As a mark of respect the Fife Cup match at Lumphinnans this Saturday has been postponed.

A severely depleted Shipyard team braved a storming second half fight-back from Cupar so score a late late winner and secure a deserved win in this league match at Recreation Park. With Ferrier and McAndrew suspended and a few others unavailable, the shipyard were down to 13 players, but no-one let their manager down as everyone gave their all to keep the recent good run going. Having had a lot of work done to the pitch over the last week or so, it was in reasonable condition for the match.

The Shipyard were the first team to have an attempt, however, Gray’s shot from distance was well over the bar. Cupar replied a couple of minutes later with a similar effort. In the 6^th minute Gray went even closer when he volleyed just over the bar from around 25 yards. The Shipyard took the lead in the 11^th minute when Grieve’s ball into the box was headed in the direction of Craig Russell who produced a fine volleyed finish over the out rushing McEwan in the Cupar goals. Grieve then hit a tremendous shot from all of 40 yards that McEwan got behind to make the save. Martin in the Shipyard goals saw his first real action in the 23^rd minute when he had to scramble to gather the ball at the second attempt as the Cupar forwards closed in. Martin was called into action again in the 28^th minute when he did well to parry a shot out. The ball dropped to M. Reilly, but he could not direct his shot on target. Wilson showed good feet at the edge of the Cupar box to engineer a shooting opportunity, however, his well hit shot was straight at McEwan.

Cupar were almost level at the start of the second have when Sibanda headed goalwards from close range but, again Martin was on hand to make the save. The Shipyard then went straight up the park and doubled their lead with a fantastic goal. Paul Wilson showed great skill just inside the Cupar box, leaving two Cupar players in his wake, before unleashing a ferocious left-foot shot that gave McEwan absolutely no chance. This goal seemed to galvanise Cupar and they started to lay siege to the Shipyard goal. Martin gathered a high ball under pressure, before in the next minute he was penalised for bringing down the Cupar forward in the box. The referee deemed that two players had got back to cover and only issued a yellow card. Captain Anderson took the penalty kick, only to see Andy Martin dive low to his right to produce a fine save. Three minutes later in the 55^th Dow got onto the end of a long ball out of defence, but as he bore down on goal he was crowded out and the chance was lost. The Shipyard were made to rue that chance as a minute later Cupar got back into the game when a partially cleared corner was played back into the box and Barry Sibanda was on hand to glance the ball into the net. In the 61^st minute Whyte broke out of defence deep in the Shipyard half and ran all the way to the edge of the Cupar area, but his right foot shot lacked power and was easily held. Sibanda was a constant threat to the Shipyard and he went close when he headed just wide from a corner. In the 65^th minute he was to get on the score sheet again when he converted another penalty that Cupar were awarded. This time the award was not so clear cut as the referee had deemed that Whyte had fouled Sibanda wide on the right hand side of the box. Sibanda blasted the kick straight down the middle to beat Martin. Cupar had dominated the second half and were now looking for a winner and Boylan should have done better in the 73^rd minute instead of blasting over. Martin denied Sibanda hit hat-trick as he got out quick to block him after a poor pass back. Stuart Gray passed up a superb chance for the Shipyard when he found himself in acres of space, right in the middle of the Cupar box, however, he could not get great power on his shot and McEwan was able to gather the ball on his goal line. McInroy got on the end of a free kick in the Shipyard box but could not direct his shot on target. There was a sensational finish to the game when in stoppage time, Wilson’s shot from 10 yards was parried by McEwan, only for Gordon Grieve to rush in and slam the loose ball into the net to give the Shipyard the win. Manager Whitehead was naturally delighted and said “We kept going and showed a bit of belief. Previously we would have lost this type of game to Cupar, but today we showed what we can do. There was a couple of good finishes today and again Andy showed his quality with another penalty save. Bearing in mind we were short of a few players today it was a very pleasing result and performance”.

Teams: Burntisland Shipyard: Martin; Grieve; Brough; Williams; Whyte; Wilson; Hamilton; Cook; Russell; Dow; Gray. Unused Subs: Lamont; Gavin.

Cupar Hearts: McEwan; Fraser; Gilfillan; Anderson; McInroy; Halley; O’Leary; Boylan; M. Reilly; Beveridge; Sibanda. Subs: Crawford; Kane; Simpson; G. Reilly; Rintoul.

Referee: W. Anderson.

With Wallsgreen park frost bound the fixture was switched to Recreation Park which was playable after a morning inspection. The Shipyard took full advantage of being at home and chalked up a more comfortable victory than the scoreline suggested. A late goal from Bowhill made it a more difficult last few minutes than it could have been for the Shipyard, though in all fairness it was still the Shipyard that looked the more likely to score. The same eleven that thrashed Strathmiglo last week started again this week, with the only change being that Bryan Cook was added to the squad and took his place on the bench.

It took a while for the match to get going and it was not until the 6^th minute that the first attempt arrived when Ferrier shot over from the edge of the box. Russell fired in a shot that Bowhill keeper McFarlane fumbled round the post for a corner. When the ball broke to Bowhill’s Byrne just inside the Shipyard box, he could not keep his shot down and it sailed harmlessly over. In the 19^th minute a free-kick was fired across the Shipyard six yard line but there were no takers. The Shipyard broke the deadlock in the 21^st minute when Mark Hamilton found space just inside the area and his shot from 16yards seemed to take a slight deflection before nestling low into the corner of the net. Two minutes later Ferrier went on a good run, but when he got into the box and shot his effort was blocked. Craig Russell made it 2 – 0 on the half hour mark when the ball dropped to him in the box after a corner and he smashed the loose ball into the net from six yards. Ferrier was presented with another chance when Grieve found him with an excellent through ball, but unfortunately Ferrier’s finish was poor. Again Ferrier was in the thick of the action as half-time loomed. After good build up between Dow and McCue, Ferrier gathered the ball in the box only to be quickly closed down as he lined up a shot. Just on half-time Martin fumbled a free-kick and he had to react quickly to boot the ball clear.

In the 53^rd minute Ferrier showed good skill just outside the Bowhill box, where he turned his man and fired a powerful shot just over the bar. The Shipyard were enjoying a fair spell of pressure and when McCue fired in a dangerous low cross to the back post, Ferrier’s first time shot fizzed back across the face of goal and out for a goal kick. In the 65^th minute McCue then sent a wonderful 40 yard cross field pass to Dow, however, McFarlane did well to block his shot from the edge of the box. The Shipyard had a massive appeal for a penalty when S. Reilly, lying on the ground, appeared to control the ball with his hand. In fairness to the referee it would have been very difficult for him to see from the position he was in. Ferrier then saw a close range header cleared off the line as the Shipyard looked to sew the game up. In the 74^th minute Whyte stepped up to fire a 25 yard free-kick just wide. As the match entered the final fifteen minutes Bowhill were now starting to push the Shipyard defence back and C. McGuinness fired over from the edge of the box. Bowhill pulled a goal back when a cross from the left was met by substitute A. Reilly and his header looped over Martin and into the net. With five minutes to go McCue made ground down the Shipyard left and when his cross was met by Dow at the near post, he was frustrated to see it rebound back off the post and away to safety. Paul Wilson saw a shot held by McFarlane late on as the Shipyard comfortably held onto their lead in the closing minutes.

Billy Whitehead was very pleased after the game saying “I thought we were in control throughout the match and should have won more easily. Even though Bowhill got a goal back, I still remained confident we would win. The boys passed the ball very well in what were difficult underfoot conditions and they all deserve credit for their performance”.

Teams: Burntisland Shipyard: Martin; McAndrew; Brough; Williams; Whyte; McCue; Hamilton (Gray); Grieve; Russell (Wilson); Ferrier; Dow. Unused Subs: Lamont; Cook.

Bowhill Rovers: McFarlane; Oliver; Reid; S. Reilly; Kirkham; C. McGuinness; Martin; Kinnell; Moffat; Byrne; Gay. Substitutes: A. Reilly; Paterson; S. McGuiness; Digman.

Referee: J. Ross.

Strathmiglo were blown away by more than the strong wind as the Shipyard ran riot in the first half, taking a 6 – 0 lead into the break. It cannot be very often that a team wins 8 – 1 and the goalkeeper is the man of the match, however, that was the scenario today as Andy Martin enjoyed a remarkable match. The Shipyard starting eleven showed one change from last week with Grieve replacing the unavailable Cook. New signing Stuart Gray took his place amongst the substitutes.

The game got off to an amazing start as Andy Martin blocked a snap shot in the first minute. He then launched his wind assisted clearance deep into the Strath half where the ball took one bounce and flew over keeper Gibson to give the Shipyard the lead inside 45 seconds. Strathmiglo were playing some good football in the difficult conditions and Martin had to be alert to save a well struck shot at his near post. At the other end Russell twice tried his luck from distance, but Gibson was able to deal with both efforts. Strath were awarded a penalty in the 17^th minute when the referee adjudged that Williams had handled in the box. The decision did look harsh but that did not deter Martin as he fisted away the powerfully struck shot. That man Martin was in the thick of the action again in the 29^th minute. This time he held a free kick hit from around 22yards and cleared the ball early for Paul Ferrier to head the ball over a hesitant Gibson to double the lead. The Shipyard then scored three goals in a five minute spell as firstly, Gordon Grieve’s shot from 16yards was deflected into the top corner. The next goal was a well worked effort as Dow and Russell combined down the Shipyard right and the former’s cross was on a plate for Paul Ferrier to shoot home from 10yards. The Shipyard scored a fifth goal in the 39^th minute when Mark Brough found the corner of the net with his well placed 25yard free-kick. Martin was still doing his bit and saved well in first half stoppage time as he pushed a strong shot away. Incredibly there was still time for the Shipyard to score a sixth goal as McCue played a fine pass through to Craig Russell who stoked the ball beyond Gibson and into the net.

Obviously Strathmiglo were going to come very much into the match in the second half with the strong wind now behind them. However, it was the Shipyard who were the first to go close as Ferrier headed wide from McCue’s free-kick. McLaughlin of Strath saw his shot hit the outside of the post in the 49^th minute. Martin again showed his class in the 55^th minute as he touched a fiercely hit shot onto the crossbar. He was eventually beaten in the 57^th minute when the Strath forward turned the ball into the net from close range. Ex Shipyard man Leishman was doing his best to show his ability and shot from the edge of the box, but again Martin was equal to the task and saved well. The Shipyard were not being seen so much this half in an attacking force, though a good break out of defence from Whyte should have led to an opportunity being created. In the 74^th minute the Shipyard worked the ball up to Ferrier and when he tried to beat the defender in the box he was brought down for a penalty. Mark Brough did his usual job from the spot and put the Shipyard 7 – 1 up. Ferrier missed a great chance for his hat-trick in the 85^th minute when he was put clean through, however, he did not put enough angle on his shot and Gibson blocked it. It was to be Mark Brough who completed his Hat-trick when after three attempts, a Strathmiglo defender managed to get enough contact on Ferrier to bring him down for another spot kick. Brough again converted immaculately to round of the scoring. That was not to be the last of the action as the referee awarded the fourth penalty of the match, this time to Strath, for another harsh hand ball after a miscued clearance bounced up and hit a Shipyard player on the arm. The spot kick hit Martin’s right hand post, though he did dive the right way and was on hand to block the follow up.

Billy Whitehead was full of praise for his players and said “That was a fantastic performance, what quality, determination and professionalism every one of my players showed today, in what were very difficult conditions. I am really proud of them”.

Teams: Burntisland Shipyard: A. Martin; McAndrew; Brough; T. Williams; Whyte; McCue; Hamilton; Grieve (Wilson); Russell (Lamont); Ferrier; Dow (Gray).

Strathmiglo United: Gibson; Patrick; D. Baillie; Clark; Smith; Hampton; Anderson; Leishman; Woods; Simpson; McLaughlin; Subs: McIntosh; Main; Baxter; Spence; L. Baillie.

Referee: D. Campbell.

A goal in added time from substitute Gordon Grieve, with the Shipyard having eight men on the field at the time, secured a deserved victory in a hard fought match at Ballast Bank. With Inverkeithing down to ten men having received one red card and the Shipyard having two sent off and Lee Small off injured with all subs used, Grieve raced onto a through ball, rounded the keeper and rolled the ball into the corner of the net from a tight angle, sending the Shipyard sideline wild with delight. The joy was subdued though with Small looking to be seriously injured again, in only his second game back.

The Shipyard started off on the front foot and were denied what looked like a stonewall penalty in the 4^th minute when Ferrier was felled in the box, however, to both teams surprise the referee waved play on. Andy Martin saw his first action in the 8^th minute when he held a shot at the second attempt. A Hamilton free-kick in the 12^th minute almost caught out Mushet in the Inverkeithing goal when his floated ball into the box hit the top of the bar. Three times in as many minutes crosses into the Inverkeithing box were headed wide by Cook, McCue and Ferrier respectively. McCue was then presented with a great opportunity in the 23^rd minute but, Mushet was off his line quickly to avert the danger. Hamilton found space in the Inverkeithing box but dragged his left foot shot wide from 15 yards. Ferrier was keeping the Inverkeithing defence on their toes and he surged away from them in the 34^th minute, but his shot was just off target. Inverkeithing had a rare chance when Slimmings headed into the side netting after getting on the end of a free-kick from wide on the left. Inverkeithing were reduced to ten men in the 38^th minute when Strang received his second yellow card after the referee deemed he had dived. Ferrier burst through the Swifts defence again, this time the keeper done well to get a hand to his shot and Ferrier’s headed second attempt fell wide. The last chance of the first half saw Ferrier again in the thick of the action, this time his powerful shot from the edge of box was well over the bar.

The second half continued to follow the same pattern with the Shipyard on top but struggling to make the breakthrough. Ferrier got to the by-line only to see his low cross cut out by the keeper. However, in the 54^th minute when Ferrier got to the goal line again his cut back was knocked into the net by Craig Russell to put the Shippy one up. Cook headed wide from the centre of the goals from a Dow corner before the referee gave Ferrier a second yellow card when he adjudged he had committed a foul on Stewart. The Shipyard still kept up the pressure on the Swifts goal with both Dow and Small passing up reasonable chances. In the 75^th minute Hamilton shot wide from the edge of the box after good work from Russell. Mark Brough rattled the post from all of 25 yards from a free-kick with Mushet well beaten. Lee Small then had to be helped off in the 80^th minute after being on the end of a strong tackle in the midfield. The early diagnosis looks like he has ruptured his ankle ligaments and will be out for the rest of the season. Inverkeithing were now having a spell on top and one effort was headed wide from a good position. Miller tried his luck with a shot from distance that was not too far wide. A minute into added time saw McAndrew felled in the Inverkeithing box and again the claims were waved away by the ref. He then stopped play as the action moved to the other end of the park and gave McAndrew his second yellow card, accusing him of simulation. Although Inverkeithing held a two man advantage it was the Shipyard who had the last word as Gordon Grieve secured the win with his late strike.

Billy Whitehead was happy with the win and said “We were the better team throughout the match and I was confident we would score. I thought all the red cards were harsh, but we did very well when down to eight and Gogs capped it off with a great goal. Obviously the injury to Smally has put a dampener on things and hopefully he will recover quickly”.

Teams: Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts: Mushet; Morris; Jamieson; L. Slimmings; Dundas; Wilson; Miller; S. Slimmings; Strang; Stewart; Rennie. Subs: Briggs; Brechin; Stephens; Duddy; Fraser.

Burntisland Shipyard: Martin; McAndrew; Brough; Williams; Whyte; McCue (Small); Hamilton; Cook; Russell (Wilson); Ferrier; Dow (Grieve).

Referee: S. Rosner.

The Shipyard kicked off the New Year in fine style beating Balgonie Scotia by 8 goals to 2 at Recreation Park after a five week layoff due to the weather and festive shut down. Another big plus for the Shipyard was the return of Lee Small who made his competitive debut for the season as a second half substitute, after suffering a bad leg break in a pre season friendly. The pitch was in good condition after the recent wet spell, with the strong wind that had blown over part of the perimeter fence, now drying out the pitch.

It did not take the Shipyard or indeed Paul Ferrier long to blow off the cobwebs as he had the Shipyard 2 – 0 up inside two minutes. With the clock just passed the minute mark Ferrier gathered a through ball, rounded the keeper and hit the ball towards goal. A defender got back onto the line but made a hash of trying to clear the ball and it ended up in the back of the net. Before we had reached two minutes, Ferrier scored again when he gathered a poor clearance and lobbed the ball over Eadie in the Scotia goal to double the lead. Scotia did not let their heads go down and by the twentieth they were level. Firstly, in the 16^th minute Martin did not get to the ball at the edge of the box and Docherty was on hand to roll the loose ball into the empty net. Three minutes later it was all square as Johnston raced into the box with Grieve in hot pursuit, as Martin advanced Johnston put the ball behind him, though it seemed to be a strange connection, no one from the Balgonie ranks were complaining. Brough replied with a shot just wide for the Shipyard and then a corner from the Shipyard left was caught in the wind and had to be headed off the line. In the 27^th minute Ferrier gathered the ball in the box, turned and shot narrowly wide. Hamilton and Ferrier both tried to get a shot on target as the ball bounced around the Scotia box which was eventually cleared for a corner. The Shipyard regained the lead in the 35^th minute when Mark Brough’s free-kick from 20 odd yards took a wicked deflection off the wall and wrong footed Eadie and nestled in the corner of the net. The Shipyard scored again two minutes later, this time from the penalty spot after Dow had been brought down. Mark Brough stepped up and fired the ball into corner of the net giving Eadie no chance. Ferrier was striving to get his hat-trick and twice in a minute he had chances, however, both attempts did not cause the keeper too much trouble. Andy Martin in the Shipyard goal had to look lively to push a snap shot round the post for a corner.

Wilson came on for the injured Russell at the start of the second half as Balgonie had the first chance of the half. A McCue pass back was way short and the Balgonie forward latched onto the loose ball, initially Martin did not see the danger as the low sun seemed to be in his eyes, however, he stood up and then pulled off a good save. Good play down the Shipyard left from Dow and Brough ended with a cross from the former that McCue could not head on target. The Shipyard scored their fifth goal in the 54^th minute after great work by Ferrier in the box, he unselfishly squared the ball to Paul Wilson who had the easy task of knocking the ball over the line. Shortly after this everyone connected with the shipyard were heartened to see Lee Small return to action after his long layoff. In the 65^th minute McCue was again given a heading opportunity from a Dow cross, this time his effort was held by Eadie. Balgonie were still threatening with long diagonal balls over the shipyard defence, however, on each occasion Martin was up to the task holding the shots fired at him. A sixth goal arrived for the Shipyard in the 75^th minute and again it was Ferrier who provided the killer pass. This time he held the ball up before feeding Owen McCue who drilled the ball low into the net from around six yards. Balgonie were still testing Martin from long range, but it was the Shipyard who scored again with another penalty. Ferrier was unceremoniously brought down in the box and Mark Brough completed his hat-trick by blasting the ball high into the net. The best was saved till last however, as Owen McCue smashed a loose ball at the edge of the box right into the postage stamp for a fantastic goal to finish the scoring. Billy Whitehead was delighted after the match saying “Obviously we were a bit rusty on occasions after not playing and hardly training for weeks, but I can’t complain about the result or overall performance”.

Teams: Burntisland Shipyard: A. Martin; McAndrew; Brough; Grieve; Cook; Lamont (Small); Hamilton; McCue; Russell (Wilson); Ferrier; Dow (J. Williams). Unused sub: Gavin.

Balgonie Scotia: Eadie; Gourlay; Kerr; Sword; Donaldson; McKay; B. Martin; Docherty; Johnston; Thomson; Perrie. Subs: Valente; Kennedy; T. Martin McBride; Buist.

Referee: G. MacDonald.

The Shipyard went out of the Scottish Amateur Cup in tame fashion losing by the only goal of the game to St Mungo at Recreation Park. Fraser Reid in the St Mungo goal was rarely tested and Paul Duncanson’s strike in the 25^th minute was enough to win it for the Bishopbriggs side. The Shipyard were dealt a blow before kick-off with Paul Ferrier calling off sick. James Whyte and Andy Martin returned to the starting eleven in place of the aforementioned Ferrier and Scott Chalmers. The pitch comfortably passed a morning inspection, though as the match progressed underfoot conditions became steadily worse.

McCue saw a shot from distance in the 4^th minute easily gathered by Duncanson, before Hopes passed up a good chance for St Mungo in the 10^th minute when he latched onto a flick on but lobbed the advancing Martin and the bar. St Mungo were having more of the pressure, probably due to the strong wind behind them, though it was the Shipyard who were next to go close when after a Hamilton shot was blocked, Russell gathered the ball, turned and shot just over the bar.. In the 24^th minute Duncanson saw his shot turned away by Martin for a corner and from that corner he opened the scoring. The ball was only partially cleared and when it broke to Duncanson at the edge of the box his powerful drive flew into the Shipyard net. The Shipyard replied with a McCreadie header wide from a McCue corner, and then St Mungo also had a headed effort from a corner that Martin Saved comfortably. In a game of few chances a Williams free-kick from 22 yards in the 37^th minute flew a couple of feet over the bar in what was the last chance of the first half.

Although the Shipyard now had the conditions behind them it was St Mungo who still had the better of the exchanges and Williams had to make a perfectly timed challenged in the first minute of the second half. The game was now becoming very dour and it was not until the 61^st minute that either goal was threatened and it was St Mungo who again went close when a ball across the face of goal just eluded the inrushing forward. Dow had a shot that was straight at the keeper in the 64^th minute as the Shipyard struggled to make any headway against the well marshalled St Mungo defence with J. Chisholm dominating in the air. Martin had to make a decent double save in the 73^rd minute to keep the Shipyard in it and in the 80^th minute he also held a rising shot as St Mungo looked to finish the tie. Hamilton had a shot from the edge of the box held by Reid before a Brough free-kick in the 89^th minute stretched Reid as he had to get down low to his left to push the ball away for a corner. St Mungo held on without too much to worry about in the closing stages as they deservedly progressed to the next round.

After the match Billy Whitehead said “We just never turned up today, I’m very disappointed with the performance. We never got the ball wide on enough occasions as we usually do. St Mungo adapted to the conditions better than us and good luck to them in the next round”.

Teams: Burntisland Shipyard: A. Martin; McAndrew; Brough; Williams; Whyte; Dow; Hamilton; Cook; Russell (Grieve); McCreadie; McCue (Wilson). Unused Sub: Chalmers.

St Mungo: Reid; Taylor; Smart; Duff; J.Chisholm; C. Chisholm; McLaughlin; Duncanson; Docherty; Hopes; Pollard. Subs: Adamson; McClymont; Caldwell.

Referee: E. Donaldson.

The Shipyard eased into the 3^rd round of the Fife Cup with a comfortable victory over St Monans at Recreation Park. Three goals in a six minute spell midway through the first half put the Shipyard in command and a red card to Fraser Carr on the stroke of half-time made St Monans’ task almost impossible in the second half. The Shipyard added a couple more in the second half. However, a mixture of three changes being made and some sloppy play denied the spectators more goals to savour. The Shipyard team showed two changes from last week with the unavailable James Whyte being replaced by Owen McCue and Scott Chalmers replacing the rested Andy Martin.

St Monans created the first chance of the match but the shot was hit over the bar. The first opportunity for the Shipyard came through a set piece that saw McCue strike his free kick from 20 yards over the top. McCreadie did well to create a chance for Dow when he cut the ball back to the edge of the box, however, although his shot was on target it lacked the power to trouble Black in the St Monans goals. The Shipyard were gaining control of the match and were starting to create chances. Firstly, a good run and cross from Brough flashed across the face of goal. A McAndrew free kick found the head of Russell but he could not get his effort on target. The Shipyard did break the deadlock in the 20^th minute when McAndrew played a great ball through the St Monans defence that Paul Ferrier latched onto and neatly flicked the ball beyond the advancing keeper. St Monans missed a chance to draw level when Jardine volleyed wide from a decent position. St Monans were made to rue that miss when Ferrier did well on the by-line and crossed for Steven Dow to knock the ball home from close range. In the 26^th minute the Shipyard went three ahead when Paul Ferrier received a fine pass from McCreadie and produced a great finish giving Black no chance. Twice in the space of a few minutes Wishart had chances for St Monans but, firstly he shot over and then he headed straight at Chalmers in the Shipyard goals. A minute before half time St Monans were reduced to ten men when Carr was sent off after his second bookable offence.

The Shipyard started the second half looking to take advantage of their extra man and had the St Monans goal under siege. Russell drove wide from 14 yards, then after Ferrier’s shot was saved, McCreadie’s follow up was blocked. McAndrew crossed to McCue but his volleyed effort came off the side of his foot and flew wide. A couple of shots were blocked by defenders throwing themselves in front of the ball and then Black stopped a Ferrier shot with his outstretched leg. A fourth goal finally arrived in the 58^th minute and what a goal it was. When a cross from the right found its way into the box, Steven Dow was on hand to spectacularly volley the ball into the net for a great goal. Hamilton shot straight at the keeper and then Williams headed wide from a McCue free kick before St Monans pulled a goal back in strange circumstances. A free kick from some forty yards out was left by everyone and when the ball arrived in the middle of the box it took a strange bounce that left Chalmers wrong footed and landed in the back of the net. In the 67^th minute Kevin McCreadie made it 5 – 1 when Dow played a pass to Ferrier who unselfishly passed to McCreadie who could not miss from close range. As the shipyard made changes they seemed to take their foot of the gas and Chalmers did well to hold a shot in the 69^th minute. Then Jardine found space at the back post and saw his effort hit the bar before Chalmers was able to gather the dropping ball. St Monans were also being frustrated by the referee’s whistle as twice play was brought back for offside after the ball found its way into the Shipyard net. McCue missed a good chance to end his scoring drought, but he missed the target with a free header at the back post. In the next couple of minutes substitutes Grieve and Wilson both had shots at goal. In the 89^th minute Brough showed great skill down the flank and crossed to McCreadie, who saw his header hit the bar before the keeper gathered it. Shipyard claims that the ball had crossed the line were waved away. The last action of the game again saw McCreadie get on the end of a cross, this time from Wilson, but he could not direct it on target. Billy Whitehead was naturally pleased after the game and said “That was a good win and the circumstances gave me a chance to give all the substitutes a fair bit of game time. We are on a good run at the moment and hopefully we can keep it going and progress further in this cup and also the Scottish”.

Teams: Burntisland Shipyard: Chalmers; McAndrew; Brough; Williams; Cook; Dow (Wilson); Hamilton (Grieve); McCue; Russell (C. Martin); Ferrier; McCreadie. Unused Sub: A. Martin.

St Monans Swallows: Black; Gordon; Purves; Carr; McGilvary; Jardine; Roberts; Redpath; Watson; Fyall; Wishart. Subs: Marr; Bissett; Smith.

Referee: E. Cunningham.