Saturday 9th January 2016
The Scottish Amateur Football Association Challenge Cup Competition
5th Round Tie
Oban Saints AFC v Craigshill Thistle AFC
Glencruitten 2, Mossfield Avenue, Oban, Argyll PA34 4EH
Kick off 2pm
Referee Mr James Gallacher
With the dust only just settled on the Christmas and New Year celebrations Saints could be forgiven for looking for a gentle return to action after the festive break. Alas, no such luxury for Alex Craik and his men as they are thrown straight in at the deep end with their biggest fixture of the season so far. Saturday's visitors for the crunch Scottish Amateur Cup fifth round tie are last season's beaten finalists Craigshill Thistle. The Jags hail from Livingston and ply their trade in the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Football Association where they currently occupy second place in the Lothian West League, four points behind leaders Redhall Star but with three games in hand. Craigshill won last season's Edinburgh West League with maximum points and have continued that impressive winning streak this season collecting all twenty four league points available to them. The only blot on the Jags' copy book so far this season came in the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Football Association Champions Cup Semi Final back on the 5th of August when they lost out on penalties to eventual cup winners Shotts Victoria. Since that dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat Craigshill remain unbeaten in all competitions netting an incredible 101 goals in a sixteen match run.
Craigshill's march to the Scottish Amateur Cup Final last season included the scalps of Saints Argyll rivals Campbeltown Pupils, whom they defeated 5 - 0 in Livingston at the fourth round stage, and eventual Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Divison and Jimmy Marshall Trophy winners St Joseph's FP. The former pupils of St Joseph's fared better in Livingston than those from Campbeltown Grammar taking the Jags to a seventh round replay in Duntocher, however the Livingston men eventually prevailed by two goals to one leaving St Joe's to concentrate on their league and league cup campaigns. Craigshill's bid for Scottish Amateur Cup glory fell agonisingly short when the lost 3 - 1 in the final at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock to Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division Champions Harestanes. Saints fans will recall that their favourites were unfortunate to exit last season's West of Scotland Amateur Cup at the fourth round stage by an identical score line at the hands of the all conquering Hares.
Craigshill Thistle's bid to go one better in this season's Scottish Amateur Cup includes resounding victories over Maddiston of the Stirling and District Amateur Football Association Premier Division and Auchtermuchty Bellevue of the Fife Amateur Football Association Championship. The Jags have also seen off more serious competition in the form of Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division side Drumchapel United whom they knocked out after extra time in a third round replay following a 3 - 3 draw in Drumchapel.
Saints are also on a good run recovering from a distinctly shaky start to the season where they picked up just one point from their opening three league fixtures to embark upon a ten match unbeaten run in all competitions. This return to form has seen Saints steadily climb the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division table as well as landing the prestigious Royal National Mod Cup with a 3 - 1 victory over Glasgow Island of the Glasgow Colleges Football Association Premier Division.
Saints opened their account in this season's Scottish Amateur Cup with a convincing second round win against Millbeg Villa of the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division Two on 3rd October. The 9 - 1 home win included five goals from Craig MacEwan, two from Donald Campbell and one each from Dean Smith and Allan Mackay. Having previously benefited from a first round bye Saints were also spared a third round tie when their scheduled opponents Condorrat Club folded a few days before the tie was due to be played. Saints fourth round opponents were old friends and rivals Postal United who had left the Scottish Amateur Football League at the end of the 2012 - 13 season to join the Central Scottish Amateur Football League. Saints edged out their old rivals by a single Donald Campbell first half goal and had to withstand a late Postal onslaught before booking their place in the fifth round against Craigshill Thistle.
Saturday's match will see Saints Player/Assistant Manager Donald Campbell line up against two of his colleagues from the Scottish Amateur Football Association Select. Craigshill's Shaun Martin and David Swan both featured alongside Donald in the friendly match against Airdrie in November and, like their Saints counterpart, will be looking forward to joining up with national select squad later this month.
Saturday's match, which will be referee'd by highly rated Dunbartonshire whistler James Gallacher, promises to be a cracker with Saints pitting their wits against one of the country's top amateur sides.
On the team news front Saints remain without injured trio Martin Bonar, Chris Graham and Myles McAuley but, with those exceptions, Manager Alex Craik should have a full squad available for selection.
Craigshill Thistle results so far this season:-
Lothian & Edinburgh AFA Lothian West League
15th August 2015 Craigshill Thistle v North Edinburgh Wanderers (Abandoned points to Craigshill)
19th August 2015 Queensferry Athletic 1 - 5 Craigshill Thistle
22nd August 2015 Craigshill Thistle 15 - 1 Lauriston Thistle
26th August 2015 Polbeth United 2 - 7 Craigshill Thistle
29th August 2015 Craigshill Thistle 4 - 1 North Merchiston Vale
12th September 2015 Craigshill Thistle 7 - 1 Balerno Athletic
26th September 2015 Craigroyston CYFC 0 - 7 Craigshill Thistle
17th October 2015 Craigshill Thistle v Polbeth United (Walkover to Craigshill)
Scottish Amateur Cup
2nd Round
3rd October 2015 Craigshill Thistle 13 - 0 Maddiston
3rd Round
31st October 2015 Drumchapel United 3 - 3 Craigshill Thistle
7th November 2015 Craigshill Thistle 2 - 1 Drumchapel United After Extra Time
4th Round
5th December 2015 Craigshill Thistle 7 - 0 Auchtermuchty Bellevue
East of Scotland Amateur Cup
2nd Round
14th November 2015 Craigshill Thistle 4 - 3 West Edinburgh United
Lothian & Edinburgh Amateur Football Association Champions Cup
Quarter Final
1st August 2015 Linlithgow Thistle 2 - 4 Craigshill Thistle
Semi Final
5th August 2015 Shotts Victoria 2 - 2 Craigshill Thistle
Shotts Victoria win on penalty kicks
When news of the award broke last week Saints Twitter and Facebook accounts were inundated with congratulatory messages from near and far demonstrating the esteem in which "Mr Oban Saints" is held, not just locally but by the football community as a whole. Winning In The Rain also congratulates Davie on his award and thanks him for his invaluable assistance in delivering all the latest Oban Saints news through the pages of The Oban Times and on the Club's various social media outlets.
Oban Saints AFC v Craigshill Thistle AFC
Glencruitten 2, Mossfield Avenue, Oban, Argyll PA34 4EH
Kick off 2pm
Referee Mr James Gallacher
With the dust only just settled on the Christmas and New Year celebrations Saints could be forgiven for looking for a gentle return to action after the festive break. Alas, no such luxury for Alex Craik and his men as they are thrown straight in at the deep end with their biggest fixture of the season so far. Saturday's visitors for the crunch Scottish Amateur Cup fifth round tie are last season's beaten finalists Craigshill Thistle. The Jags hail from Livingston and ply their trade in the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Football Association where they currently occupy second place in the Lothian West League, four points behind leaders Redhall Star but with three games in hand. Craigshill won last season's Edinburgh West League with maximum points and have continued that impressive winning streak this season collecting all twenty four league points available to them. The only blot on the Jags' copy book so far this season came in the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Football Association Champions Cup Semi Final back on the 5th of August when they lost out on penalties to eventual cup winners Shotts Victoria. Since that dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat Craigshill remain unbeaten in all competitions netting an incredible 101 goals in a sixteen match run.
Craigshill's march to the Scottish Amateur Cup Final last season included the scalps of Saints Argyll rivals Campbeltown Pupils, whom they defeated 5 - 0 in Livingston at the fourth round stage, and eventual Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Divison and Jimmy Marshall Trophy winners St Joseph's FP. The former pupils of St Joseph's fared better in Livingston than those from Campbeltown Grammar taking the Jags to a seventh round replay in Duntocher, however the Livingston men eventually prevailed by two goals to one leaving St Joe's to concentrate on their league and league cup campaigns. Craigshill's bid for Scottish Amateur Cup glory fell agonisingly short when the lost 3 - 1 in the final at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock to Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division Champions Harestanes. Saints fans will recall that their favourites were unfortunate to exit last season's West of Scotland Amateur Cup at the fourth round stage by an identical score line at the hands of the all conquering Hares.
Craigshill Thistle's bid to go one better in this season's Scottish Amateur Cup includes resounding victories over Maddiston of the Stirling and District Amateur Football Association Premier Division and Auchtermuchty Bellevue of the Fife Amateur Football Association Championship. The Jags have also seen off more serious competition in the form of Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division side Drumchapel United whom they knocked out after extra time in a third round replay following a 3 - 3 draw in Drumchapel.
Saints are also on a good run recovering from a distinctly shaky start to the season where they picked up just one point from their opening three league fixtures to embark upon a ten match unbeaten run in all competitions. This return to form has seen Saints steadily climb the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division table as well as landing the prestigious Royal National Mod Cup with a 3 - 1 victory over Glasgow Island of the Glasgow Colleges Football Association Premier Division.
Saints opened their account in this season's Scottish Amateur Cup with a convincing second round win against Millbeg Villa of the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division Two on 3rd October. The 9 - 1 home win included five goals from Craig MacEwan, two from Donald Campbell and one each from Dean Smith and Allan Mackay. Having previously benefited from a first round bye Saints were also spared a third round tie when their scheduled opponents Condorrat Club folded a few days before the tie was due to be played. Saints fourth round opponents were old friends and rivals Postal United who had left the Scottish Amateur Football League at the end of the 2012 - 13 season to join the Central Scottish Amateur Football League. Saints edged out their old rivals by a single Donald Campbell first half goal and had to withstand a late Postal onslaught before booking their place in the fifth round against Craigshill Thistle.
Saturday's match will see Saints Player/Assistant Manager Donald Campbell line up against two of his colleagues from the Scottish Amateur Football Association Select. Craigshill's Shaun Martin and David Swan both featured alongside Donald in the friendly match against Airdrie in November and, like their Saints counterpart, will be looking forward to joining up with national select squad later this month.
Saturday's match, which will be referee'd by highly rated Dunbartonshire whistler James Gallacher, promises to be a cracker with Saints pitting their wits against one of the country's top amateur sides.
On the team news front Saints remain without injured trio Martin Bonar, Chris Graham and Myles McAuley but, with those exceptions, Manager Alex Craik should have a full squad available for selection.
Lothian & Edinburgh AFA Lothian West League
15th August 2015 Craigshill Thistle v North Edinburgh Wanderers (Abandoned points to Craigshill)
19th August 2015 Queensferry Athletic 1 - 5 Craigshill Thistle
22nd August 2015 Craigshill Thistle 15 - 1 Lauriston Thistle
26th August 2015 Polbeth United 2 - 7 Craigshill Thistle
29th August 2015 Craigshill Thistle 4 - 1 North Merchiston Vale
12th September 2015 Craigshill Thistle 7 - 1 Balerno Athletic
26th September 2015 Craigroyston CYFC 0 - 7 Craigshill Thistle
17th October 2015 Craigshill Thistle v Polbeth United (Walkover to Craigshill)
Scottish Amateur Cup
2nd Round
3rd October 2015 Craigshill Thistle 13 - 0 Maddiston
3rd Round
31st October 2015 Drumchapel United 3 - 3 Craigshill Thistle
7th November 2015 Craigshill Thistle 2 - 1 Drumchapel United After Extra Time
4th Round
5th December 2015 Craigshill Thistle 7 - 0 Auchtermuchty Bellevue
East of Scotland Amateur Cup
2nd Round
14th November 2015 Craigshill Thistle 4 - 3 West Edinburgh United
Lothian & Edinburgh Amateur Football Association Champions Cup
Quarter Final
1st August 2015 Linlithgow Thistle 2 - 4 Craigshill Thistle
Semi Final
5th August 2015 Shotts Victoria 2 - 2 Craigshill Thistle
Shotts Victoria win on penalty kicks
Lothian & Edinburgh AFA Logan Cup
2nd Round
5th September 2015 Craigshill Thistle v Edinburgh University Walkover to Craigshill
Lothian & Edinburgh AFA Centenary Cup
2nd Round
10th October 2015 Craigshill Thistle 19 - 2 Lanark
Lothian & Edinburgh AFA Ian McDonald Cup
2nd Round
24th October 2015 Penicuik Athletic 2 - 8 Craigshill Thistle
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| Craigshill Thistle line up for the 2015 Scottish Amateur Cup Final |
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| Oban Saints AFC Royal National Mod Cup Winners 2015 |
In Other News
Bang A Gong
After clocking up almost 50 years of service to the Club as a player, Coach, Manager, Treasurer and currently Secretary, Oban Saints stalwart Davie Buchanan was included in Her Majesty The Queen's New Year's Honours List as Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for voluntary services to football. Davie adds this richly deserved accolade to his previous gong that of the 2011 McDonald's/Sunday Mail Grass Roots Award for Best Volunteer in Adult Football.When news of the award broke last week Saints Twitter and Facebook accounts were inundated with congratulatory messages from near and far demonstrating the esteem in which "Mr Oban Saints" is held, not just locally but by the football community as a whole. Winning In The Rain also congratulates Davie on his award and thanks him for his invaluable assistance in delivering all the latest Oban Saints news through the pages of The Oban Times and on the Club's various social media outlets.
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| Davie Buchanan BEM receives his Best Volunteer in Adult Football award from Kenny Dalglish MBE and current Director of Football at Heart of Midlothian Football Club Craig Levein |
Congratulations and best wishes to Davie. A well deserved honour in recognition of outstanding service and commitment to Oban Saints.
ReplyDeleteJim McKinney (Harestanes AFC)
Jim,
DeleteThanks very much for that. I'll pass on your good wishes to Davie.