Thirty minutes into the match and all your roving reporter had noted was that three times he had to retrieve the match ball from the trees. It was that type of game, it was dour, it lacked quality, the strong wind blowing down the park didn’t help matters and ultimately not many chances were created. It always looked like a mistake could settle the match and that’s how it turned out as the Shipyard defence missed a long high ball and Jordan Devine gathered it, bore down on goals and showed composure as he fired the ball through Ryan Couser’s legs to net the only goal of the match with 89 minutes on the clock. Ethan Bauld and Kris Murphy returned to the starting eleven replacing Mark James and Kierren Ritchie. Ben Anthony returned from holiday and Matty Robertson who had served his suspension took their places on the bench, though unfortunately, Robertson only lasted ten minutes before he had to limp off injured.
Both teams huffed and puffed as they struggled to deal with the conditions and it was not until the 33rd minute that a clear cut chance materialised. It came the way of the Shippy as Mikey Gibb controlled a long ball and burst into the area; however, the ball wouldn’t sit for him and although he got his shot away Bathgate keeper Cody Thomson was able to push the ball away and the danger was cleared. That was it for the first forty five minutes.
The second half saw a bit more action with Gibb shooting high and wide in the 52nd minute and Couser produced a fine reaction save as he blocked a close range header three minutes later. In the 77th minute Bathgate were harshly reduced to ten men with Ryan Stevenson seeing red for pulling back Gibby as he broke forward. It looked like at least one Thistle defender could have covered the run but the referee thought otherwise. The match still meandered along until that 89th minute breakthrough. Deep into added time Shipyard threw everyone up for a corner including keeper Couser and had Thomson been switched on when he caught the ball he may well have scored as when he eventually launched the ball up the park it took a brilliant goal line clearance from Daniel Brockie to keep the ball out.
After the match manager Lee Richardson could not hide his disappointment when he said “I can’t believe we lost that today. I didn’t think they troubled us much at all and ultimately one mistake has cost us dearly. We didn’t carry a lot of threat either to be fair, however, I thought we should have won it. Gibby has a couple of decent chances, particularly the one in the first half but I can’t rely on him every week. I need others to be chipping in with goals too.”
There is Friday night action this week as we welcome Dalkeith Thistle to Recreation Park. Kick-off for this one is at 7.45pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie; E. Jowitt; E. Bauld; I. Millar (M. Robertson 65’) (K. Crielly 74’); A. McAndrew (B. Anthony 65’); C. Bell (S. Forster 93’); D. McBay; K. Murphy; J. Galloway; M. Gibb. Unused Subs: E. McQuade; K. Beard; K. Ritchie.
Bathgate Thistle: C. Thomson; R. Stevenson; N. Williamson; S. McMillan; J. Macadam; L. Peddie (J. Rodger 65’); M. Campbell; F. Cormack; R. Wilson (F. McKay 65’) (J. Brown 90’); G. Thomson (K. Mooney 83’); Z. Mooney (J. Devine 65’). Unused Subs: M. Morton & R. McGill.
The Shipyard slipped to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Edinburgh College at the Oriam on Saturday. The hosts had the better of the possession and maybe slightly more chances, however, that being said, Ryan Couser was not pulling off save after save, with most of his work routine. There were no fewer than six changes to the starting eleven following last week’s disappointing result at West Calder with some enforced and some not.
College had the first chance in the 6th minute as Dylan Weldon broke clear, however, Couser saved his shot comfortably. Mikey Gibb then fired a good ball across the face of goals but there was no Shippy player able to get on the end of it. College took the lead in the 26th minute when they got the ball to the by-line and the cut back was smashed in off the underside of the bar by Blair Ramage. Shipyard responded quickly and were only behind for three minutes. New signing Cammy Bell broke down the left hand side and Gibb met his low driven cross and fired the ball into the roof of the net. Bell, himself went close when he shot just wide after getting on the end of a Tony McAndrew pass. Gibby then got sent clear by a ball from Dan McBay but his shot was well off target. Couser was then called into action again as he tipped over a Weldon drive. Jordan Galloway then had two glimpses of goal as he firstly headed a Gibb cross wide and then shot straight at keeper Brandyn Bain after good work from Bell.
In the 56th minute Ramage’s shot was held by Couser, while at the other end a Galloway corner was begging to be knocked home but no Shippy player couldn’t make contact with the ball. College regained the lead in the 69th minute when they were allowed to get down the righthand side and when the ball was played across the face of goal the unmarked Kyle Robertson was on hand to score at the back post. It was a goal that had the Shipyard management team less than impressed. Gibby drove forward in the 74th minute but his effort was comfortably gathered by Bain. Shippy were throwing caution to the wind now and had Iain Millar up front and they had a good chance with ten minutes remaining when big Millzy flicked on a free kick but from a narrow angle substitute Blair Kerr couldn’t find the net. D. McBay shot wide as Shipyard searched in vain for an equaliser and as the game moved into added time Couser was on his toes as he held an attempt just under his crossbar. Elliot Jowitt had recovered from injury and slotted in at left back then also part of a back three and could be very pleased with his man of the match performance.
After two difficult away trips we return to Recreation Park on Saturday (26/11/2024) for another tough game as we welcome Bathgate Thistle to Burntisland for a league match. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
Edinburgh College: B. Bain; M. Snedden; L. Alexander; L. Bushnell; J. Chapman; J. Cook; O. Main (G. Balde 50’); D. Weldon (M. Delgarno 88’); B. Ramage; K. Robertson; L. Graham (B. McCamley 85’). Unused Subs: M. Robertson; C. Tress; J. Fital.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie (C. McBay 58’); E. Jowitt; M. James (K. Beard 78’); I. Millar; A. McAndrew (E. Bauld 65’); C. Bell; J. Galloway (J. Hopton 78’); K. Ritchie (B. Kerr 58’); D. McBay; M. Gibb. Unused Subs: E. McQuade & K. Crielly.
The Shipyard slumped to a 4-1 defeat against West Calder United at a rain lashed Hermand Park on Saturday afternoon. Shippy were masters of their own downfall as some poor finishing and equally bad defending allowed the hosts to complete a league double over Shipyard and consolidate their position in second place. A win for Shipyard would have seen the visitors take that second place, therefore, it was a very disappointing result indeed. Daniel Brockie, Ethan Bauld and Darrell Anthony all returned to the starting eleven having been unavailable last week replacing Iain Millar, Jordan Galloway and the suspended Matty Robertson.
Shippy created the first opportunity of the match when Kris Murphy headed a Stuart Forster corner off target. Ryan Couser saved well from close range before West Calder were awarded a penalty in the 7th minute following a foul by Dan McBay in the penalty area. Andrew Jackson stepped up and sent Couser the wrong way to give his side an early lead. Couser then saved smartly with his legs to thwart the West Calder forward. Forster then broke away for Shippy but despite getting into the area he couldn’t get his shot away. Shipyard were enjoying a spell of pressure with Anthony shooting straight at the keeper. In the 19th minute McBay drove inches wide from the edge of the box. A long throw from Brockie caused panic in the West Calder box and Forster missed a chance to bring Shipyard level. Couser saved an effort that was straight at him in the 29th minute as the game swung from end to end. The big keeper’s tremendous distribution then sent Mikey Gibb away, however, Gibby shot was blocked by the home defence. Gary Fallon headed over following a short corner for the hosts, while at the other end good work from Forster set up a chance for Murphy but the big striker’s shot was held by United keeper Ryan MacIndoe. Shippy got the equaliser they deserved on the stroke of half-time when a Forster cross was knocked home at the back post by Anthony.
A great flowing move in the 53rd minute almost gave the visitors the lead as Tony McAndrew and Gibb combined to cross for Murphy, however, his effort whistled just passed the post. Shipyard were made to pay for their misses when West Calder regained the lead. The defence couldn’t clear the danger and when the ball broke to Scott Hay, he volleyed the ball beyond Couser and into the roof of the net. Gibby shot wide in the 59th minute before the play quickly switched to the other end where Steven Jackson drove wide and seconds later Couser pulled off a great save from Jamie McAllister. West Calder were dominating proceedings now as Couser denied Hay and only some last ditch defending kept the score at 2-1. Shipyard conceded a poor third goal as possession was given up all to easily and McAllister drove forward and fired the ball into the corner of the net as the game entered the final fifteen minutes. Shipyard could have pulled a goal back a minute later when a corner was flicked on to Murphy at the back post, however, the big man failed to find the target. Another long ball caught out the Shippy defence and McAllister grabbed his second and, in the process, secured the three points for his team with eleven minutes remaining. Having used all their substitutes Shipyard were forced to finish the match with ten men after Anthony had to be helped off following a challenge in the centre circle.
Manager Lee Richardson didn’t mince his words after the match when he said “We were really poor today, particularly in the second half. Defensively we were all at sea and had Ryan to thank on several occasions. At the other end I thought we were good in that we created a lot of chances; however, our finishing was not up to standard as we lacked composure and never troubled their keeper often enough as too many attempts off target.”
Next week we are on the road again with Edinburgh College the opposition in the league. Kick off at the Oriam is 3.00pm.
West Calder United: R. MacIndoe; S. Jackson; G. Fallon; J. Pow (D. Robertson 54’); J. McCullagh (K. Ross 54’); S. Hay (A. Morgan 80’); J. Gregory; J. McAllister; H. Maguire (M. Wilkins 54’); A. Arthur; A. Jackson (K. Sweeney 80’). Unused Subs: M. Zata & J. Laing.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie (O. Farley 78’); E. McQuade (Trialist 46’); E. Bauld; K. Crielly (B. Kerr 63’); D. Anthony; A. McAndrew; D. McBay (S. Strang 63’); K. Murphy; S. Forster (k. Ritchie 63’); M. Gibb. Unused Subs: E. Jowitt & R. MacDougall.
A superb second half display from ten man Shippy blew Peebles Rovers away at Recreation Park on Saturday. Despite having Matty Robertson sent off seconds before half time, the Shipyard players simply rolled up their sleeves and fought tooth and nail to gain, at the end of the day, a very much deserved win. There was no doubt that the visitors were the better team in the first half, however, a possible sense of injustice galvanised Shippy and a sensational hat-trick from Michael Gibb saw Shipyard win somewhat comfortably when the dust had settled. It was a much changed Shipyard that took the field following last week’s cup match with Daniel Brockie, Mark James, Darrell Anthony, Ben Anthony, Blair Kerr, Kierren Ritchie and Elliot Jowitt all dropping out through injury or unavailability though Kerr and Ritchie were on the bench. Robertson, Ellis McQuade, Tony McAndrew and Jordan Galloway were all promoted from the bench and there was a start for trialist Stuart Forster.
Peebles started brightly and were passing the ball well and stretching the Shippy defence and an early attack caused some panic at the back before the ball was scrambled clear. Balls over the top were also causing problems, however, nothing seriously troubled Ryan Couser in the Shipyard goals. A short corner was worked to Forster and his driven shot was parried away by Peebles keeper Jordan Moffat. A dangerous ball into Shippy’s box was cleared and at the other end Kris Murphy’s angled shot was not too far away. A Dan McBay shot was pushed out by Moffat before the game blew up shortly before the interval. A Rovers free kick was blocked and the loose ball was then headed onto the roof of the net amid a ruck of players. It was difficult to see what sparked the incident that followed but Peebles player Jamie Mackay was on the ground kicking out at Shipyard players. Nearly every player was involved, including Moffat who ran the whole length of the pitch to take part. There were several cards shown including a red for Robertson, however, how no Peebles player saw red was quite frankly astonishing, with only Mackay receiving a yellow for his part in the melee.
Manager Lee Richardson sacrificed Forster to bolster his defence as he introduced Craig McBay as a direct replacement for Robertson. Despite having a numerical advantage, the visitors were not troubling Couser and it was Shippy who looked more dangerous going forward. Moffat pulled off a decent save from a left foot Gibb shot after 62 minutes but a minute later Gibby broke the deadlock as he burst forward and drove the ball into the net. Kerr came on for McAndrew in the 66th minute and he had an almost instant impact as three minutes later he created the second goal. Kerr gathered the ball on the halfway line and he drove forward and delivered a cross that was just begging to be netted and Gibby duly obliged scoring from around six yards. Kerr might have had a goal himself after he burst clear of the Rovers defence, however, the young midfielder shot narrowly wide. Richardson had introduced youngsters Jack Hopton and Ryan Sharp with the former giving the visitors something different to think about with his direct running and a good run saw his shot saved by Moffat. Another short corner from Shippy saw the ball worked to D. McBay but unfortunately his strike flew over. With a minute remaining Gibb completed his hat-trick as he broke clear from halfway and kept his composure before driving the ball into the corner of the net.
Richardson said after the game “We did not press them well enough in the first half and didn’t get our tackles in, that being said, I didn’t think that they created much in the way of chances.” When asked about the turnaround after the interval he said “We had a bit go at them in the dressing room, asking for more as we were a man down and needed to be sharper. And what was a tremendous second half performance we got, especially given we only had ten men. You would never have thought it though as we created a good few chances. I’m delighted for Gibby. He’s had a slight injury recently but he never let it hamper him as he covered every blade of grass.” He went on to say, “The young boys also did themselves proud with their contribution to the team after coming on, in what was quite a feisty encounter.”
Next week we travel to Hermand Park to face West Calder United for another league fixture. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; M. Robertson; E. McQuade; K. Crielly; I. Millar; D. McBay; T. McAndrew (B. Kerr 65’); J. Galloway (R. Sharp 80’); K. Murphy (J. Hopton 70’); S. Forster (C. McBay 46’); M. Gibb. Unused Subs: O. Farley; S. Strang; K. Ritchie.
Peebles Rovers: J. Moffat; C. Riddell; B. Brown; K. Kivlichan; S. Inglis; S. Robertson; J. Mackay; N. McDonald; M. Joyce; S. Latto; F. Stewart. Subs: S. Taylor; G. Lamb; L. Maclean; H. McGill; J. Dodds; C. Robertson.
“We simply never turned up” That’s how manager Lee Richardson summed things up when he spoke after the match. He went on to add “There were too many players not at it today and when you concede goals like we did in the first half, then you are up against it. Gibby’s goal got us back into it but to concede again so soon after finished it.” Lee then spoke about a lack of threat in front of goal when he said “We did not create near enough chances today and my choices were limited with Kris and Liam unavailable to me. They would have offered something different, Kris with his height and strength and Liam with his pace.”
Michael Gibb and Kierren Ritchie replaced the aforementioned Kris Murphy and Tony McAndrew in the starting eleven following last week’s win at Harthill as the Shippy looked to progress to the second round of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup for the first time in a while.
A crowd of over 250 were inside Recreation Park for the match with a healthy contingent from Irvine amongst the number enjoying the autumn sunshine. A free kick from Meadow captain David Anderson whistled just wide of the target in the seventh minute while at the other end Ben Anthony saw his left foot effort go over the bar following a good turn at the edge of the box. The visitors took the lead in the 25th through a highly avoidable goal when an Anderson corner was volleyed home at the back post by the unmarked Jack McDowall. Dean Currie then scored a similar goal from another Anderson corner in the 39th minute leaving Shippy with an uphill struggle. It would have been three but for the bravery of Shipyard keeper Ryan Couser who took a venomous close range drive square on the nose. Thankfully, the big keeper recovered after a couple of minutes of treatment. Shipyard were dealt a blow at the interval though with captain Iain Millar unable to resume following an injury to his shoulder he picked up during the first half.
Shipyard pulled a goal back in the 66th minute when Gibb chased a long ball and beat the retreating defender and keeper Jamie Barclay to the ball, and he headed it into the empty net from around the edge of the area. Unfortunately, Shippy couldn’t build on the chance to get back into the match and conceded a third goal in the 72nd minute when substitute Greg Cree was allowed to cut in from the left and he drilled the ball home. Shipyard created an opening in the 87th minute and amid a bit of a scramble Meadow cleared the ball off the line and averted the danger. Couser made a good save in the 88th minute, however, he was beaten for a fourth time when Cree scored his second goal deep into added time. At the end of the day, it was a deserved win for Irvine Meadow XI, but the Shipyard players can be proud of their efforts in the cup this season having beaten a good Dunipace side to reach this stage only to lose out to their West of Scotland League opponents.
It’s back to league action next Saturday as we welcome Peebles Rovers to Recreation Park. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie; K. Crielly (E. Jowitt 46’); M. James; I. Millar (E. Bauld 46’); D. Anthony (M. Robertson 51’); D. McBay; B. Kerr (A. McAndrew 46’); K. Ritchie (J. Galloway 46’); B. Anthony; M. Gibb. Unused Subs: C. McBay & E. McQuade.
Irvine Meadow XI: J. Barclay; G. Sewell; S. Gallacher; L. Kennedy (E. O’Hare 71’); D. Currie; D. Anderson; T. Cruden (G. Cree 61’); J. McDowall (S. McBryde 84’); L. Neilson (E. Baird 61’); H. Gilmour; J. Gallacher. Unused Subs: S. Davidson; B. Sharpe; J. Lynn.
The Shipyard climbed four places up the league table and into fifth place following a late winning goal, courtesy of Darrell Anthony’s header three minutes from time against newly promoted Harthill Royal on Saturday. Following what manager Lee Richardson described as “A very poor first half performance” his team improved after the break and got what was felt to be a deserved win at the end of the day. Ryan Couser returned after serving a one match suspension against Kennoway and he marked his return with a clean sheet and a solid display a Gibbshill Park as he produced a few good saves. Liam Taylor and Michael Gibb remained sidelined through injury though Mark James, Kris Murphy and Ben Anthony all returned to the starting eleven.
The hosts were on top for much of the first half with Kevin Kalala going close on a couple of occasions. They also forced several corners during the half, however, Shippy dealt with their set pieces well though Couser had to be alert to a free kick shortly before the break. A shot from D. Anthony was the closest the visitors came to opening their account.
Shipyard started much brighter in the second period with James going close following a corner thirty seconds into the half. Darrell then hit the post before brother Ben put the ball wide as he followed up. B. Anthony saw a shot saved before James went close again from the resultant corner. Couser saved well from Jeremiah Otonti as Harthill broke quickly. Half time substitute Ellis McQuade had to be replaced himself late in the match as a head knock forced him off. McQuade’s replacement Matty Robertson forced a good save from Royal keeper David Thomson before Shipyard scored what turned out to be the winner in the 87th minute. A long throw from Daniel Brockie was headed on by Iain Millar and Darrell was on hand at the back post to head into the net.
Richardson was much happier with the second half performance as he said “They got a bit of a roasting at half time, and it seemed to work as we were much more at it. We had much more possession and created a few chances and ultimately got the winner. I am delighted to get the three points.”
Next week our focus returns to the Scottish Cup as Irvine Meadow XI visit Recreation Park for our first-round tie. Kick-off is at 3.00pm.
Harthill Royal: D. Thomson; T. Sigauke; J. McNie; G. Moore; P. Luak; L. Paton; J. Otonti (C. Morrison); F. Hall; D. Klienman (P. Glibowski); K. Kalala; D. Strickland (A. Cross). Unused Subs: C. McDougall; E. Buchanan; M. Butler; R. Javed.
Burntisland Shipyard: R. Couser; D. Brockie; K. Crielly (E. Jowitt 65’); M. James; I. Millar; D. Anthony; A. McAndrew (J. Galloway 46’); B. Kerr; K. Murphy; B. Anthony (K. Ritchie 74’); D. McBay (E. McQuade 46’) (M. Robertson 79’). Unused Subs: E. Bauld & C. McBay.
