Roll With It

Oasis - Roll With It

Saturday 7th May 2016

Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division

East Kilbride Rolls Royce AFC v Oban Saints AFC

Ballerup Leisure Complex, Skovlunde Way, East Kilbride G75 0SD

Kick off 2pm
Referee Mr Thomas D'Alessandro

Following their midweek trip to Glasgow to face old rivals Kings Park Rangers in the quarter final of the Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy Saints hit the road again this Saturday when the travel to East Kilbride to face another of their old foes East Kilbride Rolls Royce on league duty. Saints reliance on a penalty shoot out victory to progress in the cup on Wednesday night extends their win-less streak in ninety minutes to six matches which could scarcely have been envisaged when the team marched triumphantly into the semi-finals of the Scottish Amateur Cup seven weeks ago. On Wednesday night Saints once again played good football in flashes but failed to fully ram home their advantage when on top with a drop in tempo and defensive lapses at crucial stages of the match almost proving to be their undoing. Saints Manager Alex Craik must be pulling out what's left of his hair in frustration at this alarming slump and will be doing everything in his power to turn things around in the seven or, hopefully, eight matches that remain of his first season in charge.

Now seemingly well out of the race for the Scottish Amateur League Premier Division title Saints will hope to gather enough points to secure fourth place and finish "best of the rest" behind the three main title challengers East Kilbride FC Amateurs, Goldenhill and St Joseph's FP. That quest continues at Ballerup this Saturday against relegation threatened East Kilbride Rolls Royce. The Rolly are currently second bottom of the Premier Division with twelve points from sixteen games played and must win their two remaining fixtures if they are to have any hope of avoiding an immediate return to Premier Division One. After a poor opening half of the season the Rolly have enjoyed an upturn in fortune since the Christmas break taking eight of their twelve league points and putting together a cup run which has taken them to the semi-finals of the Jimmy Marshall Trophy. The semi-final tie against cup holders St Joseph's FP take place at McKenna Park on Saturday 14th May by which time the Rolly will have completed their league fixtures and, even if they have managed to gain maximum points from Saints on Saturday and Goldenhill next Monday, will still be left sweating on the outcome of the final league fixtures involving their fellow relegation strugglers.

Saints and the Rolly have faced each other twice already this season with Saints coming out on top on both occasions. At Glencruitten in the league in January Saints won a tight match 2 - 1 thanks to first half goals from David McArthur and Craig MacEwan with Austin Reid replying for the visitors. In the West of Scotland Cup at Murray Park last October Saints recorded a far more convincing 5 - 1 victory with Craig MacEwan and Willie Gemmell adding to a Donald Campbell hat-trick to complete a satisfy day out for the Oban lads.

On the team news front, although doubts remain over the availability of injured pair Marc Maccallum and Allan Mackay, Manager Alex Craik should have a strong squad available as he looks to build some momentum ahead of next Wednesday's Jimmy Marshall Trophy semi-final against Motherwell Thistle.



East Kilbride Rolls Royce results so far this season:-

Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division

15th August 2015 Campbeltown Pupils 1 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce
29th August 2015 Finnart 2 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce
5th September 2015 Alba Thistle 5 - 3 East Kilbride Rolls Royce
12th September 2015 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 2 - 4 Inverclyde
24th October 2015 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 1 - 3 St Joseph's FP
31st October 2015 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 1 - 0 Alba Thistle
7th November 2015 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 0 - 5 Finnart
14th November 2015 Inverclyde 2 - 0 East Kilbride Rolls Royce
12th December 2015 St Joseph's FP 2 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce

9th January 2016 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 3 - 0 Campbeltown Pupils
23rd January 2016 Oban Saints 2 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce
6th February 2016 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 3 - 2 Shawlands FP
5th March 2016 Shawlands FP 1 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce
12th March 2016 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 1 - 2 Goldenhill
9th April 2016 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 1 - 7 East Kilbride FC Amateurs
30th April 2016 East Kilbride FC Amateurs 1 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce

Scottish Amateur Football League Centenary Cup

First Round

22nd August 2015 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 9 - 1 Dumbarton Wanderers

Second Round
10th October 2015 Hillington 1 - 0 East Kilbride Rolls Royce

Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy

First Round

Bye

Second Round
20th February 2016 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 12 - 3 Millbeg Villa

Third Round
19th March 2016 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 3 - 1 Kilbowie Union

Quarter Final
23rd April 2016 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 2 - 0 Jamestown

Scottish Amateur Cup

First Round

Bye

Second Round
3rd October 2015 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 1 - 4 Semsa

West of Scotland Amateur Cup

First Round

19th September 2015 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 3 - 1 FC Clydebank

Second Round
17th October 2015 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 1 - 5 Oban Saints

East Kilbride Rolls Royce recent Scottish Amateur Football League record:-

2006 - 07 Premier Division Two 7th
2007 - 08 Premier Division Two 4th
2008 - 09 Premier Division Two 4th and Centenary Cup Runner Up
2009 - 10 Premier Division Two Champions Promoted
2010 - 11 Premier Division One 2nd Promoted and Jimmy Marshall Trophy Runner Up
2011 - 12 Premier Division 4th
2012 - 13 Premier Division 9th Relegated
2013 - 14 Premier Division One 7th
2014 - 15 Premier Division One 3rd Promoted


Saints SAFL Premier Division record v East Kilbride Rolls Royce in recent seasons:-

14th April 2012 Oban Saints 5 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce
26th May 2012 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 2 - 1 Oban Saints
27th April 2013 East Kilbride Rolls Royce 2 - 2 Oban Saints
12th May 2013 Oban Saints 1 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce

23rd January 2016 Oban Saints 2 - 1 East Kilbride Rolls Royce

Action from the Rollys visit to Glencruitten in January

David McArthur opens the scoring

Thomas McCulloch collects a cross

Dean Smith crosses looking for Craig MacEwan

In Other News

Saints Player/Assistant Manager Donald Campbell has been included in the squad for the Scottish Amateur Football Association Select's visit to Belfast on Saturday 14th May to face the Northern Amateur Football League Select. Donald's call up is a richly deserved reward, not only for his excellent season for Saints but also for the high level of commitment he has shown to the international squad in their various training sessions and friendlies. The National Select Manager Bruce McNaught has also been sufficiently impressed with the form of Scott Maitland and his showing in the recent Select Squad training session at Colville Park to place him on standby for the trip to Belfast in case of any call-offs. 

Donald Campbell

Scott Maitland

#monthesaints