Late penalty seals win for Shippy.
Shipyard secured a vital three points following their 1-0 win over Oakley United thanks to Mikey Gibb’s 81st minute penalty. There were many inside Blairwood Park who thought it was never a penalty as they felt the challenge took place outside the area. What was undisputable was the actual challenge on Stuart Forster as he was unceremoniously brought crashing to the ground by the Oakley defender. Had the referee decided the tackle was outside the box he would probably have had to produce a red card given the goalscoring opportunity Forster had created. On occasion it was very much backs to the wall for Shippy, as in the second half Oakley pinned Shipyard in their own half for lengthy periods, with Shipyard conceding a lot of free kicks in dangerous areas. However, the back four with Innes Marr in particular standing firm and constantly thwarting the United attack. And when they did have a sight of goal, they were either off target or unable to beat Kacper Okupnik, who in fairness was not making spectacular saves, they were more of the routine variety. There was a first Shipyard start for Marr who replaced the suspended Ethan Bauld in the only change to the team that took the field last week at Stirling.
Shippy had an early opportunity from a free kick, but Oakley keeper Josh Irvine was able to push Jordan Galloway’s strike away. The hosts then started to gain the upper hand, though without creating any clear-cut chances. Jordan Hunter drove into the Oakley box only to be thwarted by a fine tackle as he took aim. Forster also broke forward but saw his shot saved by Irvine. A loose ball in the Oakley box fell to Gibb, however, he was quickly closed down and his shot was blocked. United pressed in the final fifteen minutes of the half and saw a strike fly narrowly wide of the target, then Okupnik pulled of a good save from a long range Yannis Iliopoulos drive. Three minutes before half time Okupnik saved a headed effort from another set piece delivery.
Tony McAndrew replaced the unwell Dan McBay at the interval. Okupnik saved a header from Ryan Yapoudjian after 54 minutes as Oakley pressed for the opener, however, it almost came at the other end as Forster expertly controlled the ball before curling an effort just wide. Shippy broke the deadlock in the 81st minute when Gibby drilled home from the spot after Forster had been brought down, with Oakley vehemently disputing the decision. United laid siege to the Shippy goal with a free kick delivered into the box finally scrambled away at the expense of a corner. Another set piece reached the back post where Oakley went agonisingly close as the effort came back off the post with the rebound knocked over the bar. There was a controversial moment as the game entered added time as Shipyard carried the ball out of the area and away from danger. The ref stopped play due to a clash of heads and when he restarted play, he awarded possession to Oakley in a very advantageous position. Thankfully, Shippy were able to defend the situation and avert anything contentious.
After the match coach Barry Brockie said “I thought we defended very well today with big Innes and Mark superb in the centre of defence, enabling Kacper to keep a clean sheet. That being said we defended as a team with everyone doing their job.” He added “Stuart’s brilliant control of the ball gave him that yard of space to get away from the defender and draw the challenge to win the penalty.”
Our next match is on 5th April 2025 as we travel to Whitestone Park to face Peebles Rovers. Kick off is at 2.30pm.
Oakley United: J. Irvine; R. Breeze; I. Easton; L. Dawson; F. Goodlad; R. Yapoudjian (J. Haggett 75’); S. Mackinnon (S. Bruce 66’); R. Cowie; D. Murray; Y. Iliopoulos; A. Penman (T. Mooney 75’). Unused Subs: D. White; R. Bedborough; A. Mackenzie; B. McAdam.
Burntisland Shipyard: K. Okupnik; D. Brockie; E. Jowitt (K. Crielly 78’); I. Marr; M. James; D. McBay (A. McAndrew 46’); S. Forster; D. Anthony; M. Gibb; J. Galloway (B. Kerr 61’); J. Hunter (C. Bell 72’). Unused Subs: K. Beard; K. Ritchie; A. Ritchie.
Referee: C. Sanderson.