Winning In The Rain: The Joy of Six

Saturday 24th October 2015
Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division
Shawlands FP AFC 1 - 6 Oban Saints AFC

Saints rich vein of form continued last Saturday with an emphatic 6 - 1 away win against Shawlands FP at the excellent facilities Lochinch Police Club in Pollock Country Park. Heavy over night rain forced a switch of playing surface from grass to 3G however the artificial surface was of top quality with the added bonus of substantial width which Saints would use to good advantage throughout the match. Manager Alex Craik's plans received a set-back on the eve of the match with illness forcing Martin Bonar and Allan Mackay to withdraw from the travelling party, however he was able to name the same starting eleven which knocked East Kilbride Rolls Royce out of the West of Scotland Cup last week and still have Ross Maitland, Shaun MacIver and Dougal Graham in reserve.

Saints started strongly with Donald Campbell forcing Shawlands goal keeper and team captain Anthony Curran to palm a stinging drive round his right hand post in the first minute. From the resulting corner Curran punched clear but only as far as Scott Maitland who fired in a low shot narrowly wide of the keeper's left hand post. The movement and interplay of the Saints front three of Lewis Cameron, Dean Smith and Craig MacEwan was already posing problems for the Shawlands defence which sat deep also allowing space for Donald Campbell and Willie Gemmell to push forward from midfield. In the sixth minute Gemmell made a good run forward and was picked out in the box by Campbell, Willie's shot would have tested the keeper but for a timely interception by Shawlands defender Ross McDougall deflecting the ball wide for a corner. Donald Campbell stung the palms of keeper Curran with another shot from the edge of the box before Saints carved out their best opportunity of the early exchanges with an intricate passing move involving Lewis Cameron, Craig MacEwan and Dean Smith. The front three passed their way through the Shawlands defence and were unlucky to see a slightly off balance Dean Smith place a low shot inches wide of the keeper's right hand post. Saints were dictating the play but their eagerness to play the ball out from the back was giving encouragement to the home team who looked to exploit any misplaced passes and launch some attacks of their own. Shawlands won their first corner of the match in the sixteenth minute when Dene Cassells made a good block forcing a Mark Watt shot behind. Saints dealt well with the danger from the corner with a powerful clearing header by Willie Gemmell. Shortly afterwards Saints keeper Thomas McCulloch was forced into action for the first time when he made a diving block at the feet of Shawlands striker Paul McGowan. McGowan made a good run up the left wing leaving David McArthur in his wake before cutting into the box where the threat was extinguished by McCulloch. Saints passing opened up the Shawlands defence again in the twenty first minute and only a last ditch sliding interception from central defender Nicky Clark prevented Dean Smith from getting through on goal. Clark's sliding challenge sent the ball out for a throw-in which Scott Maitland took quickly giving Lewis Cameron time and space to measure a cross to the far post where Dean Smith stretched backwards to head narrowly over the crossbar. Frustratingly for Saints Paul Kerr had also pushed forward into the box and looked far better placed to take on the header. Saints continued to press forward in search of the opening goal and came close once again in the twenty sixth minute when Donald Campbell made a good run up the left wing dinking a clever cross to the back post for Lewis Cameron who rather than volley first time elected to bring the ball down and shoot giving keeper Curran the chance to narrow the angle and smother the shot. More good running from midfield by Willie Gemmell forced another corner for Saints from which Lewis Cameron found the head of Dean Smith whose header under pressure once again flew wide of target. A misplaced pass from David McArthur gave Mark Watt the chance to run at the Saints defence which he eagerly took and only a blocking challenge at the expense of a corner from Jamie Graham prevented the Shawlands midfielder from testing Thomas McCulloch. Saints eventually made the breakthrough in the 36th minute when Lewis Cameron and Dean Smith linked up excellently on the edge of the Shawlands box to slip in Donald Campbell for a tidy right foot finish past the hopelessly exposed keeper Curran. The lead was extended just three minutes later when David McArthur made a terrific run up the right wing and delivered a dangerous low cross to the near post where Craig MacEwan was quickest to react to guide the ball past the despairing dive of the Shawlands keeper and into the bottom corner of the net. Saints ended a dominant first half performance with another Donald Campbell shot in time added on for stoppages which keeper Curran saved comfortably.

Manager Alex Craik sent out the same eleven to start the second half looking for an early goal to kill the game and warning them that complacency would be the biggest threat to their lead. The desired early goal almost arrived in the opening minute of the second period when David McArthur made another good run up the right wing and sent in a miss hit cross which struck the foot of the near post before bouncing into the grateful arms of the goalkeeper. Shawlands adopted a higher defensive line in the second half which had the desired effect of keeping the Saints attack at bay for the first ten minutes with the game going through a relatively quiet spell. The respite however didn't last long and Lewis Cameron jinked his way into the Shawlands box but was foiled just as he was about to pull the trigger by a timely interception by left back Gavin McCracken. Dean Smith then tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the box which was deflected behind for a corner. Lewis Cameron's outswinger from the right was punched clear by the Shawlands keeper but the ball was quickly returned by Paul Kerr. Paul picked out Dean Smith who turned neatly on the edge of the box but has his progress arrested just inside the area giving referee Stuart Cormack an easy decision to award a penalty kick. Donald Campbell accepted the responsibility for the spot kick and calmly sent Anthony Curran the wrong way to give Saints a fifty sixth minute three goal lead. Saints were now firmly back in the zone and came close again when Willie Gemmell sent a fizzing twenty five yard drive inches over the crossbar. Saints made it four on the hour mark when Craig MacEwan danced his way into the box through a series of challenges and tried to pick out Dean Smith at the near post. Shawlands fullback David McKerlie did well to intercept the cross but, facing his own goal, was in two minds what to do and Dean Smith nipped in to rob him and poke the ball into the empty net. Three minutes later Dean had a chance to increase his tally when Donald Campbell jinked his was to the bye-line before sending a cut-back to the six yard line from where Dean narrowly failed to find the target. Saints were rampant at this point and threatened again with Willie Gemmell delivering a tempting right wing cross to the back post which Donald Campbell climbed well to win but couldn't direct his header on target. A sloppy pass from Thomas McCulloch almost gave Shawlands an unlikely foothold in the game but after making a good interception Kevin Mooney steered his shot wide of target much to the relief of the Saints keeper. Saints were almost caught out on the counter attack in the 66th minute after a good run and cross from Craig MacEwan got caught under Dean Smith's feet allowing the Shawlands defence to clear long upfield. Mark Watt collected the ball midway inside the Saints half but was forced wide by Jamie Graham before cutting inside and curling a right foot shot wide of Thomas McCulloch's left hand post. Saints took full advantage of those let-offs by scoring the goal of the match in the 67th minute. Good pressing in midfield by Willie Gemmell won possession inside the Shawlands half, Willie then strode purposefully forward and picked out Donald Campbell on the edge of the Shawlands box. Donald took a touch to his right opening up space for him to curl a delightful right foot shot into the postage stamp corner past the stationary keeper for his second consecutive hat-trick. Manager Alex Craik rang the changes shortly afterwards withdrawing Dean Smith and Lewis Cameron replacing them with Shaun MacIver and Dougal Graham who was making his first competitive outing of the season after recovering from injury. Danger man Mark Watt threatened again in the 76th minute and Saints had Jamie Graham to thank for a timely interception to foil the Shawlands striker. Two minutes later Shaun MacIver made his first telling contribution bursting into the Shawlands box before being cynically brought down by a heavy challenge by goalkeeper Curran. Mr McCormack immediately pointed to the spot and while Shaun recieved treatment for his injuries issued a yellow card to the Shawlands keeper. Donald Campbell comfortably converted his second penalty kick of the game to make the score 6 - 0 to the visitors. After a few dabs of Davie Buchanan's magic sponge Shaun was able to continue making Saints final change a ten minute run out at right back for Ross Maitland in place of David McArthur. The warned against complacency finally cost Saints a clean sheet in the 84th minute when Mark Watt pounced on a loose ball in midfied and, catching central defensive pair Jamie Graham and Dene Cassells square, rounded Thomas McCulloch to give the home side a consolation goal. The home side almost doubled their tally barely two minutes later from a corner kick on their left. Centre forward Paul McGowan was left unmarked on the six yard line but his header was somehow clawed off the line by a terrific reaction save from Thomas McCulloch the loose ball landing at the feet of Dene Cassells who kept a cool head to back heel the ball behind for another corner. Recovering from this minor set back Saints went in search of a seventh goal but were denied right at the death when a cheeky Craig MacEwan back header from a Ross Maitland cross was headed off the line by Paul McGowan. The match which had started in heavy rain and ended in bright sunshine was brought to an end by Referee McCormack whose task was made easy by both sides who played the match in good spirit throughout.