathgate on Wednesday night with captain Iain Millar injured and Ryan Couser, Matty Robertson and Kris Murphy all unavailable. Couser’s absence meant a debut for 17 year old keeper Finlay Russell and the youngster can be proud of his performance as he produced an assured display showing no lack of confidence. Kieran Crielly, Conor Schiavone and Kierren Ritchie were the others who came into the starting eleven.
Unfortunately for the Shippy they conceded an early goal as Armadale took the lead with only seven minutes on the clock. A through ball caught out the visitor’s defence and Robbie Feeney found himself with time and space to beat Russell from inside the box. The Shippy responded well and good build up saw Schiavone lay the ball off to Blair Kerr, however, the midfielders shot was blocked. In the 16th minute Liam Taylor picked up the ball just outside the area but couldn’t keep his strike on target. The Shippy went mighty close three minutes later through Mikey Gibb as he lashed the ball off the underside of the bar and Kerr saw his follow up blocked. Armadale went close when a corner was allowed to bounce in the box, however, the defence was able to clear the danger before the ball crossed the line. Russell then made a good save to deny Aaron Ramage with 33 minutes on the clock.
Juwan Abubakar couldn’t get a decisive tough on the ball as it flashed across the face of the Shipyard goal in the 47th minute. The Shipyard weren’t getting forward as much in the second period as the hosts took a stronger grip on proceedings and in the 74th minute Russell saved with his foot to deny Craig Baillie. In the space of two minutes the Shippy defence did well to block a couple of efforts and sub Dan McBay was on hand to head another effort off the line. In a rare foray into the Dale box Schiavone headed over a Kerr cross as the match entered the final ten minutes. Substitute Ryan Robertson headed over before Armadale sealed the victory in the final minute. A quick break down the righthand side saw the ball played to Baillie who lashed the ball home giving Rusell no chance.
With no midweek fixture this coming week we will welcome Glenrothes to Recreation Park for a South Challenge Cup first round tie on Saturday (17/8/2024).
Armadale Thistle: A. Murphy; J. Sayers; J. Fairley (G. Hamilton); E. Herriot; D. Wilson; A. Higgins; J. Abubakar (K. Jackson); D. Kane; R. Feeney (B. Stewart); A. Ramage (R. Robertson); C. Baillie. Unused Subs: C. Neilson & S. McLeod.
Burntisland Shipyard: F. Russell; D. Brockie (K. Beard); K. Crielly; E. Bauld; M. Gibb; D. Anthony; A. McAndrew (J. Galloway); B. Kerr; C. Schiavone; K. Ritchie (E. McQuade); L. Taylor (D. McBay).
The Shipyard maintained their 100% start to the league campaign but had to come from behind to do so at Creamery Park on Wednesday night. After conceding in the 19th minute the Shippy were level four minutes later and two quick goals as the interval approached had the visitors 3-1 ahead at the break. Despite being pegged back in the 53rd minute the Shipyard comfortably repelled the Bathgate attacks and they scored a sensational fourth goal in the 88th minute to ensure the win.
Unsurprisingly, there were no changes to the team that started against Stirling University on Friday night though the bench was strengthened by the return of Ben Anthony and Conor Schiavone. Mark James remained side-lined through injury.
The Shippy created their first chance in the 4th minute when Mikey Gibb broke down the right-hand side and when he delivered his cross Kris Murphy poked the ball narrowly wide from around six yards. Gibb was involved again in the 10th minute as he again found space in behind the Thistle defence. He had to hurdle over a wild challenge as keeper Craig Saunders charged from his goal and although Gibby got a shot away from a tight angle, it didn’t have the power to find the net. Glen Thomson shot just over for Bathgate following a quick throw in and five minutes later the hosts took the lead. Again, the Shippy defence were caught napping when a free kick was played into the box and Alistair McInnes had time and space inside the area to put the ball into the net. The Shipyard equalised four minute later when Gibb got on the end of a ball played over the top by Matty Robertson and he showed great composure as he slotted the ball beyond Saunders. The Shipyard suffered a blow in the 25th minute as captain Iain Millar had to be replaced as he pulled up with a hamstring injury, Schiavone came on and Gibb dropped back into the defence. Murphy put his team ahead in the 37th minute when he gathered a loose ball at the edge of the box and stroked the ball home in off the post. Liam Taylor scored an almost carbon copy goal two minutes later, again with the ball going in off the post. Both goals came about thanks to the Shippy forwards pressing the ball high up the park.
McInnes brought his team back into the match in the 53rd minute when he capitalised on some hesitation in the Shippy defence, reducing the arrears to one. The hosts were spurred on by this and were enjoying their best spell in the match throwing a lot of crosses into the box, however, Couser comfortably dealt with everything that was coming his way. Blair Kerr saw his shot held and substitute B. Anthony was foiled on a couple of occasions. Talking about saving the best until last!! This was certainly the case as the Shippy sealed the win with a sensational strike. Thistle keeper Saunders cleared the ball from the edge of his area but the ball only found Schiavone some 40 yards out and he unleashed an incredible strike over the stranded keeper and into the back of the net.
Assistant manager Fergus Lockhart spoke after the match when he said “I thought the boys showed a lot of character tonight as they put a couple of setbacks behind them and got on with it. As the squad starts to gel, I can see the confidence starting to grow.”
Bathgate Thistle: C. Saunders; K. Mooney; J. Macadam; H. Maguire; G. Dryden; L. Peddie; M. Campbell; F. Cormack; A. McInnes; G. Thomson; J. Rodger. Subs: R. Stevenson; L. Smith; G. MacDonald; F. Mackay; J. Mairs; R. Wilson; C. Thomson.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie; M. Robertson; I. Millar (C. Schiavone); E. Beard; D. Anthony; A. McAndrew (D. McBay); B. Kerr (J. Galloway); K. Murphy (B. Anthony); L. Taylor (K. Ritchie); M. Gibb. Unused Subs: K. Crielly & F. Russell.
The Shipyard got their league campaign off to a flying start with an emphatic 4-0 win over Stirling University at Recreation Park on Friday night. Goals from Liam Taylor, Michael Gibb, Kris Murphy and Darrell Anthony had manager Lee Richardson in a joyous mood, and when he spoke after the match he said “That was night and day from Saturday’s performance at Livingston. Tonight, the boys played to a system they were asked to and as everyone could see, it worked. My three strikers all scored and I thought that we scored some fantastic goals.” He went on to say “I have to praise my defence too as they also did what was asked of them. Stirling posed us problems but we defended well and Ryan Couser was impressive in keeping a clean sheet.” Murphy, Blair Kerr and Club captain Iain Millar returned to the starting eleven with Ellis McQuade, Jordan Galloway and Cammy Lewis dropping out. Lewis was able to take a place on the bench as he had recovered from the injury he picked up last Saturday.
Shippy players celebrate 4th goal. Pic courtesy of J. Brown.
The match kicked off in front of a healthy crowd of 142, with several well-known ground hopper in attendance, looking to enjoy their fill of Friday night football. It didn’t take long for them to see some goal action as the Shippy took the lead in the 7th minute. Taylor received the ball just outside the box and he worked his way into the area then picked his spot with a composed finish from around sixteen yards. Gibb doubled the lead in the 19th minute when he gathered the ball eighteen yards out and smashed it into the bottom corner. The visitors were never out of it and Couser was forced into a couple of decent saves as the students got forward at every opportunity to try and get back into the match.
The second half started with the lights on amid the gathering gloom and it was the visitors who started the better though Couser was not overly stretched. The Shipyard increased their lead to three in the 61st minute when Murphy headed home from a corner. Despite the best efforts of the Stirling defence the big striker’s effort found its way over the line. The Shippy kept searching for more goals and a fourth arrived in the 87th minute. This time it was Anthony who scored as he drove in a powerful shot from the edge of the box.
There is midweek action on Wednesday as we travel Creamery Park to face Bathgate Thistle in league action. Kick-off for this one is at 7.15pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie; M. Robertson (K. Crielly); E. Bauld; I. Millar; D. Anthony; T. McAndrew (D. McBay); B. Kerr (J. Galloway); K. Murphy (K. Ritchie); M. Gibb; L. Taylor (C. Lewis). Unused Subs: M. Moodie & F. Russell.
Stirling University: S. McDermott; L. Stewart; J. Farrell; O. Hunter; A. Penman; B. Craig-Hislop; D. Mason Bone; R. Lennon; L. Danquah; C. Myles; J. Elliott. Subs: L. Dobson; B. Moule; C. Doan; C. Shiels.
