Winning In The Rain: Argyll & Bute Cup 2016 Round Up

Saturday 6th August 2016

Argyll & Bute Cup Tournament

Ropework Park

Campbell Street

Lochgilphead

Argyll

PA31 8JU

and

Lochgilphead Joint Campus

Kilmory

Lochgilphead

Argyll

PA31 8AA

Kick Off 10am

Saints squad:-

Goalkeepers

Graham Douglas

Thomas McCulloch

Defenders

Craig Campbell

Dene Cassells

Alex Craik

Jamie Graham

David McArthur

Midfielders

Daniel Croarkin

Matthew Kelly

Paul Kerr

Myles McAuley

Forwards

Lewis Buchanan

Donald Campbell

Jay Cooper

Ross Maitland

Scott Maitland

Craig MacEwan

Fraser MacFarlane

Saints recent run of good fortune in penalty shoot-outs finally came to an end at the Ropework Park, Lochgilphead last Saturday allowing Dunoon Amateurs to wrestle the Argyll and Bute Cup from their grasp. After five successfully converted penalties each Dunoon keeper Jamie Robertson got down low to his right to save the first sudden death effort from Jamie Graham. Robertson then stepped forward to take kick number six for his team sending Thomas McCulloch the wrong way to win the cup for Dunoon.

Injuries, holidays and a new arrival deprived Saints Manager Alex Craik of the services of Martin Bonar, Paul Carmichael, Dougal Graham, Marc Maccallum, Willie Gemmell, Keith Millar and Dean Smith however he was still able to name a squad of eighteen for the gruelling eight hour day of football. Despite Lochgilphead being Saints shortest possible away trip the 10.00 am kick off dictated an even earlier than normal 8.00 am departure for the travelling party. Cup holders Saints were drawn in group two alongside fellow Scottish Amateur Football League sides Dunoon Amateurs and Tarbert. Making up the group two line-up were tournament debutants Glasgow Islay of the Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League. Saints and Tarbert got the action underway on the all weather surface at Lochgilphead Joint Campus with Manager Craik opting for a starting line-up of Thomas McCulloch in goal; a back four of David McArthur, Craig Campbell, Dene Cassells and Jamie Graham; a midfield three of Paul Kerr, Matthew Kelly and Myles McAuley; and a front three of Scott Maitland, Donald Campbell and Craig MacEwan. Starting on the bench but, with a long day of football ahead, guaranteed to see plenty of the action were Lewis Buchanan, Jay Cooper, Alex Craik, Daniel Croarkin, Graham Douglas, Ross Maitland and Fraser MacFarlane, Saints kicked off the first of their forty minute matches in bright sunshine attacking the Kilmory end and immediately had their Premier Division 2B opponents under pressure. Craig MacEwan forced a corner kick on the left which Matthew Kelly swung in right footed towards the back post. Dene Cassells rose highest and nodded the ball high into the net to give Saints the lead. Matthew varied his corner routine in the eighth minute opting to aim for the near post where Captain for the day Donald Campbell was bundled over by Craig Johnstone however Referee Jimmy Litster who, along with Donnie Brooks, Archie Mitchell, Jim Pearson and Martin Rae officiated the days proceedings, declined Donald's penalty appeal and awarded a goal kick. The Dookers had a free kick opportunity to test the Saints keeper in the ninth minute but from a central position twenty eight yards out James Prentice shot low and well wide of Thomas McCulloch's right hand post. Saints extended their lead two minutes later with Donald Campbell slotting a perfectly weighted through ball to Scott Maitland to place beyond the despairing dive of Chris Selfridge in the Tarbert goal. Donald Campbell started and finished an excellent move for Saints third goal combining well with Matthew Kelly in the middle of the park. Matthew slipped the ball wide to the left to meet the rampaging run of Jamie Graham who squared for Donald to round off the move with a simple tap-in. Saints had their tails up now and Dene Cassells joined the attack with a powerful run from the back which was halted on the edge of the Tarbert box by a cynical trip by Jamie Meechan which earned the tall defender a place in the Referee's note book. With little in the way of pre-season preparation behind them Tarbert could be forgiven for not being up to the pace of Saints however they did put up a better showing in the second half without seriously testing the Saints back four. With the points in the bag Manager Alex Craik was able gave second half run-outs to Lewis Buchanan, Jay Cooper and Daniel Croarkin replacing Donald Campbell, Craig MacEwan and Dene Cassells. The youngsters showed up well in their brief appearances and Saints saw the half out for a comfortable 3 - 0 victory.

Next in group two were Dunoon Amateurs and new boys Glasgow Islay who put up a good fight before going down 2 - 1 to the men from Cowal thanks to a last minute winner from Mark Hughes.

Over at the Ropework the opening three fixtures in group one saw hosts Lochgilphead Red Star beat Carradale 2 - 1 and Rothesay Brandane put three past the other tournament new boys Kilchoman of the Islay Football League. The men from Bowmore recovered from their opening defeat to edge out Red Star by one goal to nil.

Saints resumed on the all weather surface against Glasgow Islay with six changes to the previous starting eleven. In came Graham Douglas, Fraser MacFarlane, Alex Craik, Lewis Buchanan, Jay Cooper and Ross Maitland replacing Thomas McCulloch, David McArthur, Craig Campbell, Paul Kerr, Matthew Kelly and Craig MacEwan. In a goalless first half Jay Cooper, Ross Maitland and Daniel Croarkin all brought good saves from the Glasgow Islay keeper. Half time changes saw Dene Cassells and Jay Cooper make way for Craig Campbell and Craig MacEwan. Saints kept up their first half pressure and eventually capitalised on their domination in the twenty seventh minute when Donald Campbell beat the offside trap and buried low past the keeper. Donald completed his brace five minutes later with a beautifully curled right foot finish into the postage stamp corner after a pass from the left from Lewis Buchanan. Glasgow Islay were really starting to feel the pace now but with only twelve men in their squad could do little to freshen things up for the closing stages. Saints kept turning the screws and only an extremely close offside call from Referee Litster against Craig MacEwan and profligate finishing from Donald Campbell prevented a rout.

The group two action then moved over to the Ropework where, in torrential rain, a Mark Hughes hat-trick helped Dunoon Amateurs to a 4 - 1 win over Tarbert with the Dookers reply coming from a Nikki MacDougall penalty kick.

Manager Craik shuffled his pack again for Saints first match at the Ropework and what was to prove the first of two encounters with Dunoon Amateurs. Thomas McCulloch, David McArthur, Craig Campbell, Matthew Kelly, Paul Kerr and Craig MacEwan returned to the starting line-up with Graham Douglas, Alex Craik, Jamie Graham, Myles McAuley, Lewis Buchanan and Jay Cooper dropping to the bench. Thankfully the earlier rain abated and Saints kicked off playing up the slope and did most of the first half pressing with Dunoon sitting in and looking to hit on the counter attack. Matthew Kelly sent a third minute twenty five yard effort wide of target and Donald Campbell narrowly failed to pick out Fraser MacFarlane in the middle after a good run on the left as Saints probed to find a way through the Dunoon defence. At the back Craig Campbell and Dene Cassells formed a solid central defensive pairing keeping Dunoon danger man Mark Hughes safely in check. Craig and Dene joined the attack for two Ross Maitland set pieces with Craig heading over a difficult chance and Dene hooking an attempt on target but without the power required to test the keeper. Saints and Dunoon had both already qualified for the semi-finals but top spot in group two was still up for grabs. Despite this the opening ten minutes of the second half was a little flat with a stinging twenty eight yard free kick from Ross Maitland which the keeper did well to turn round the post being the only attempt of note. With nine minutes remaining Manager Alex Craik made an inspired substitution replacing Fraser MacFarlane with Lewis Buchanan. Young Lewis announced his arrival almost immediately making a run through the inside left channel to get on the end of a Craig MacEwan through ball. With his first touch Lewis placed the ball beyond the advancing keeper and into the bottom corner to put Saints in pole position to finish top of the group. Matthew Kelly and Donald Campbell both had chances to add to the scoring with Matthew sending another long range effort wide of target and Donald opting for power over placement when played in by Craig MacEwan. Jay Cooper came on as a late substitute for Craig MacEwan but a very little time to make an impact and Saints had to content themselves with a 1 - 0 victory to top the group on maximum points.

In the final group two fixture Tarbert and Glasgow Islay went head-to-head for third place with the Dookers coming out on top by three goals to one.

The concluding group one fixtures on the all weather surface saw Caledonian League 1B Rothesay Brandane thrash West of Scotland Amateur Football League Premier Division Carradale 5 - 0 before confirming their group winners status with a 2 - 0 victory over Lochgilphead Red Star. The hosts were then left to sweat over the outcome of the final match between Kilchoman and Carradale where a win for either team could see them pip Red Star for second spot. The match turned out to be the highest scoring affair of the day with the Kintyre men running out 5 - 2 winners, however the two Kilchoman goals were enough to see the hosts progress with a somewhat underwhelming goal difference of minus two.

The semi-finals line-up paired Saints with Red Star and Rothesay Brandane with Dunoon, The Bute v Cowal clash was first on the Ropework with the men from Cowal edging out the Butemen by two goals to nil.

In the second semi-final Saints faced their closest neighbours and old rivals Lochgilphead Red Star. Another shuffle of the pack from Manager Craik saw Graham Douglas, Jamie Graham and Myles McAuley restored to the starting line-up in favour of Thomas McCulloch, Ross Maitland and Fraser MacFarlane. Saints were attacking the pavilion end in the first twenty minutes and kept the home side on the back foot without finding a way past Luke Kalache in the Red Star goal. The big Australian keeper produced an inspired display to keep Saints at bay as the holders looked to get their place in the final booked early. Inside the opening sixty seconds Donald Campbell tried a carbon copy of his second goal against Glasgow Islay however this time his curling shot from the right went wide of the junction of post and bar. Craig MacEwan followed this up in the third minute with a low shot narrowly wide of the same post. Kalache made the first of a string of excellent saves in the fifth minute getting down smartly at his near post to turn a Donald Campbell effort round the post for a corner. Donald took the corner kick from the left himself and found the head of Craig Campbell at the back post with the big defender getting in a good downward header which Oz held on his goal line. Two minutes later Kalache foiled Craig Campbell again this time from a Scott Maitland corner from the right. After a quieter spell Saints closed the first half on the attack but still found Kalache in no mood to let them pass. Scott Maitland forced his way into the box on the left hand side and looked to have lifted the ball over the keeper but the big custodian showed lightning quick reflexes to throw up a strong left hand keeping the ball out. On the stroke of half time Donald Campbell collected a Paul Kerr pass with his back to goal on the eighteen yard line. Donald turned inside onto his right foot and shot for the bottom corner with Kalache again getting down well to his left to keep the score line blank. Shooting up the slope in the second half Saints kept up the pressure on the Red Star goal and struck the woodwork after three minutes. David McArthur fired a speculative shot from the right which looked to be heading well wide until Myles McAuley stuck out his left foot diverting the ball back towards the target. However luck was on the goalkeeper's side as the effort from Myles struck the inside of his right hand post and shot across the face of goal where it was hoofed to safety by Ben Forbes. Barely a minute later Myles was at the back post again this time heading a Craig MacEwan cross from the right inches wide of target. Saints persevered with the aerial route with Matthew Kelly putting in two good deliveries from the corner flag only to see Kalache commanding his area well to punch clear. The breakthrough for Saints came in the thirty first minute and started with a good tackle on the half way line from David McArthur. David dug in well to win the ball and quickly released Myles McAuley on the right wing. Myles drove into the box and sent a cut back to Donald Campbell who finally found a way past Kalache with a sweetly struck shot into the bottom corner. Saints made two changes for the closing five minutes bringing on Daniel Croarkin and Lewis Buchanan to replace Matthew Kelly and Scott Maitland. The slenderness of Saints lead made for a nervous ending however Graham Douglas maintained his concentration and produced a fine save to preserve Saints advantage. A rare slip from Dene Cassells allowed the Red Star centre forward through on goal and despite David McArthur getting back to put pressure on the striker he still managed to get a good shot away which Douglas held well to his left. The hosts weren't done there and Colin Weir flashed a good effort just wide of Sugar's left hand post before Referee Archie Mitchell blew for full time.

And so with clock ticking past five o'clock the 2016 Argyll and Bute Cup final between Oban Saints and Dunoon got underway. Saints lined up with Thomas McCulloch in goal; a back four of David McArthur, Craig Campbell, Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland; a midfield three of Matthew Kelly, Paul Kerr and Myles McAuley; and a front three of Ross Maitland, Donald Campbell and Craig MacEwan. Dunoon won the toss of Referee Jimmy Litster's coin and elected to kick up the slope in the first half. Saints got off to the best possible start when, in the second minute, Matthew Kelly threaded an excellent pass for Donald Campbell who expertly lobbed Jamie Robertson from the left hand corner of the box to give Saints an early advantage. The lead however came at a cost as Matthew injured his groin when making the pass and had to leave the field before the re-start. Matthew's place in the middle of the park was taken by Daniel Croarkin. Dunoon were next to lose a man when Alan Lauchlan sustained what looked like a nasty knee ligament injury coming out worst in a full bloodied challenge with Myles McAuley. In contrast to the earlier group stage match Dunoon were willing to commit more to attack in this meeting and almost caught Thomas McCulloch off his line in the seventh minute with a long range effort from Jake Campbell which flew wide of the Saints keeper's right hand post. The Cowal men equalised in the eleventh minute when Mark Hughes bisected Craig Campbell and Dene Cassells to head home a cross from the left wing. Saints regained the lead in the fifteenth minute when David McArthur took a quick throw-in on the right sending Ross Maitland to the bye-line. Ross dug out a hanging cross which Craig MacEwan climbed above Harry Hall to head into the net past Jamie Robertson. Paul Kerr shot over from a Craig MacEwan knock down and Donald Campbell had a powerful shot blocked after a good run and cross from David McArthur before Referee Litster blew for half time. Jamie Graham came on as a second half replacement for David McArthur as Saints continued to probe for the killer third goal. A twenty second minute Ross Maitland corner from the right was glanced across the face of goal and agonisingly wide of the far post by Craig MacEwan. Over elaborating in the middle of the park left Saints vulnerable to a twenty ninth minute counter attack from which Thomas McCulloch pulled off a good save to foil Scott Lauder. However the warning wasn't heeded and Saints put themselves under unnecessary pressure again with a cheaply conceded thirty second minute free kick just inside their own half. The straight free kick should have been easily dealt with but Thomas McCulloch elected to come a long way off his line for a cross he was never likely to reach allowing a back header from Dunoon central defender Craig Anderson to loop over him and into the unguarded net. In the eight minutes that remained Saints huffed and puffed but failed to conjure up a way of taking the lead for a third time. A late curling left foot shot high and wide of target from Craig MacEwan was the last action of the match and Referee Litster blew for full time signalling the need for a penalty shoot-out to decide the winners of the 2016 Argyll and Bute Cup.

Dene Cassells was first up for Saints slotting the ball low to Jamie Robertson's right. Successful kicks from Ross Maitland, Craig MacEwan, Paul Kerr and Donald Campbell followed with Stuart MacIntyre, Kieran Bowie, Stephen Jackson, Mark Hughes and Brendan MacIlkenny replying for Dunoon. Jamie Graham was brave enough to volunteer for the first of the sudden death kicks but saw his effort saved by Jamie Robertson low down to his right. Robertson fancied his chances of scoring the winner and sent his opposite number Thomas McCulloch the wrong way to seal victory for Dunoon Amateurs.

Saints will reflect on a good overall tournament performance, particularly from the youngsters drafted into the squad, let down only by late lapses in concentration which is perhaps understandable after such a long day.

Pre-season preparations now complete the serious action resumes next Saturday when Saints welcome their other great Argyll rivals Campbeltown Pupils to Glencruitten in the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division.