SHIPYARD FAIL UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION.
The Shipyard report card would have read “must do better” as they came up short against the students of Edinburgh University. The Shippy travelled to East Peffermill for this SFA South Region Challenge Cup 2nd round match against their Scottish Lowland league opponents after a two week break but in a reasonably confident mood given their showing in the last outing against Kelty Hearts. With Craig Anderson still nursing a hamstring injury, Sandy Strang moved into the centre of defence alongside Pete Bell and Dean Anderson made his debut at left back.
The early stages of the game were evenly contested with the visitors pressing a high line and the University playing long balls over the top that came to nothing. With 18 minutes played, David Maskrey was put clear on the left and his cross into the box drifted agonisingly into the far top corner of the Shipyard goal to give the hosts the lead. Edinburgh were having more of the possession now with Maskrey finding lots of space on the left. His cross into the box, with 25 minutes on the clock, was met by Nathan Evans who headed beyond Sean Malpas for the University’s second. The Shipyard started putting some passes together and several chances fell to both Hamilton and Breen but their efforts were too easily rebuffed by the University defence.
Malpas had to make a double save in the 50th minute when he parried a shot form Evans and then turned the follow up shot from Maskrey round the post for a corner. Substitutions were made by both sides with University replacing Nathan Evans with Jack Guthrie and Stuart McNicholas with Conor Watt while Shipyard replaced Scott Powrie with Owen Ferry. The Shippy battled to get a grip on the game but the University fitness levels were paying off and in the 70th minute Watt engineered some space for himself on the right and he set up chance for his fellow substitute Guthrie who made no mistake slotting the ball past Malpas. University’s Calum McDonald stroked home a fourth goal with 15 minutes remaining. The remainder of the game was played out fairly evenly with Jordan Galloway replacing his brother Jonathon, one of the few Shipyard successes on the day, for the last few minutes of the game.
The Shipyard management team of Grant Brough and Stuart Innes were frustrated by what they considered was a poor performance by the team but they were quick to acknowledge that the University’s level of fitness told, particularly as the game wore on.
This Saturday(28/10) the Shipyard return to Recreation Park to face Coldstream in a Central Taxis League match kicking off 2pm and on Sunday the U/20’s travel to the Excelsior Stadium, Airdrie to face Motherwell in the SFA Youth Cup 3rd Round. Kick off for this match is 12 noon.
Edinburgh University: Davison, Gair, Condie, Verkaik, Swan, Calbacho, McNicholas (Watt), Ritchie, Evans (Guthrie), Hendry, Maskrey. Subs: McCrossan, McDonald.
Burntisland Shipyard: S. Malpas, S. Powrie (O. Ferry), D. Anderson, P. Bell, S. Strang, S. Glancy, R. Kinnaird, Jonathan Galloway (Jordan Galloway), B. Hamilton, C. McAulay, B. Breen Subs: C. McAleavey, B. Saunders, K. Ford.
Referee: D. Graves.