Letham FC 2 - 3 Tayport FC (Match Report 19/03/22)

Letham FC 2 - 3 Tayport FC 19/03/22 2:30pm Kick Off Seven Acres Midlands Football League

Match Report by Charlotte Wilde Photographs by Ryan Masheder

After last week’s disappointing loss at home to Kirriemuir Thistle, Tayport were looking to redeem themselves in their first of six consecutive away games. This weekend the Port travelled to Perth to face Letham FC, a side who put up a strong fight and created a challenging game. Emergency loanee keeper Craig Hepburn filled in for Tayport’s Darren Brown after Brown received a two game suspension for a straight red card last week.

Tayport had a fast paced start with plenty of chances within the first 10 minutes. Jamie Gill had a fantastic run down the line and into the box which gave Tayport an early chance but he just couldn’t quite get the ball into the net. Also, a Ryan Paterson corner fell straight into the box but Letham keeper Rory MacIntyre was on point and easily punched away. Striker Daniel Dorovic also tried to get Tayport on the scoreboard. Defender Greg McColm passed the ball to Dorovic who went for a header but the ball fell straight to MacIntyre.

The home side still continued to challenge Tayport. Stephen Mann had a great run into the box but his shot was well defended by Tayport Captain Jamie Hume who put the ball out for a corner. Mark Shaw also had a chance for the home team but his cross into the box was saved by Hepburn.

Despite Letham’s chances Tayport continued to dominate the match and this paid off as they got the first goal in the 15th minute. A superb tackle by Dorovic on the halfway line gave the away side back possession of the ball. He then passed to Kieran Sturrock who ran and took a powerful shot from the edge of the box. The ball flew into the back of the net and Tayport were now leading. Only 9 minutes later in the 24th minute Tayport made it 0-2. A pass from Paul Sludden found Paterson who took a shot from the corner of the box. The ball slipped passed the Letham defence and keeper and into the net, doubling Tayport’s lead.

Even though they had conceded two goals, Letham did not give up. Connor Galletly had a fantastic opportunity to score when he found himself in the box and one-on-one with Tayport keeper Hepburn. Galletly took a shot but Hepburn slid in and made an amazing save.

However, 40 minutes in, there was a huge scramble in the box for the ball and a Letham player went down. The referee called for a penalty and the home side now had a chance to get a goal back. Shaw stepped up to take the penalty and he easily scored in the bottom right corner, with Hepburn diving to the left. Paterson had one last chance before the break to extend Tayport’s lead, but his free kick went too high over the crossbar. The teams went into halftime with Tayport leading 1-2.

Out for the next 45 minutes and, again, Tayport started strong. A Paterson cross into the box was a good chance but Letham keeper MacIntyre managed to catch the ball. A Gill corner caused a scramble in the box but it was eventually cleared and Sludden’s chance on goal went just wide of the post. Another Paterson free kick landed perfectly in the box but it was well cleared by Letham’s Aaron Galletly before it could get into the back of the net.

There was a blow for Letham when, only 15 minutes into the second half, Aidan Edwards received a second yellow card for diving in the box and was subsequently sent off the pitch. Although they were now down to 10 men, Letham still pushed for an equaliser. Benn Blyth took a free kick which fell into the box, but Hepburn, once again, saved. A great cross from Alan Cunningham gave Shaun Simpson an amazing opportunity to score but he couldn’t quite reach the ball before it went out. Sludden also had a shot on goal for Tayport from outside the box but his strike hit the crossbar.

Eventually, Letham’s efforts paid off when they made it 2-2 in the 77th minute. A mistake in the Tayport defence meant Cunningham had a clear chance to score and he did just that. The score was now even and both teams continued to fight for the win. Craig Sturrock lofted the ball from the halfway line into the box but MacIntyre punched it away. Gill also had another couple of great runs down the line and some passes into the box but the Tayport forwards couldn’t quite get the ball into the net. Simpson also pushed for a third Letham goal, but his cross into the box was cleared by McColm.

It was Tayport who got the final goal of the game 88 minutes in. Gill took a powerful strike from outside the box and MacIntyre went to catch the ball but it bounced out of his hands and fell straight to Paterson who tapped the ball into the net. Paterson had another free kick just before the 90 minutes were up. His shot from the corner of the box fell to substitute Adam Fraser who headed the ball but it went just over the crossbar. The match ended 2-3 to Tayport and Ryan Paterson received the Tayport Distillery Man of the Match award.

Manager Eddie Wolecki Black said he was “pleased to get the 3 points” after conceding two goals and that he was happy with the team as they “showed good character”.

Tayport take a break from the Midlands League next week to travel to Guthrie Park to face Forfar United in the Quarter-Final of the Quest Precision Engineering Cup.

Tayport Team: 1. Craig Hepburn 2. Louis Joyce 3. Craig Sturrock 4. Greg McColm 5. Jamie Hume (C) 6. Kris Rollo 7. Kieran Sturrock (Cobb) 8. Ryan Paterson 9. Paul Sludden (Fraser) 10. Daniel Dorovic 11. Jamie Gill

Substitutes: 15. Aidan Cobb 16. Adam Fraser 17. Ewan White 18. Ross Cameron 20. Jacob Kerrigan

Lethan FC Team: 1. Rory MacIntyre 2. Rian Shillan 3. Alan Cunningham 4. Aaron Galletly 5. Benn Blyth 6. Connor Galletly 7. Aidan Edwards 8. Darren Spence 9. Mark Shaw 10. Shaun Simpson 11. Stephen Mann

Substitutes: 12. Josh Robertson 14. Ross Millar 15. Nathan Kennedy 16. Omar Jassim 17. Jamie McKenzie 23. Joseph Clancy