Tayport FC 4 - 1 Forfar West End (Match Report 12/11/22)

Tayport FC 4 - 1 Forfar West End

14/01/23

1.45pm Kick Off

The Canniepairt

Midlands Football League

Match Report by Charlotte Wilde

Photographs by Ryan Masheder

After their postponed game the week before, Tayport were finally back in action for their first match of the new year. Forfar West End travelled over the bridge to The Canniepairt to face a struggling Port side who had only seen 8 points claimed from their last 7 matches. After the long Christmas break, however, the players seemed keen to get back into action on the pitch despite the chill of the January breeze. This match also saw the return of striker Paul Sludden to the club after time away in Japan.

The home side started well with a chance inside the first few minutes. A Kieran Sturrock pass found Paul Sludden in the box. Sludden took a powerful shot on goal but the ball was well hit out by West End keeper Kyle Shand. However, soon after, the away side went on the counter attack and had a great chance when the ball went out for a corner. Rhys Fraser took the corner and the ball landed in the box, however, Tayport defender Bradie Heggie cleared the ball away from near the goal line.

For the next 15 minutes, the game was very Tayport dominated. Innes Barbour had a great couple of chances to score but his first shot went just past the post and his second was punched away by Shand. 25 minutes in and Tayport had a superb chance to take the lead. A Rikki Gillespie corner was well taken and the ball fell straight into West End’s box. Gary Robertson leapt up and headed the ball but it unluckily went just over the crossbar.

However, in the 30th minute, and after all their chances, Tayport finally got the first goal of the match. Another Gillespie corner flew into the box where it found defender Craig Sturrock who powerfully headed the ball towards the net. The ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down just over the goal line before being cleared from the box by West End’s defence. There was a moment of confusion to whether the goal stood, but it was ultimately the linesman who made the call to the referee and the goal was given.

Unfortunately for the Port, it didn’t take long for the away side to claw back a goal as, only 9 minutes later, West End equalised. The ball was crossed over into the Tayport box where Brett Hampton slid in and scored. This was the last action of the first half and both teams went into the break even at 1-1.

Back out for the next 45 minutes and it was clear that Tayport were determined to regain their lead. Only minutes after the restart, a cross from Craig Sturrock found Sludden who slid in and tried to slip the ball into the net. Unluckily, he hit the ball just inches too wide of the post. West End did have a good chance only minutes later through a Ross Flight free kick, but the Tayport defence was strong and the ball was swiftly cleared from the box.

Despite the away side trying to take the lead, it was Tayport who got the next goal of the match to make it 2-1. Kieran Sturrock threaded the ball through to Sludden who ran into the box taking on the last defender and slotting the ball past Shand and into the bottom left corner of the net.

Just like the latter part of the first half, the second half was very much Tayport dominated. Robertson and Sludden both had chances at headers, but the first hit the crossbar and the second was caught by Shand. In the 76th minute, Tayport made it 3-1. A Heggie cross into the box found the head of a West End defender, who only partially cleared the ball out of the box but, unfortunately for him, it fell straight to the feet of Gillespie who then booted the ball into the back of the net.

Then, only 2 minutes later, the home side sealed their 4-1 victory. Substitute Nik Edwards slipped the ball to Kieran Sturrock who was in the box. Sturrock then simply slotted the ball into the net. The game finished with another close Gillespie chance. His free kick form the edge of the box was on target but Shand just managed to tip the ball over the crossbar. The match finished with a great 4-1 win for Tayport.

Manager Daryl McKenzie said he was “really delighted to get the win”, but felt that “we made hard work of it” and that we “should have been more ahead than we were in the first half”. He said that the team “regrouped at half time” and that his coaching staff “talked to the players about what was important to go do in the second half”. He added that he felt that the players really listened and improved as he “thought we won really comfortably in the end”.

The Tayport Distillery Man of the Match award was given to striker Paul Sludden

Tayport Team:

1 Thomas Welsh

2 Bradie Heggie

3 Craig Sturrock (McKelvie)

4 Gary Robertson

5 Greg McColm

6 Andrew Walls (Walls)

7 Daryl McKenzie

8 Innes Barbour (Edwards)

9 Kieran Sturrock (Fraser)

10 Paul Sludden

11 Rikki Gillespie

Substitutes:

14 Nik Edwards

16 Adam Fraser

17 Callum Walls

18 Aidan McKelvie

Forfar West End Team:

1 Kyle Shand

2 Igor Zinko

3 Liam Findlay

4 Rhys Hoon

5 Ross Flight

6 Jay Harkins

7 Murray Penman

8 Steven Smith

9 Brett Hampton

10 Liam Jones

11 Rhys Fraser

Substitutes:

12 Rory Anderson

14 Zac Archer

15 Jack Chalmers

16 Justin Clarke

17 Owen Lockhart

18 Connor Woodcock

19 Hayden Laird