Saturday 30th August 2014
Umbro Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division
Thorn Athletic AFC v Oban Saints AFC
McMaster Sports Centre, Greenend Avenue, Johnstone, Renfrewshire PA5 0LD
Kick off 2pm
Referee Mr Stuart Cormack
Last Time Out
Saints got the defence of their Premier Division title off to a winning start against Kings Park Rangers at Glencruitten last Saturday.Kings were below full strength for what was also their opening league fixture however they more than made up for this by implementing a disciplined defensive strategy which very nearly gained them a share of the points. Despite enjoying the vast majority of first half possession Saints passing lacked the crispness necessary to penetrate the massed ranks of the Kings defence. Any effort that did make it through the Kings back line was comfortably dealt with by goal keeper Jim McLaughlin. The breakthrough for Saints came in the 36th minute when last season's top scorer Allan Mackay rose unchallenged in the box to head home a Ross Maitland free kick. Saints almost doubled their lead four minutes later when a Craig MacEwan header from a Ross Maitland corner looped over the goalkeeper and landed on top of the cross bar before bouncing behind for a goal kick. In a move that was ultimately to prove decisive Manager Iain Jackson withdrew central defender Alex Craik prior to the start of the second half replacing him with striker Dean Smith. Saints started the second half brightly and created a few decent chances all of which failed to hit the target. Unfortunately for Saints the encouraging start didn't last long and the game fell flat for long spells. With Saints struggling for inspiration Kings grew in confidence and began to push bodies forward in support of lone striker Dean McCallum. Eventually this more adventurous approach paid off for the visitors and from a throw in on the right wing Dean McCallum hit the bye-line and sent in a low cut back which found Kings Martyn Reid exactly where you would expect to find Alex Craik. Instead of the danger being cleared the ball was knocked home from close range to bring Kings level. Despite not having the best of afternoons Saints responded well to this set back and regained the lead in the 88th minute. A neat turn and low shot from substitute Dean Smith finally knocked the stuffing out of Kings and secured the victory for Saints. Definitely not a vintage Saints performance but a winning start to the league campaign nonetheless.
New signings Dougal Graham and Scott Maitland make their competitive debuts for Saints
Allan Mackay opens the scoring
Dean Smith marks his return to the Saints fold with an 88th minute winner
Saints play their first away fixture of the season on Saturday and they could hardly have asked for a stiffer challenge than a trip to face old foes Thorn Athletic. Saints have never tasted a league defeat away to Thorn but have been made to battle hard for every point won. Saints can expect yet another difficult afternoon in Johnstone for although Thorn have flirted with relegation in the past two seasons they have worked extremely hard in pre-season and have been steadily building up a head of steam for the new campaign. An eight match pre-season schedule including matches against Junior sides Benburb and Troon has seen Thorn hit the ground running scoring eight goals in their opening two league fixtures. Almost a third of the way to matching last season's goals tally already, Thorn have been playing some excellent football and will seriously fancy their chances of mounting a sustained challenge for the Premier Division title. A home win against newly promoted Eaglesham followed by an away draw at strongly fancied Finnart has set Thorn up nicely for the visit of the reigning champions. Thorn's renewed prowess in front of goal will provide a stern test for the curmudgeonly Saints defence which has conceded the fewest league goals in four of the last five Premier Division seasons. Always a fixture that captivates the imagination, not only of the players and supporters of both sides but also of the wider amateur football world, Saturday's match is sure to be another no quarter asked or given affair with both teams desperate to take the three points.
Thorn Athletic SAFL record:-
2013/14 Premier Division 6th
2012/13 Premier Division 8th
2011/12 Premier Division 3rd
2010/11 Premier Division 3rd
2009/10 Premier Division One Champions (Promoted)
2008/09 Premier Division Two Champions (Promoted)
Saints league record in Johnstone:-
2013/14 Thorn Athletic 1 - 2 Oban Saints
2012/13 Thorn Athletic 0 - 1 Oban Saints
2011/12 Thorn Athletic 1 - 1 Oban Saints
2010/11 Thorn Athletic 1 - 1 Oban Saints
Thorn Athletic on their pre-season trip to Galashiels
Other News
In other news congratulations to Saints winger Ross Maitland and his partner Claire Gilpin on the birth of their son (no name yet but Santi gets my vote) another future Saints star.
In other, other news Saints and Thorn both declined to accept a nomination from Inverclyde AFC to take part in the Ice Bucket Challenge which is a major surprise as both sets of players normally never shirk a challenge and are known to take a good bucket.
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