Late goal sinks Shippy in dour encounter.
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.
Referee: K. Gibson.