Shipyard edge cup cracker
The Shipyard were taken all the way by Lumphinnans in this delayed Fife Cup tie at Ochilview Park as the Shipyard finally ran out winners on penalties as the match finished 3-3 after extra-time. Unsurprisingly, the Shipyard started with the same eleven that had beaten Cupar in their previous match with McCue, McAndrew and Ferrier all returning to take a place on the bench. With the usual gale force wind and driving rain that always greets you at Lumphinnans, conditions were going to be difficult for both teams.
It was the Shipyard who had the elements behind them in the first half, however, it was Lumphinnans who were on top in the early stages and had two half-hearted penalty claims waved away. In the 10th minute Martin had to get down quickly, gathering the ball after a cross broke off Cook and was heading for goal. The Shipyard first tested Davidson in the Lumphinnans goal after 21 minutes when he was quick off his line to block a Gray shot. The Shipyard almost took the lead in bizarre fashion in the 27th minute. A Whyte free-kick from just over the half way line was left alone by everyone and the ball hit the post before being booted clear. To rub salt into the Shipyard’s wound, Lumphinnans broke up the park and scored when Neil Harvey’s shot from the edge of the box moved in the air and left Martin helpless. The Shipyard then equalised in sensational fashion in the 36th minute, when Mark Hamilton gathered a loose ball some 40 yards out and smashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner that gave Davidson absolutely no chance. A contender for goal of the season surely? Hamilton almost repeated the feat two minutes later, but this time Davidson was on hand to tip the ball over.
In the second half it was again the team battling the elements that started the better and Stuart Gray seemed to be in the thick of all the action as he saw a shot deflected for a corner. He then shot over after good built up between Wilson and Russell. In the 63rd minute he finally made the keeper work, but his shot was too close to Davidson and he saved comfortably. The Shipyard were enraged shortly after when Ferrier intercepted a pass back and broke clear, only for the referee to blow for offside. Lumphinnans took a quick free-kick in the 65th minute and the Shipyard had Martin to thank as he dived low to his right to push the ball away before it was booted to safety. Wilson had an opportunity in the 70th minute as he burst clear of the Lumphinnans defence, but he rather rushed his shot and blazed high and wide. Lumphinnans started to enjoy a spell of pressure and Martin saved well from substitute Duffy and he also tipped a long range effort over the bar. The Shipyard thought they had taken the lead in the 76th minute when a Dow shot was parried by the keeper and Ferrier knocked home the loose ball, however, the referee deemed that he was offside. Just a minute later Lumphinnans could have taken the lead but Hay headed over after finding himself unmarked at a corner. The game was now end to end and it was the Shipyard who went close again when a McAndrew drive hit the top of the bar. In their next attack the Shipyard did score when a fine pass from Wilson found Gordon Grieve in space and he lobbed the ball over Davidson and into the corner of the net. Robinson then produced a superbly timed tackle to halt Ferrier as he bore down on goal and that was to prove decisive as Lumphinnans drew level in the 87th minute when the ball fell to Michael Duffy at the back post and he drove the ball into the corner of the net. Lumphinnans then almost snatched a dramatic injury time winner as Hay again found himself free in the box but, again sadly for him he could not direct his header on target.
Extra time saw both teams create chances as Adamson blasted over from a good position for Lumphinnans and then Davidson saved with his legs from Ferrier. Martin and Davidson were both having fine games and they continued to keep their respective teams in it with fine saves. Four minutes into the second half of extra time Lumphinnans took the lead when Gavin Hay produced a fine finish, curling the ball beyond Martin. Again this piece of action was not without controversy as the Shipyard seemed to have a very good case for a free kick being awarded to them in the build up. The shipyard now had to throw everything at Lumphinnans and created a couple of chances before grabbing a deserved equaliser. James Whyte was in the right place to latch onto a loose ball in the box and he calmly flicked the ball into the net. The Shipyard sensed a winner and Davidson was forced to save with his legs and then in the last action of the extra-time period he dived full length to hold a Gray header from a corner.
In the penalty shoot out Mark Hamilton, Tom Williams, Mark Brough and Paul Ferrier were all successful for the Shipyard and with Andrew Stenhouse missing Lumphinnans second kick it was left to Owen McCue to knock home the fifth kick and send the shipyard into the next round. After the match captain Mark Hamilton was delighted and said “we kept going and were disappointed not to win the match before it went to penalties. I was confident we would win the shoot out, especially with the way Andy keeps saving them”.
Teams: Lumphinnans United: Davidson; Robinson; Stenhouse; N. Harvey; Hardie; S. Harvey; Lynas; Hay; Adamson; Bratchie; Thomson. Subs: Cochrane; Miller; Duffy; Sutherland.
Burntisland Shipyard: Martin; Grieve; Brough; Williams; Whyte; Wilson; Hamilton; Cook ( McAndrew); Russell (Ferrier); Dow (McCue); Gray.
Referee: A. Watt.