The Oban Saints pre-season tournament comes of age on Saturday when the eagerly anticipated annual event is played for the 21st time. The enduring popularity of the event is exhibited in the top class opposition which the tournament continues to attract. All four of this years visitors are regular attenders and can boast 37 appearances between them. The late withdrawal of Heart of Midlothian has reduced the number of competitors to five but the format remains the same with the teams playing each other once. Despite the competition being principally designed to aid in the building of pre-season fitness it is keenly contested and victory is greeted with as much celebration as any other trophy win. The tournament has been blessed with some excellent weather over the years but unfortunately tomorrow's forecast is for rain. Whatever the weather the anticipated large crowd is sure to be entertained to a feast of quality football.
Saints were delighted last year when shirt sponsor D&K Lafferty Contractors agreed to sponsor the event following the withdrawal of Keyline Builders who until then had sponsored the event in every year since it's inception. D&K Lafferty are fantastic supporters of local sport and it's great to see them getting the exposure that sponsorship of this prestigious tournament can offer.
Accies make their 12th consecutive appearance at the tournament and they do so for the first time as holders of the trophy. Accies already have one pre-season match under their belt where they enjoyed a 1 - 0 victoty over Heart of Midlothian at New Douglas Park. Accies will bring a squad of at least 22 players which will be split in two with each team playing two matches. After narrowly missing out on the SPFL Championship title to Dundee last season, Accies secured promotion to the Premiership with a thrilling 4 - 3 penalty shoot out win over Hibernian at Easter Road.
Making their 9th consecutive appearance three time winners Alloa Athletic are bidding to become the tournament's most successful competitors with a record breaking fourth win. The Wasps have already played two matches this pre-season recording home victories over Montrose and East Stirling 1 - 0 and 2 - 1 respectively. The Wasps finished 8th in last season's SPFL Championship, level on points with Cowdenbeath but with a marginally better goal difference which spared them the agony of a relegation play off against Dunfermline Athletic whom they had defeated the previous season to secure promotion to the Championship. It's an early start tomorrow morning for the tournament regular Wasps fans with their supporter's bus leaving Alloa at 6.30am. I'm willing to bet that they'll be even more bleary eyed when the bus leaves for the return trip at 12 noon on Sunday!
Dundee United have an excellent record of three wins from their ten previous appearances. Carrying United's hopes for the honour of being the first club to record four victories this year are the under 20's. United's under 20's finished in 12th place out of 16 in last season's highly competitive SPFL under 20's league.
Unable to take part last year Saints are delighted to welcome back the Perth Saints for their 9th tournament appearance. Like Dundee United St Johnstone will be represented by their under 20's who will be desperate to record a first tournament success for the Sottish Cup holders. St Johnstone under 20's finished 11th in last season's SPFL under 20's league one point ahead of Dundee United.
Saints enjoyed an excellent 2013 - 14 season losing only two matches, a Scottish Amateur Cup 7th Round defeat to eventual losing semi-finalists Eastfield and a West of Scotland Cup 4th round penalty shoot-out defeat to eventual losing finalists Giffnock North. An undefeated league campaign, culminating in a last day winner takes all victory over closest rivals Haldane United, saw Saints crowned Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division Champions to add to the Jimmy Marshall Trophy secured against Inverclyde just three days earlier.
Past Winners
2013
Hamilton Academical
2012
Heart of Midlothian
2011
Alloa Athletic
2010
Dundee United
2009
Alloa Athletic
2008
Dundee United
2007
Alloa Athletic
2006
Heart of Midlothian
2005
Dumbarton
2004
Dundee United
2003
Nairn County
2002
Heart of Midlothian
2001
Clyde
2000
Clyde
1999
Joint Winners Clyde and Inverness Caledonian Thistle
1998
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
1997
St Mirren
1996
Maryhill Juniors
1995
St Mirren
1994
Oban Saints AFC
Also born in 1994:-
Olympic diving champion Tom Daley
Some other diver
The famous "one nil to The Arsenal" chant is alleged to have been born at half time in the Parcs de Princes where Arsenal held a slender 1 - 0 advantage over Paris Saint Germain in the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners Cup semi-final first leg. Legend has it that Go West was played by the stadium DJ during the half time interval to which the assembled Gooners sang along using their own words and a classic football chant was born.
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