Kinnoull 1-2 Burntisland Shipyard
Tulloch Park, Perth
EOSFL Conference A

Kinnoull’s 100% home record took a tumble at Tulloch Park thanks to a Robbie Crawford goal either side of half-time. Nine-man Kinnoull pulled one back through a Gordon Norrie penalty, but it was too little too late to stop Shippy taking all three points back to Fife.
The opening ten minutes were kind of untidy with a series of fouls breaking play up and stopping either side a rhythm going. Shipyard were seeing more of the ball and forced a run of half a dozen corners but none of them came to anything.
Kinnoull’s home form has been good since making the move from the Superleague but they were struggling to make any real impact on the game. They were solid enough at the back and competing well in midfield, but nothing was sticking up top, neither of the front men really able to retain possession.
The first forty-five was nothing to write home about, Shippy enjoying most of the possession without putting the hosts under too much pressure. There was a brief moment of comic relief when a runaway dog got onto the park and the referee had to stop play while its owner tried to get it back on the leash. The highlight was Crawford’s goal on 33 minutes, cutting in from the left and finishing from the edge of the box, the one moment of quality in an otherwise forgettable first half.
The second half was an altogether better affair. Kinnoull were having a go at trying to get themselves back into it, finally getting the ball down and starting to play a bit. Burntisland were still getting their fair share of possession and looking dangerous on the break. The game was much more competitive in midfield and the tackles were starting to get a bit tasty, ref Alan Budd having to flash a couple of yellow cards to try and reign things in a little.
The task got a little harder for the home side just 12 minutes after the break, Budd showing Shaun Simpson a straight red following a wrestling match at a Kinnoull corner kick. Shippy rubbed salt into the wound just five minutes later, Glancy riding a couple of rash tackles in midfield and setting up Crawford to cut inside and fire past Osinski for 2-nil.
It looked a long way back for Kinnoull now and their frustration was starting to get the better of them, moaning at the ref for everything. In fact, the hosts were next to benefit from a refereeing decision, Crawford’s pace taking him clear again, allowing him to square for Strang to tap into the empty net only to see Budd chalk it off for offside. It was a marginal decision and his defence, Budd was handicapped by not having proper linesmen and had to trust his instinct.
Budd was involved in the action again when he showed a second yellow to Dale Smart for a rash tackle. It didn’t go down well in the home dugout, but it was a silly tackle to make, especially for someone already on a yellow.
2-nil behind and down to 9 men, it looked all over for Kinnoull, but they gave themselves a lifeline thanks to another refereeing decision, Norrie converting from the penalty spot 6 minutes from time.
It made the last 6 minutes more nervous than they should have been for Shippy, but they held on for their second away win of the season. The three pints lift Burntisland up to sixth spot in the table, while Kinnoull stay fourth.
Referee Watch: Budd had a decent enough game and although he didn’t make himself too popular with the home side, he seemed to get most of the big decisions right. It’s frustrating that there are no proper linesmen at this level and certainly doesn’t do referees any favours.

Man of the Match: There weren’t too many candidates in a dull first half, Robbie Crawford providing a rare moment of quality. It’s goals that win games and it was Crawford’s two fine finishes that was the difference between the sides.
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