MATCH REPORT
Date : 16th March 2024
Opposition : Burntisland Shipyard
Venue : Home
Scorers : Craig Bell (2), Rhys Bloomfield
Booked : Rhys Bloomfield
Sent Off : None
Attendance : 55
Referee : Richard Kay
Team Lineup :
Niall Frampton
Rhys Dixon
Craig Heath
Evan Smith
Christian Temple
Riley Lightfoot
Ross Aitchison
Griffin Sabatini
Craig Bell
Sam Straughan
Rhys Bloomfield (c)
Subs :
Ryan Dunn
Jake Gibson
Brad Smith on for Riley Lightfoot 88 mins
Robbie Turner
Jay Baverstock on for Rhys Bloomfield 81 mins
Cameron Howden on for Griffin Sabatini 67 mins
Oluwatjuba Adebayo on for Sam Straughan 81 mins
Match Report :
Tweedmouth took the lead in the 8th minute but then struggled to turn their first half superiority into further goals. Rhys Bloomfield was the architect of that early opener. With the referee playing advantage when Michael Moodie pulled his shirt, Rangers’ skipper was able to continue his break up the right to send the ball low into the box. Diving keeper Mikey Couser couldn’t hold it giving Craig Bell the chance to hit the net.
For the rest of the half Couser comfortably dealt with most of what the home side had to offer though a near repeat of the first goal seemed possible when he could only slap away another Bloomfield delivery from the right. This time, Sam Straughan was follow up man sending the free ball over the top, blushes spared by being offside anyway.
For much of the match, Straughan, on the left wing, was involved in his own private battle with marker Michael Gibb which over the piece could be considered a draw.
Gibb’s team carved out few first half chances, home goalie Niall Frampton needing to make only one true save from Scott Costello.
The second half had barely kicked off when Christian Temple won the first of three home corners none of which produced anything. When a poor Couser kick and equally poor follow up back pass presented Bell with another scoring opportunity, the keeper dived to easily hold a soft shot.
Getting close to an hour since they scored, Tweedmouth were punished for failing to profit from their pressure. ‘The Shippy’ had already set up their best move of the match when, for once, they got the better of the home defence, but the trialist who was last to receive the ball was way offside. Not so Shaun Keatings when space was made for him to equalise.
Rangers then showed the type of finishing which had largely eluded them. Only two minutes after it became one-all, Ross Aitchison sent Bloomfield on his way to beat Couser. Keatings had shown composure when taking his goal but a rash tackle on Aitchison led to a second caution and dismissal with thirteen minutes still on the clock.
Cameron Howden may have been in luck when the ball came to him off a Burntisland man but his quick thinking saw a pass to Bell for a score similar to Bloomfield’s. At this point, Jay Baverstock took the field for the first time after nearly two years’ absence due to injury problems showing some neat touches as the hosts played out the final minutes.