Winning In The Rain: Bronze Age

Saturday 23rd May 2015
Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division
Oban Saints AFC v Finnart AFC
Glencruitten 2, Mossfield Avenue, Oban, Argyll PA34 4EH
Kick Off 2pm
Referee Mr John Scott

Possible alternative venue and time:-

Oban Community Sports Field (3G), Soroba Road, Oban, Argyll PA34 4JB
Kick off 1pm

Last Time Out

Relegation threatened Alba Thistle were the grateful beneficiaries of by far Saints worse performance of the season at a windswept Seething Community Sports Centre, Paisley last Saturday afternoon. The unexpected three points for Alba sets them up nicely for their final match of the season against Eaglesham where a win will secure their Premier Division status at the expense of Busby. Saints were without injured pair Dougal Graham and Donald Campbell and holiday makers Allan Mackay and Scott Maitland so PJ Sinclair and Shaun MacIver were added to the travelling party. Skipper Marc Maccallum won the toss and elected to swap ends to play into the strong wind in the first half. Saints started brightly with Dean Smith having a shot narrowly wide of target in the first minute from a low cross from the right from Ross Maitland. One minute later Smith drew a foul from his marker winning a free kick on the Saints right twenty eight yards from goal. Dean made a good run to get across his marker and get on the end of Ross Maitland's free kick but his attempted hook shot was comfortably saved by Lee Mitchell in the Alba goal. Saints were showing no signs of being disadvantaged by playing into the wind and carved out a decent chance in the fifth minute with a good interchange on the left from Craig MacEwan and Paul Kerr. Paul found Lewis Cameron on the edge of the box whose instinctive first time pass picked out Ross Maitland's run to the near post but the wee man's close range effort slipped wide of the post. Alba won the first corner of the match in the seventh minute and punished Saints for some slack marking. The cross was cleared comfortably enough however Alba striker Mark McCormack was left unmarked on the edge of the box and his first time effort found the back of the Saints net. Manager Iain Jackson had deployed a slightly unfamiliar 3-4-3 formation pushing Ross Maitland forward to join Lewis Cameron and Dean Smith in attack. More unfamiliar however was the disjointed and error strewn passing which prevailed throughout. In the 17th minute a good pass through the inside right channel from Myles McAuley played in David McArthur who cut in from the right wing and fired a low shot across the face of goal narrowly missing the base of the keeper's right hand post. Alba had a chance in the 27th minute to test Thomas McCulloch with a wind assisted free kick but the big keeper was left untroubled as the shot from Daniel Walsh sailed high over the crossbar. With the wind hampering his kicking Thomas McCulloch played the ball short to Jamie Graham on the right of the back three who clipped the ball forward to David McArthur. David made a good run up the wing and sent over an inviting cross towards Ross Maitland however the Alba keeper came to collect and used his considerable height advantage to pluck the ball off the wee man's head. In the 34th minute Craig MacEwan burst forward on the left and played the ball into Dean Smith on the 18 yard line. Dean did well to turn his marker and get a shot away unfortunately his low right foot effort want wide of the keeper's left hand post. Saints shot themselves in the foot again in the 38th minute leaving themselves up against it for the second game in a row. A needless pass back from midfield put goalkeeper Thomas McCulloch under pressure to clear from the edge of his 18 yard box. With the ball coming straight onto him and struggling to make a decent connection on the bumpy surface Thomas couldn't get any distance on his clearance sending it only as far as the feet of the unmarked Mark McCormack who casually clipped the ball into the unguarded net to give the hosts a flattering two goal advantage to take into the second half.
The second half was only minutes old when Alba were reduced to ten men for a spot of afters on the floor after Michael Iau had brought down Dean Smith midway inside the Saints half. Unfortunately for Saints Dean also saw red for his part in the melee. Saints pulled one back almost immediately after the red cards after a driving run into the Alba box by Craig MacEwan won a corner on the Saints left. Lewis Cameron's in swinging corner on top of the goal keeper was forced in at the back post by Paul Kerr. This together with the extra space from the red cards and the wind advantage should have signalled the start of a Saints onslaught but the first half pattern of poor movement and slack passing continued and chances remained at a premium. Manager Iain Jackson made his first change after 53 minutes bringing on Martin Bonar to replace Alex Craik. Martin joined the attack leaving Skipper Marc Maccallum and Jamie Graham at the back. In the 58th minute Craig MacEwan was disappointed not to have tested the keeper heading wide from a David McArthur cross from the right wing. One minute later Craig was inches away from connecting with a Ross Maitland corner from the left Lee Mitchell doing well to gather under pressure at the back post. Saints made their second substitution after 63 minutes when Shaun MacIver came on to replace David McArthur. Martin Bonar moved to the right to take up the berth vacated by David with Shaun joining Lewis Cameron and Ross Maitland in attack. The wind, which strengthened as the half progressed, continued to aid Saints territorial advantage however the heavy hail showers that accompanied it did little to help build any momentum. In the 73rd minute Alba made a rare foray into the Saints half and won a corner on the left wing. After wasting a couple of minutes, which the referee took careful note of, deciding who should take the kick it was eventually swung in to the back post where Thomas McCulloch was relieved to see Craig MacEwan head off the line. Manager Iain Jackson made his final change with twelve minutes remaining giving PJ Sinclair a rare run-out at the expense of Lewis Cameron. With the match stuttering towards the final whistle PJ made a good run from midfield and found the Alba defence parting in front of him. PJ advanced to the 18 yard line but, with Ross Maitland to his right screaming for a pass, shot weakly at goalkeeper Lee Mitchell who could scarcely believe his luck. Referee Don Flanigan added on plenty of time to make up for Alba's second half time wasting but Saints were unable to muster another decent attempt of note. Much to the delight of the Alba players and staff Referee Flanigan, taking charge of his first Saints game since returning to the Scottish Amateur Football League following a spell in the Paisley and District League, brought proceedings to an end leavjng league survival very much in Alba's own hands.

Ross Maitland and Alba's Daniel O'Hare

Craig MacEwan puts Alba keeper Lee Mitchell under pressure

Paul Kerr pulls one back for Saints

A very frustrated Saints Management Team

The Battle for Third Place

With all hopes of silverware now gone Saints turn their attentions to the battle for third place which is now a straight fight between Saints and Finnart. Saturday's visitors currently sit in fourth place in the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division three points behind Saints but with a vastly superior goal difference. A win for Finnart would keep them on course for their highest ever Scottish Amateur League finish whereas Saints are chasing a seventh top three finish in nine seasons. When the two sides met at Glencruitten last season they were both very much in the title hunt and it was Saints who prevailed on that occasion thanks in no small measure to goalkeeper Daniel Cassells who pulled off two stunning penalty saves from Finnart skipper Brian Blair. In an incident packed game Saints took the lead through Ross Maitland and, after surviving the two Finnart penalties, wrapped things up against a tiring Finnart defence with two late goals from substitute Mattie Rippon.
It was an entirely different story at Glasgow Green earlier this season when Finnart recorded their first ever victory over Saints. Finnart again won two penalties in the match which were this time clinically dispatched by Andy Robertson giving Daniel Cassells no chance of repeating last season's heroics. The two second half penalties added to first half goals from Jason McArthur and Ben Mills to give Finnart an unassailable 4 - 0 lead, however to their Credit Saints never gave up and were rewarded for their tenacity with an 83rd minute Donald Campbell consolation goal.
Saturday's fixture promises to be a cracker but the excitement does not end there as both sides have one more crunch fixture remaining. For Saints it's a first home Argyll Derby against great rivals Campbeltown Pupils since August 2008, while Finnart will the chance to have a say in the final destination of the Premier Division trophy when they face St Joseph's FP at Glasgow Green. Assuming St Joe's can secure victory over Eaglesham on Saturday a win at Finnart on the final day will send the Premier Division trophy to Duntocher by virtue of their superior goal difference over title rivals Thorn Athletic. However, if Finnart can deny St Joe's the full three points the league title will go to Thorn.
Manager Iain Jackson should have a full squad at his disposal as he endeavours to end a disappointing season on as high a note as possible.

Finnart's league fixtures so far this season:-

16th August 2014 Busby 3 - 6 Finnart

23rd August 2014 Finnart 3 - 3 Thorn Athletic

13th September 2014 Haldane United 1 - 5 Finnart

18th October 2014 Campbeltown Pupils 3 - 6 Finnart

25th October 2014 St Joseph's FP 3 - 0 Finnart

1st November 2014 Finnart 4 - 0 Kings Park Rangers

8th November 2014 Finnart 0 - 0 Busby
29th November 2014 Finnart 4 - 1 Oban Saints
13th December 2014 Finnart 4 - 4 Alba Thistle
7th February 2015 Finnart 2 - 3 Campbeltown Pupils
14th February 2015 Finnart 0 - 1 Haldane United
28th February 2015 Kings Park Rangers 0 - 2 Finnart
21st March 2015 Alba Thistle 2 - 4 Finnart
4th April 2015 Eaglesham 2 - 0 Finnart
25th April 2015 Thorn Athletic 3 - 2 Finnart
9th May 2015 Finnart 1 - 1 Eaglesham

Finnart's SAFL record:-

2010/11
Premier Division Two Champions (Promoted)

2011/12
Premier Division One Champions (Promoted)
Centenary Cup Runners Up to Postal United

2012/13
Premier Division 7th

2013/14
Premier Division 4th

Saints record against Finnart:-

2012/13
Oban Saints 4 - 1 Finnart
Finnart 0 - 1 Oban Saints

2013/14
Oban Saints 3 - 0 Finnart

Finnart 0 - 1 Oban Saints

2014/15
Finnart 4 - 1 Oban Saints