Coupar Angus JFC 1 - 3 Tayport FC (Match Report 14/05/22)

Coupar Angus JFC 1 - 3 Tayport FC

14/05/22

2:30pm Kick Off

Foxhall Park

Midlands Football League

Match Report by Charlotte Wilde

Photographs by Ryan Masheder

For their last league game of the 2021/2022 season, Tayport travelled to Foxhall Park to face Coupar Angus JFC. The team were looking for a win to finish the season on a high and they did just that with a fantastic, yet tough, 1-3 victory. Paul Sludden acted as Captain for this match as Jamie Hume was out with injury.

Sludden kicked off for the Port in what would unfortunately be a slow-paced first half. There were equal chances for both teams early on and it was a very even start to the match. Tayport had a great chance from a Jamie Gill throw in which landed perfectly in the box. Defender Greg McColm ran in to header the ball but the Coupar defence got there first and managed to clear the ball away. Gill also had his own chance through a header from a Sludden cross but the ball went too wide of the post.

Coupar also had plenty of good chances themselves early on. Kevin Egan took a fantastic corner into the box where Brian Harris headed the ball towards the net. However, Port keeper Craig Hepburn made a great save, punching the ball away from the box. Again, Coupar had another chance through a header, but this time from Jack Neave, but his shot went just wide of the post.

30 minutes in and Tayport continued to put pressure on Coupar for the first goal of the match. Luke Emmett made a superb pass from Tayport’s half to Sludden, who ran down the line and cross the ball into Coupar’s box where it found Ryan Paterson. Paterson took a shot but the ball was well saved by Coupar keeper Lennard Ewing. Tayport continued to push for a goal but a cross from Kieran Sturrock and a corner from Paterson where both easily cleared from the box by the Coupar defenders.

Down the other end of the pitch it was much the same, many chances but none could make the back of the net. Elliott Tosh took a couple of great shots on goal but Hepburn easily saved both times. Another Egan corner was a good chance from the home side but Tayport striker Daniel Dorovic got to the ball first and easily cleared it from Tayport’s half.

Just before half time, Coupar had a perfect chance to score through an Egan free kick on the edge of the box. The ball flew towards the goal where Lee Roeleveld headed the ball but it again went too wide of the post. The half time whistle was blown and the teams went into the break even at 0-0.

Out for the second half and it was looking like a different game. Both teams came out with new energy and pace that we hadn’t seen in the first 45 minutes. A Paterson corner early on was a great chance for Tayport to take the lead. The ball fell into the box but was cleared but Coupar Captain Stephen Tront. However, it wasn’t cleared far enough and Paterson picked up the ball again and took a shot, but unfortunately it was too powerful and the ball flew over the crossbar. Dominic Blair and Kieron Dolan both had strong chances on goal for Coupar but Hepburn caught the ball both times.

Due to Coupar applying much more pressure, Tayport changed the formation of the team and brought on multiple substitutions in order to get a goal. However, only a few minutes later, a foul on Tosh by Ross Cameron in the Tayport box meant Coupar were given a penalty. Tront stepped up and easily scored in the bottom right corner, with Hepburn diving to the left. 60 minutes in and Coupar were now leading 1-0.

Tayport were now desperate for an equaliser. A few chances from corners and free kicks came but nothing amounted to a goal for the away side. However, in the 74th minute, Tayport got their first goal of the match. Craig Sturruck lofted the ball up the park where it was collected by Kieran Sturrock on the edge of the box. He then took a shot and the ball deflected off Ewing and into the back of Coupar’s net. Only 3 minutes later, Tayport went 1-2 up. Hepburn booted the ball all the way into Coupar’s half where it found Gill. Gill then ran down the line and into the box before slipping the ball past Ewing and into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

Now that they had lost their lead, Coupar were now pushing for their equaliser. Harris took a powerful shot but it hit the crossbar. The ball then bounced back to substitute Michael Cavin who also took a shot but the ball went just over the net.

91 minutes in and it was Tayport who go the next goal of the match. The ball was collected by Sludden on the edge of the Coupar box after yet another fantastic goal kick from Hepburn. Sludden ran towards the goal just as Ewing came out. The ball bounced of Ewing and both players got tangled up together. However, the ball fell to substitute Adam Fraser who smashed it into the back of the net. This was the last action of the match and the game ended 1-3 to Tayport.

Keeper Craig Hepburn received the Tayport Distillery Man of the Match award for the first time, with manger Eddie Wolecki Black saying he was pleased and that it was “a good decision”. Now that the league for this season is over, he also said that he feels it had been “a bit of a success” saying that “we’ve managed to get up the table a few places and reach a cup final”.

Tayport’s last game before the new season begins will be the Quest Precision Engineering Cup final on Saturday the 4th of June against Dundee East Craigie at Whitton Park.

Tayport Team:

1. Craig Hepburn

2. Luke Emmett

3. Ross Cameron

4. Aidan Cobb

5. Greg McColm (C.Sturrock)

6. Louis Joyce

7. Kieran Sturrock

8. Ryan Paterson (White)

9. Paul Sludden (C)

10.Daniel Dorovic (Fraser)

11. Jamie Gill

Substitutes:

12. Jim Malone

13. Adam Fraser

14. Bradie Heggie

15. Ewan White

16. Craig Sturrock

20. Darren Brown

Coupar Angus Team:

1. Lennard Ewing

2. Dominic Blair

3. Jack Neave

4. Nairn Greig

5. Lee Roeleveld

6. Liam Egan

7. Kevin Egan

8. Stephen Tront

9. Elliott Tosh

10. Kieron Dolan

11. Brian Harris

Substitutes:

12. Michael Cavin

16. Marc Percy

17. Derek Mitchell

18. Robbie Norrie

19. Johnathon Smart

22. Jacob Kerrigan

Photos from Ryan Masheder Photography