Burntisland Shipyard 3
Gala Fairydean 4
EoS FIRST DIVISION
GALA returned to the scene of their opening-day debacle when the home side run out 4-1 winners – and they were without three players lost to injuries sustained the previous week.
However, they started brightly, taking the lead from a cleared corner.
Jay Wilson laid the ball into the path of the inrushing Scott Nightingale, who unleashed a shot from 30yds that flew into the top left-hand corner of the Shipyard net.
Fairydean were looking the brighter side, but the Fifers got back on terms when a long ball found Rutherford free and he lobbed Turnbull, who had come off his line, for the equaliser.
Play began to ebb and flow, with the home side looking dangerous from set pieces, but Gala retook the lead in a fortuitous manner on the half-hour. Greg Hay hit a diagonal cross towards the left wing and Brown tried to cut it out, but it took a looping deflection off his leg and flew past the bemused keeper, Melia, to give the visitors an interval advantage.
Gala extended their lead early in the second half when Jack Hay found himself clear and lobbed Melia to find the net. Turnbull got down well to push a snap-shot for a corner, but a couple of minutes later brought down a Shippy player to concede a penalty. Rutherford took the spot kick and sent Turnbull the wrong way to reduce the arrears.
Just after the hour mark, trialist Darren Bowie rose well at a corner to head the ball to the right of the goal and Grant Gass reacted quickly to hook the ball home to extend Gala’s lead once more.
But the two-goal safety margin lasted all of two minutes before a shot from outside the penalty area found the bottom right-hand corner of the Fairydean net.
Play flowed from end to end for the remainder of the game, with the Borderers missing some glorious chances, but they held on for a hard-fought, but deserved, three points.
Gala Fairydean: E. Turnbull, G. Hay, C. Tyson, Trialist, G. Lothian, G. Gass, J. Wilson, P. Young, M. Berry, S. Nightingale (R. Hewitson, 71 mins), J. Hay (D. Boyne 89 mins).