The Shipyard never really got started in this cup tie and they were a pale shadow of themselves following Friday nights enthralling match against Crossgates. It what was an uninspiring contest, with very few clear-cut chances, it came as no surprise that only one goal would settle the contest. When that goal came for Stoneyburn in the 23rd minute it was a calamity for the Shippy as a corner found it’s way to the back post and Joshua Sharpe was able to knock the ball in from no more than a couple of feet out. Mikey Couser, Mark James and Kris Murphy were all missing from the team that started on Friday, though there was the welcome return of Ben Anthony who had been out since December with an ankle injury. Scott Costello, Lewis Ross and Craig Watt came into the starting eleven.
Watt almost opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, however, his headed effort from a Sam Glancy corner flew just wide. Stoneyburn went close with a headed attempt in the 13th minute and in the 17th, Costello had to react quickly to gather the loose ball after it spilled from his grasp. Stoneyburn took the lead in the 23rd minute as mentioned when Sharpe took advantage of some poor defending to prod the ball home. A ball flicked into the path of Dan Thomson was cleared off the line as the Shippy looked to respond quickly, however, they were dealt a blow in the 28th minute as Costello was unable to continue after he collided with the post when pulling off as good save and after a couple of minutes treatment he was replaced by Mikey Couser.
Costy had to be subbed after colliding with the post.
The Shippy spurned a great chance in the 58th minute as Dan Thomson broke through. Rather than shoot with his right foot he cut back inside the defender and was unlucky to see his strike hit the bar and go over. Both Iain Millar and Matty Robertson were withdrawn through injury, with Millar’s looking particularly serious, and they were replaced by Sandy Strang and Ben Anthony. In the 72nd minute Strang had a chance from a corner, however, he couldn’t direct his header on target and the same man went close again with seven minutes remaining but, on this occasion, he was thwarted by keeper Jack McLean.
Big Millzy left the field with a serious ankle injury.
Manager Lee Richardson was naturally disappointed when he spoke after the match when he said “We were poor tonight, particularly in the first half, and never reached the levels required. Picking up three more injuries tonight is a huge blow, with Big Millzy looking like he could be out for a while. I don’t think Costy and Matty will be long term but it’s still a concern, nonetheless, given the other injuries we have.”
On Saturday (09/03/2024) we travel to face Coldstream in a league match at Home Park. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: S. Costello (M. Couser); E. Bauld; M. Robertson (B. Anthony); I. Millar (S. Strang); M. Gibb; C. Watt; L. Ross (E. McQuade); CJ. Thomson; E. Stanfield; D. Thomson; S. Glancy. Unused Subs: K. Beard & M. Moodie.
Stoneyburn: J. McLean; M. Brown; L. Woods; J. Sharpe; J. Williamson; B. Miller; J. Duncan; E. Watson; J. McLaughlin; G. Forrester; J. Douglas. Subs: L. Kane; B. Nolan; B. Ferris; J. Cameron; A. Gibb.
The two teams served up a thrilling cup tie that went all the way to the wire, with Crossgates eventually triumphing 4-3 on penalties after the game had finished 3-3 after extra time. The 196 in attendance were thoroughly entertained and even a brief stoppage following a floodlighting issue did spoil the evening, albeit the heavy rain that arrived late in the match did put a dampener on proceedings. The Shipyard starting eleven showed one change from last week’s win at Peebles with Kris Murphy replacing the suspended Shaun Keatings. Craig Watt returned from injury and took a place on the subs bench.
The Shippy got off to a disastrous start as they conceded a goal in the 3rd minute. A thrown in was deflected into the path of Cammy Muirhead and his shot with the aid a deflection that took the ball away from Mikey Couser in the Shipyard goals. Shippy almost responded immediately, however, Michael Gibb’s shot was well saved by Macaulay Jarrett at the expense of a corner. Archie Campbell might have done better for the visitors when he received the ball in the centre of goal but he blazed over from around the penalty spot. An error at the back proved costly for the Shippy as Craig Henderson capitalised, drilling the ball past Couser and into the corner of the net. Shipyard got back into the match four minutes before the interval when Jarrett failed to gather the ball giving Dan Thomson the opportunity to lash the ball home.
Dan Thomson netted the 1st Shippy goal.
Murphy fired an effort just wide in the 49th minute but the equaliser was only delayed three minutes. Sam Glancy gathered the ball and drove into the box and as he bore down on goal, he calmly put the ball beyond Jarrett to make it 2-2. The Shippy defence had to be on its toes when a corner was delivered into the box with Crossgates were claiming the ball was over the line, however, the assistant was well placed to indicate the ball was cleared off the line. In the 64th minute a powerfully hit Murphy free kick whistled narrowly past the post with Jarrett rooted to the spot. Crossgates regained the lead in the 70th minute from the penalty spot after Gibb had fouled his opponent he drove into the box. Campbell netted to make it 3-2 with twenty minutes remaining. Jarrett produced an outstanding save to deny the Shippy when he somehow got a hand to Watt’s header, however, from the corner the Shipyard levelled it up again as CJ Thomson fired the ball through a forest of legs and into the net. It was no more than the Shippy deserved as they took the game to extra time.
CJ lobbed over in the 94th minute and Crossgates sub Blair Paterson shot into the side netting after ninety nine, however, the main talking point in extra time was the floodlights going out. The match was delayed for nine minutes before it was discovered that a timer had kicked in and switched the lights off. Neither team could force a winner in the remainder of the extra time so it was down to penalties. D. Thomson, Murphy & Matty Robertson scored for the Shippy however, Scott Costello & Mikey Moodie failed to hit the target. Although Couser saved Crossgates’ second spot kick the other four were converted to see the visitors progress to the next round of the League Cup. Manager Lee Richardson was able to take positives from the match and he said “We more than matched a Premier League team for 120 minutes and gave as good as we got. We showed tremendous character to come back from two down to draw level and then once again after we fell behind to the penalty.” He went on to add “I thought we played some good stuff particularly in the second half; however, we were guilty of giving away avoidable goals. We have had a lot of injuries to deal with recently though it was good to see Big Kris and Rooney back in the fold.”
We are back in cup action on Wednesday night, this time the King Cup, as we welcome Stoneyburn to Recreation Park. Kick off is at the usual time of 7.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: M. Couser; E. Bauld (S. Costello); M. Robertson; I. Millar, M. James (M. Moodie); D. Thomson; M. Gibb; CJ. Thomson; E. Stanfield (C. Watt); K. Murphy; S. Glancy (K. Beard). Unused Sub: E. McQuade.
Crossgates Primrose: M. Jarrett; P. Brown; C. Reid; A. McDonald; L. Kellichan; C. McGuire; C. Muirhead; A. Campbell; C. Henderson; D. Smith; A. Barnett. Subs: M. Komacki; B. Paterson; J. Kinninmonth.
A strong second half performance ensured that the Shipyard came back up the road with all three points as goals from Iain Millar and Kris Murphy sealed a two-nil victory against Peebles Rovers at Whitestone Park. Following a drab first half, in which both teams were reduced to ten men as Shaun Keatings and Mikelanxho Bardhi clashed off the ball, there was a marked improvement from the Shippy with Murphy and Michael Gibb forming a new front two pairing, with the formers physicality and the latter’s pace causing Rovers defence no end of problems. With the injury list showing no sign of decreasing manager Lee Richardson decided to bolster his squad and signed Kai Beard, Ellis McQuade and Michael Moodie during the week. There were late debuts from the bench for Beard and McQuade.
Some of the Shippy Ultras at Peebles.
The Shippy Ultras had travelled south and were making plenty of noise as the match got underway and they backed their heroes as they sang and chanted for the full ninety minutes. To be fair, they didn’t have much to sing about as neither side could fashion anything in the way of an opportunity in the opening twenty minutes or so. Peebles did have more of the ball, however, Mikey Couser was never tested in the Shippy goals. Shipyard had an appeal for a penalty in the 28th minute when it was claimed that Keatings was impeded as he tried to get on the end of a Gibb cross. Evan Stanfield volleyed a CJ. Thomson ball back across goal but his strike lacked direction and the danger was cleared, meanwhile at the other end Peebles captain Ross Lamb blasted the ball over from 22 yards. The was a huge flashpoint in the 34th minute as Keatings and Bardhi clashed with referee Sean Simpson not hesitating in sending both players off. On the stroke of half time Dan Thomson drove into the box but he was crowded out before he could get his shot away.
There was a scare for the Shippy in the 61st minute when Couser failed to gather the ball cleanly and it took some brave defending before the danger was cleared. Shipyard took the lead in the 67th minute with a simple goal as big Millzy rose at the back post to head home CJ. Thomson’s excellent corner. The previously mentioned change in the forward line now had the Shippy on the front foot as Gibb continually drove at the Peebles defence and Murphy put the central defenders under mounting pressure. It was Murphy who put the Shippy two ahead in the 84th minute as he scored from close range following a Sam Glancy cross. Despite seven minutes of added time the Shippy were able to keep any threat from Peebles at bay, with the Ultras in full song in the stand as the clock ticked down.
Big Kris was on the score sheet again.
Richardson spoke after the match and he said “I thought we were poor in the first 30 minutes though not under any pressure. We were much improved in the second half with Jamesy, Millzy, CJ, Sam, Gibby and Big Kris all producing fine performances to ensure we got the three points I believe we deserved.”
We are involved in cup action on Friday night as we host Crossgates Primrose in the League Cup. The tie kicks off at 7.30pm.
Peebles Rovers: J. Moffatt; R. Lamb; G. Lamb; L. MacLean; K. Kivlichan; M. Bardhi; S. Robertson; J. Mackay; N. McDonald; G. Wilson; S. Latto’ Subs: B. Brown; J. Dodds; M. Joyce; F. Stewart.
Burntisland Shipyard: M. Couser; E. Bauld; M. Robertson (E. McQuade); I. Millar; M. James; S. Keatings; M. Gibb (C. Lewis); CJ. Thomson; E. Stanfield (K. Murphy); D. Thomson; S. Glancy (K. Beard). Unused: S. Costello.
The Shipyard had to come from behind as they progressed to the second round of the King Cup beating Edinburgh United 3-1 at a windswept Recreation Park on Saturday. The elements had a huge bearing on the match as both teams struggled to make any headway against the strong westerly wind which was blowing straight down the pitch. Lewis Ross and Kris Murphy were unavailable due to illness and Kearyn Hicks joined the injury list following last weeks match against Easthouses. There was a debut for Evan Stanfield who signed for the Club midweek and he would have been delighted to get a goal on his first appearance.
The visitors took the lead in the 8th minute when Jordan Keenan headed home a Kieran Richmond corner though the Shipyard would be disappointed at the marking for the set piece. Shippy were getting forward but were making very little in the way of chances, however, an excellent low cross from Sam Glancy may have produced something had anyone been able to get on the end of it. Despite United having plenty of the ball and possession their main threat came from set pieces, however, the Shippy defence had learned their lesson after conceding the goal and they marked more tightly. Dan Thomson broke away from the visitor’s defence in the 42nd minute but could not get his shot away and the danger was cleared.
The Shipyard got the perfect start to the second period as they drew level within two minutes of kick-off. Stanfield picked up the ball some twenty yards from goal and his powerful strike found the bottom corner with United keeper Andrew Smith only able to look on. Shippy had their tails up now and never looked back as they set about winning the tie. Shaun Keatings tried his luck with an audacious lob that narrowly missed the target and in the 58th minute the United defenders threw their bodies in the way the Shippy tried to force the ball home. Keatings and D. Thomson both saw efforts blocked, however, United were unable to stem the flow and Keatings dinked the ball home following a good move down the righthand side. It soon became 3-1 as Glancy drove forward and smashed a left foot dive into the corner to give his team what turned out to be an unassailable advantage. Much like the first half it was more or less one way traffic with Mikey Couser having very little to do in the Shipyard goal while at the other end despite creating opportunities Shippy were unable to add to their tally.
Manager Lee Richardson was very pleased after the match when he said “It was always going to be difficult against the wind but other than the goal I don’t think we were unduly troubled as we defended very well. We were able to get on the front foot in the second half where we played some decent stuff, creating chances and taking three of them. I’m delighted for Evan to get a goal on his debut and be involved in a lot of the good things we did. I thought that everyone played their part today and we can be pleased with ourselves as we now look ahead to facing Stoneyburn next week.”
As the manager said we are at home to Stoneyburn in the 2nd round of the King Cup next week (10/02/2024) with the match kicking off at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: M. Couser; E. Bauld; M. Robertson (R. Watt); I. Millar; M. James; S. Keatings (S. Costello); M. Gibb; CJ. Thomson; D. Thomson (H. Kay); E. Stanfield (C. Lewis); S. Glancy.
Edinburgh United: A. Smith; J. Wilson (N. Drummond); J. Keenan; C. Young; D. Waugh (E. Donaldson); M. Murray; K. Richardson; J. Adams (D. Paterson); T. Gill (J. Egan); L. O’Brien; H. Mackintosh.
The Shipyard came out on top in this five goal thriller against Easthouses Lily at Recreation Park on Saturday. Both teams attacked from the outset and the action never relented until the final blast of George MacDonald’s whistle. Neither team have seen that much action in the last few weeks due to postponements, however, every player gave their all in an at times heated but competitive match. Shipyard were still without the influential pair of Ben Anthony and Craig Watt due to injury though manager Lee Richardson still had a full compliment of players at his disposal.
Both teams started the game brightly making incursions into the final third but there were no clear cut chances in the opening ten minutes. Shippy had a chance in the 12th minute when Kearyn Hicks got on the end of a Shaun Keatings corner but he could not direct his header on target. Dan Thomson then shot over from the edge of the area. Mikey Couser had to be on his toes as he saved well twice as the visitors gained momentum. Shipyard were having to defend well as Easthouses pressed for the opener, however, it was the Shipyard who took the lead in the 28th minute. D. Thomson found space in the box and his driven shot took a slight deflected leaving Lily keeper Steven Hay helpless as the ball hit the back of the net. Easthouses drew level in the 43rd minute in controversial circumstances as Shaun Hill drove the ball in off the far post. Shipyard appealed for offside insisting that an Easthouses player had flicked the ball on rendering Hill offside but the ref was having none of it. The visitors thought they had taken the lead a minute later and they were extremely aggrieved that the goal was chalked off, for hand ball apparently.
Hay made a good save and Murphy headed wide as Shippy made a fast start to the second half. The pressure paid off as Shippy were awarded a penalty in the 54th minute as Keatings was fouled in the box by Ryan McQueenie. The visitor’s protests were loud and long but once the dust had settled Murphy coolly converted the spot kick. The lead was quickly doubled as a deep cross to the back post was headed in from a tight angle by Matty Robertson for his first Shipyard goal. The game continued to ebb and flow and Couser got down low to save a driven shot while at the other end Murphy hit the outside of the post with a left foot strike. Easthouses reduced the deficit with ten minutes remaining when substitute Logan Imrie drove the ball into the net from around twelve yards out. As the game entered added time Couser had to be brave as he dived at the feet of the Easthouses forward to clear the danger and in doing so ensured his team got all three points.
Richardson was happy after the match when he said “I thought we played some decent stuff today and created a few good chances. Big Kris was a handful for their defence and he was unlucky to hit the post.”
Next week (03/02/2024) we welcome Edinburgh United to Recreation Park for a King Cup 1st Round tie. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: M. Couser; E. Bauld; M. Robertson; I. Millar; K. Hicks (R. Watt); S. Keatings (M. James); M. Gibb; CJ. Thomson; D. Thomson; K. Murphy; S. Glancy. Unused Subs: S. Costello; H. Kay; C. Lewis; B. Dickson; L. Ross.
Easthouses Lily: S. Hay; L. Smith; C. McBeth; R. McQueenie; T. Rogan; A. Anderson; D. Leslie; N. Janczyk; C. Dyet; S. Hill; S. Barrie. Subs: D. Simpson; M. Hunter; J. Murray; J. Neilson; C. Mason; L. Imrie.
The Shipyard and Kennoway played out an uninspiring goalless draw at a cold Treaton Park on Saturday. Chances were at a premium with both defences repelling nearly everything that was thrown at them and when a golden chance fell to Kennoway they were unable to capitalise as Dylan Walker smashed a penalty off the bar. The Shippy starting eleven showed no fewer than five changes from last week’s horror show against Thornton with Mikey Couser, Michael Gibb, Matty Robertson, Harris Kay and Boyd Dickson all coming in.
Shippy had a chance after five minutes, however, Kris Murphy couldn’t find the target with his left foot strike and at the other end Walker also failed to hit the target from a good position. Couser tipped a cross over the bar rather than attempting to gather it with Kennoway players waiting to pounce. Murphy and Dan Thomson both saw attempts blocked when the hosts defence got in a bit of a tangle at the edge of their area with 27 minutes on the clock. Kennoway then had a spell of pressure as they forced several corners and kept the Shippy pinned back the visitor’s rear-guard stood firm and indeed almost caught Kennoway on the counter as Sam Glancy burst forward but his shot across the keeper drifted wide of the far post. Kennoway’s Sean Johnstone might have done better with a headed effort from a corner and Couser tipped over a Liam Gartshore shot as half-time approached.
A clean sheet for Mikey.
There was a lot less goalmouth action in the second half with it taking until the 66th minute for a chance, as Shaun Keatings wriggling free but he also failed to hit the target. A minute later Kennoway were awarded a penalty when the referee penalised Kearyn Kicks for his challenge on Walker. Despite Hicks’ protestations it was probably the correct decision. Walker stepped up and crashed his strike off the crossbar and when he was next to touch the ball the referee correctly blew his whistle and awarded an indirect free kick to the Shipyard. The Kennoway forward seemed to be frustrated with his miss as his challenge soon after on Kay merited more than the yellow card he was shown. A red card was shown to the Shippy trialist substitute for something he said to the referee as he disputed a decision. Keatings had a late chance to win it for the Shippy, however, a slight deflection took his shot away from goal at the expense of a corner.
There was a first Shippy start for young Boyd.
Manager Lee Richardson said after the match “We defended a whole lot better than we did last week, which wasn’t too difficult to be honest but, I have to be pleased with that. We didn’t create too much going forward, though we might have done better with the opportunities that came our way.”
Next Saturday (20/01/2024) we welcome Edinburgh United to Recreation Park for a King Cup 1st Round tie with the match kicking off at 2.30pm and played to a finish.
Kennoway Star Hearts: K. Moran; D. Meldrum; M. Wilson; G. Allan; L. Young; A. Higgins; L. Black; L. Gartshore; D. Walker; S. Johnstone; E. Wilson. Subs: J. McLelland; R. McGill; D. Nugent; L. Bryce; E. Stanfield.
Burntisland Shipyard: M. Couser; M. Gibb; M. Robertson (I. Millar); E. Bauld; K. Hicks; H. Kay; B. Dickson (L. Ross); S. Glancy; K. Murphy; S. Keatings; D. Thomson. Unused Subs: S. Costello; C. Lewis; A. Trialist.
