Once again, the fans were treated to a thriller at Recreation Park with seven goals, two red cards and a penalty. There was no shortage of entertainment yet again as the Shippy battled back from two goals down to secure their second 4-3 win in a matter of four days. That’s nineteen goals in the opening three matched, however, the Shipyard management will be concerned about the concession of nine of them. There were two changes to the Shippy starting eleven with Shaun Keatings and Ryan Watt returning to replace CJ Thomson and Cammy Lewis.
Tweedmouth were dealt a major blow in the 11th minute when they were reduced to ten men. As Keatings burst onto the loose ball it appeared that Joao Vieira brought the wide man down and with the referee deeming it was a last man challenge, he had no hesitation in showing the defender a red card. From the resultant free kick keeper Danny Fletcher tipped Keatings’ effort over the bar. In the 21st minute Lewis Ross shot over as he stole in at the back post and in the 30th minute Iain Millar also missed the target as he headed wide following a corner. A minute later Scott Costello was called into action to save from Rhys Bloomfield following some slack defending. The Shippy missed the best chance of the game so far as Ryan Watt could not find the target after being teed up by Ben Anthony. Watt saw a header held with Harris Kay also being denied by Fletcher. The visitors stunned the Shippy by forging ahead in the 42nd minute when Craig Bell was allowed to get his shot away from 14yards and it beat Costello finding the bottom corner.
Keatsy had an eventful match to say the least.
The Shippy might have been level shortly after the interval but despite three attempts at goal in a scramble, they couldn’t force the ball home. Recreation Park was stunned in the 62nd minute as ten-man Tweedmouth scored again. In a rapid breakaway Bell was sent through on goal and although Costy got a hand to the ball he couldn’t keep out. The Shipyard got back into the match quickly as Ross Aitchison fouled sub Lewis as he burst into the box, with the referee immediately pointing to the spot. Keatings duly dispatched the kick and sparked a melee as he barged Fletcher as he tried to retrieve the ball and received a yellow card for his troubles. A short while later he committed a rash challenge and the ref showed him another yellow card, quickly followed by a red. The Shippy were level in the 78th minute when Anthony drove the ball home after some good build up. Two goals in as many minutes, the first from Michael Gibb following a corner and the second another driven shot from Anthony seemed to settle the issue, however, there was still another twist to come. An 89th minute Tweedmouth corner was missed by the Shipyard defence and sub Khasim Mdalasini headed in from close range.
A double from Benji took his tally to 4 in three games.
Shipyard manager Lee Richardson, who just returned from holiday during the match said afterwards “We clearly have to work on our defending as we are conceding far too many goals, however, I am obviously pleased with the number of goals we are scoring. They are showing great character in fighting back in these games and that is something to be very happy about.”
Burntisland Shipyard: S. Costello; L. Ross; D. Thomson (R. MacAulay); H. Milne; I. Millar; H. Kay (K. Hicks); M. Gibb; M. James; B. Anthony; R. Watt (C. Lewis) CJ. Thomson); S. Keatings. Unused Subs: A. Brown; B. Murray; R. O’Donnell.
Tweedmouth Rangers: D. Fletcher; R. Dixon; J. Vieira; E. Smith; C. Temple; C. Bell; M. Robinson; R. Bloomfield; B. Smith; J. Cummings; R. Aitchison. Subs: J. Forster; L. Robertson; E. Robertson; K. Mdalasini; S. Straughan.
The Shipyard staged a stunning fightback as they came from 3-1 down to beat Edinburgh United 4-3 in an enthralling encounter at Recreation Park on Wednesday night. It could have been a totally different result had United keeper Fraser Taylor not been in such magnificent form. The keeper must have made around a dozen saves as the Shippy peppered his goal and despite conceding four goals he turned in an outstanding performance as he almost single handedly kept the Shipyard out. The Shippy deserved their win, there can be no question about that, however, they made the fans sweat as it was a late quickfire double that finally settled the outcome. There were two changes to the Shippy team after Saturday with Mark James and Cammy Lewis coming in for Shaun Keatings and Ryan Watt.
The Shipyard fell behind in the 4th minute when Jack Wilson (not that one) headed home a Chase Miller cross at the back post. A Ben Anthony free kick was held by Taylor and in a rare error when the keeper was caught well off his line Dan Thomson could not get his long range effort on target. The Shippy were denied a penalty in the 22nd minute when the referee did not see a clear handball near the byline as the Shipyard pressed for an equaliser. A minute later CJ Thomson had a great chance to equalise but Taylor produced a stunning save to deny the midfielder who had found acres of space in the box. Lewis then blasted over following an Anthony cutback. The keeper was on hand again to block Lewis then just after the half hour he tipped a CJ Thomson strike onto the bar and over. The Shipyard were stunned to say the least as the visitors doubled their advantage when Josh Lamond seemed to get the last touch following a Callum Finnie corner.
The second half was only two minutes old when the Shippy pulled one back through Anthony who got clear of the United defence and calmly placed the ball behind Taylor. In the 49th minute a Harris Kay free kick was deflected, however, once again Taylor produced a great save as he managed to block the ball with his leg as a goal looked certain. Michael Gibb was the next to be denied and the visitors, against the run of play, broke up the park and regained their two-goal advantage as Lamond scored his second of the evening having been played in by Sulaiman Ashraf. Some teams’ heads may have gone down at this stage, however, the Shippy were undeterred and kept knocking on the door. Mark James saw his drive tipped over and Taylor then saved well again from Anthony. Lewis was replaced on the hour mark having given the visitors defence a torrid time, with his replacement Sandy Strang offering a more physical aspect. A few minutes later the Shippy made a triple change with Kearyn Hicks, Ryan Watt and Robbie MacAulay coming on for Kay, CJ. Thomson and Iain Millar. An acrobatic attempt by Gibb was saved before the Shippy pulled one back in fortunate circumstances. With the visitor’s defence under intense pressure a shot at goal was cleared off the line, however, the ball cannoned off Watt and into the back of the net. As the game entered the final ten minutes Taylor denied MacAulay and Watt in quick succession. United could not get out of their own half and eventually the pressure told when James headed home from a corner. The dust had barely settled and suddenly the Shipyard were ahead with Lewis Ross this time heading home to make it 4-3. The Shipyard contingent were ecstatic now and also relieved that the team had fought back so admirably. Deep into added time it was that man Taylor who fittingly gets the final mention with another good save, on this occasion thwarting MacAulay as he bore down on goal.
After the match assistant manager Fergus Lockhart Said “What tremendous fight and character the boys showed. It did not look good at 1-3 but they stuck at it a got the victory they richly deserved.”
On Saturday we welcome Tweedmouth Rangers to Burntisland for another league match. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: S. Costello; M. Gibb; L. Ross; H. Milne; I. Millar (K. Hicks); M. James; CJ. Thomson (R. MacAulay); H. Kay (R. Watt); B. Anthony; C. Lewis (S. Strang); D. Thomson. Unused Subs: M. Couser; R. O’Donnell; D. Pierce.
Edinburgh United: F. Taylor; C. Young; D. Paterson; C. Henderson; J. Wilson; C. Finnie; J. Lamond; H. Mutch; J. Keenan; S. Ashraf; C. Miller. Subs: D. Kelly; B. Woods; N. Drummond; J. Eagan; R. Ferguson; N. Denis.
The Shipyard, as that well used cliché says “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory” at Recreation Park on Saturday as they went down 3-2 against Peebles Rovers. Having twice taken the lead through Shaun Keatings and Ben Anthony, the Shippy conceded two late penalty kicks which were converted by Grant Wilson, to condemn the Shipyard to defeat in the first game of the season. The Shippy missed a host of good chances and were also denied a late equaliser as the referee deemed that Lewis Ross was offside as he knocked the ball into the net from close range. A contentious decision to say the least.
Prior to the match a tribute was paid to the late Neil McLeod as his son Ollie led the team out and laid a wreath on the centre spot before a minute’s applause took place in recognition of our dear friend.
There were six competitive debuts for the Shipyard though the starting eleven had to be changed as it was decided not to risk Craig Watt as during the warm up as he still felt a niggle on a recent injury. He was replaced by Dan Thomson.
There was very little in the way of goalmouth action in the early stages as both teams looked to settle, however, the deadlock was broken in fine style as the Shippy took the lead on twenty minutes. Ryan Watt burst down the right-hand side as his measured cross took out the keeper and Keatsy was on hand at the back post to knock the ball home from a tight angle. Unfortunately, that advantage only lasted seven minutes as the unchallenged Jamie Mackay headed home from a corner. A D. Thomson shot from the edge of the box was held by keeper Ross Coates. A minute before halftime a superb block denied Keatings as he looked certain to notch his second of the match and on the stroke of the interval Coates brilliantly tipped over an Anthony drive.
The Shippy got off to a great start in the second half as Anthony smashed the ball home from a narrowing angle giving Coates no chance. Hamish Milne headed clear from under the bar and injured himself in the process though he was able to continue after treatment. A great chance fell to CJ Thomson in the 54th minutes when the young midfielder found himself in space in the centre of the box. However, he didn’t get his shot away quickly enough and the keeper was able to save and gather the loose ball. Three minutes later Milne also spurned a golden opportunity as his powerful strike hit the outside of the post following a Michael Gibb cutback. Peebles were level in the 70th minute from the penalty spot after the referee penalised Iain Millar for handball. Given what the SFA head of referees had told us at a meeting on Thursday night, it seems the rank-and-file refs haven’t been told, as this was harsh. Big Millzy’s hands were in front of his body when the ball was smashed at him and in no way whatsoever was he making his body bigger. Wilson struck home the kick with aplomb. Peebles were awarded another penalty six minutes later and this time there was no argument as Millar fouled his opponent at the edge of the area. Once again Wilson made no mistake from twelve yards. A Harris Kay free kick was saved by Coates and we then had the controversial offside decision against Ross but despite putting the Peebles defence under a lot of pressure the Shippy couldn’t get the goal they deserved.
We now quickly move on to Wednesday night as Edinburgh United visit Recreation Park for our second league match of the season. Kick-off is at 7.30pm.
Burntisland Shipyard: S. Costello; M. Gibb; L. Ross; H. Milne; I. Millar (R. MacAulay); D. Thomson (B. Murray); CJ. Thomson; H. Kay; B. Anthony; R. Watt (C. Lewis); S. Keatings. Unused Subs: A. Brown; D. Pierce; S. Strang.
Peebles Rovers: R. Coates; B. Brown; C. Mackenzie; R. Lamb; G. Doyle; L. Maclean; J. Mackay; G. Wilson; F. Stewart; P. Dickson. Subs: H. McGill; S. Robertson; J. Dodds; N. McDonald; M. Joyce.
The Shipyard completed their preseason build up with an all too rare Burntisland derby against United at Recreation Park on Saturday. With the Stenton Shield up for grabs it gave the match a competitive edge, however, the Shippy were too strong for their amateur rivals and ran out comfortable 5-0 winners in front of a bumper crowd, including the ever-growing Shippy Ultras group. With United celebrating their 50th anniversary it was agreed that all takings from the gate would be donated to them and they received a tidy sum to boost their funds.
The Shipyard broke the deadlock in the 13th minute courtesy of a Shaun Keatings penalty after Ryan Watt was fouled in the box. The Shippy scored a great second through Billy Murray in the 35th minute as the young striker finished off a fine move. Keatings headed in a third on 64 minutes and Cammy Lewis added a fourth five minutes later. It could have been 5-0 shortly after but Ryan Couser saved R. Watt’s spot kick. The Shipyard did net a fifth in the 87th minutes when Robbie MacAulay found the net to complete the scoring.
Shippy squad with the Stenton Shield.
Manager Lee Richardson spoke after the match when he said “I am satisfied with how the preseason has went and I think the boys are fit and ready to go.” Asked about the match he said “After the initial ten or fifteen minutes when they were in our faces, we went on to dominate the match, passing the ball well and creating chances. We could have scored more goals but overall, I am happy with our performance today.”
The Shipyard travelled to Perth on Tuesday night for another pre-season friendly, this time against newly promoted to the premier league Kinnoull, and although the Shippy fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat manager Lee Richardson could take a lot of positives from the match. The Shipyard created and missed chance after chance after chance as they dominated large parts of the match, all this despite missing several key players. The only goal of the game was scored by Fyn Connor on the half hour mark with Richardson lamenting a couple of mistakes he felt were made in the build-up.
When the manager spoke after the match he said “I was disappointed with our intensity in the first half and the mistakes we made in conceding the goal. However, we moved the ball around well and created lots of chances.” He went on to add “We changed the shape slightly for the second half and the intensity increased and all round everything was better. We were getting good balls into the box and still creating plenty of chances but unfortunately luck deserted us on the night. With some boys missing tonight it gave others a chance to get more game time and all in all things are progressing nicely.”
We are delighted to help our friends and rivals Burntisland United celebrate their 50th birthday. We will be hosting the Stenton Shield match at the Shippy on Saturday (22/07/2023) with the kick-off at 2.30pm.
With the big kick off becoming ever closer, the Shipyard continued their build up to it with a match against premier division Dundonald Bluebell at Recreation Park on Saturday. The match finished all square as the teams fought out a 1-1 draw in conditions that were remarkably better than those forecast. The Shippy lead at half time thanks to a Shaun Keatings penalty, awarded after Cammy Lewis was brought down in the box. The visitors levelled it in the second half when the Shippy failed to clear their lines and the loose ball was rifled high into the net. Manager Lee Richardson spoke after the match and said “I thought we were really good in the first half, against decent opposition, and we might have scored another with a bit of luck. I thought we won the midfield battle and limited their chances to score.” He went on to add “Dundonald were better in the second half and scored when they were on top, although we are disappointed with how we conceded the goal. However, that being said we defended well as a unit and I am happy with the fitness levels and the way we are progressing. I am pleased to have recruited Hamish Milne, Billy Murray and CJ Thomson over the last week and also to get Lewis Ross resigned.”
Lewis Ross has put pen to paper again as he extends his stay at the Shippy.
Your 2023/24 Season Tickets will be available to purchase from 15/07/2023. There is no change to the prices from last season with Adult tickets remaining at £100 and Concession tickets £60. Under 16’s will again be free. This offers great value with entry to every home league match and cup ties except the Scottish Cup and South Challenge Cup fixtures. The tickets can be bought at the Clubhouse this Saturday or next Saturday or simple contact a committee member to arrange your purchase.
