Winning In The Rain: Saints To The Fore

Saturday 14th January 2017
Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division
Campbeltown Pupils AFC 0 - 4 Oban Saints AFC
Kinloch Green 3G
Kinloch Road
Campbeltown
Argyll
PA28 6EG
Kick off 2pm
Referee Mr Jimmy Litster

Saints starting line-up:-

Thomas McCulloch

Matthew Kelly
David McArthur
Dene Cassells
Scott Maitland

Myles McAuley
Paul Kerr (Captain)
Brian Mackay

Ross Maitland
Paul Carmichael
Craig MacEwan

Used substitutes:-

Martin Bonar
Donald Campbell
Willie Gemmell
Jamie Graham
Marc Maccallum

Last Saturday's Argyll Derby defied the winter weather being the only Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division fixture to do so. With the grass at Kintyre Park out of action the match went ahead on the excellent all weather surface at Kinloch Green which itself has survived at liberal coating of snow on the eve of the match. Saints took full advantage of their fellow title chasers' inactivity climbing to second place in the table, one point behind leaders and reigning Champions East Kilbride Amateurs. on the back of a hard fought but ultimately convincing win over Argyll rivals Campbeltown Pupils.

Dougal Graham and Dean Smith dropped out from the eighteen man squad named for the Scottish Amateur Cup win over Westdyce and, with everybody else available. Manager Alex Craik had the rare luxury of being able to name the same starting eleven in consecutive matches. Ever present Thomas McCulloch continued in goal behind a back four of Matthew Kelly, David McArthur, Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland. Brian Mackay dropped back from the previous week's striker's role into a more accustomed midfield position alongside Myles McAuley and Skipper Paul Kerr. Paul Carmichael spearheaded the attack flanked by Ross Maitland and Craig MacEwan. The experienced quintet of Martin Bonar, Donald Campbell, Willie Gemmell, Jamie Graham and Marc Maccallum gave the Gaffer plenty of options from the bench.

Despite a bright start with Dene Cassells twice sending Paul Carmichael racing in behind the Pupils defence with measured passes from the back, Saints were unable make an early breakthrough with the Pupils weathering the early storm. Pupils were working hard to close down their opponents all over the park disrupting Saints usual measured build up and forcing them to go long more often than they would have liked. Frustration got the better of Paul Carmichael in the thirteenth minute when a lunging challenge on speedy young left winger Ryan Deans earned him a ticking off from Referee Litster who resisted the temptation to produce a card. From the free kick on the left just inside the Saints half Pupils skipper Keith Mitchell could only find the head of his opposite number Paul Kerr who easily cleared the danger. In a more adventurous spell from the hosts Liam Renton drew a good save from Thomas McCulloch low down to his left and Paul Kerr made a vital interception to cut out a Ryan Deans cross after the winger had shown Matthew Kelly a clean pair of heels. A turn and shot from the edge of the box by Gary Grumoli in the eighteenth minute slipped past Thomas McCulloch's left hand post before Saints earned some respite with a corner kick won by Brian Mackay on the Saints left. An excellent delivery right into the heart of the six yard box was bundled goalward by Brian Mackay but without the power to beat Robert Coffield in the Pupils goal who gathered the bouncing ball ahead of Mackay and Dene Cassells. In the twenty second minute Myles McAuley and Brian Mackay combined to set up a shooting opportunity for Ross Maitland who couldn't keep his twenty two yard effort down clearing the crossbar by two feet. A twenty fifth minute run along the edge of the box by Ryan Deans was ended unfairly by Scott Maitland giving Gary Grumoli a chance to test Thomas McCulloch from the dead ball. The big Saints keeper read Grumoli's intentions well and made a comfortable save before launching a counter attack with Liam Renton doing well to edge out Paul Carmichael and usher the ball behind for a goal kick. Saints lack of fluency continued to frustrate and another unnecessary challenge from Paul Carmichael, this time on Keith Mitchell, earned the Saints striker the game's first yellow card. Saints took the aerial route in the thirty third minute with David McArthur sending a long straight ball into the Pupils box. Ellis Robertson won the header but couldn't get any distance on his clearance with Ross Maitland picking up the loose ball and seeing a goal bound shot blocked by a forest of legs on the six yard line. Somewhat against the run of play Saints took the lead in the thirty sixth minute. A perfectly weighted through ball from Brian Mackay sent Paul Carmichael through on goal. Paul rounded keeper Coffield and, from an acute angle, sent the ball high into the net past the despairing dives of Coffield and Lee Allan on the goal line. As you might expect from a local derby some of the tackles were a little feisty and Jamie Burns was lucky to escape a card after cynically taking out Matthew Kelly. Saints doubled their advantage just before the half time whistle with easily the best move of the match. Brian Mackay and Craig MacEwan passed their way through the Pupils midfield on the right. With space in front of him MacEwan raced forward and worked a terrific one-two with Paul Carmichael. Carmichael's deft back heel on the corner of the eighteen yard box was perfectly into MacEwan's path who curled a delightful finish beyond Coffield's right hand and into the net. The two goal half-time deficit was harsh on Pupils who had worked hard but full credit to Saints whose superior quality eventually created the openings which they ruthlessly capitalised on.

The home side kicked off the second half but it was the visitors who settled quickest and took control of the vital midfield area. Saints were first to threaten with Ross Maitland winning a corner off Grant Grant and sending in another excellent delivery from the left which Dene Cassells climbed well to meet but couldn't direct on target thumping his header twelve inches over the crossbar. Saints remained in control but had to be mindful of the threat posed by Pupils on the counterattack. A slip on the left by Scott Maitland allowed Pupils to launch a diagonal ball looking for Ryan Deans with David McArthur making a vital headed interception at the expense of a corner kick. Much to the annoyance of the Saints bench Deans was left unmarked at the back post with McArthur again coming to the rescue blocking the shot from Deans and clearing the danger. In the fifty ninth minute Matthew Kelly and Ross Maitland combined well on the right with Ross sending a teasing ball into the box which Robert Coffield did well to turn behind for corner just ahead of Craig MacEwan. Ross kept up the quality of his deliveries with another ball just begging to be headed home. Paul Carmichael was the miscreant on this occasion glancing his header well wide of Coffield's right hand post. After escaping punishment for some heavy challenges Grant Grant eventually found his way into Referee Litster's note book for dissent in the sixty fourth minute. Pupils were very much still in the match at this stage and the feeling on the Saints bench was that a third goal was required to make the game safe. To this end Manager Alex Craik decided to freshen things up by bringing on Donald Campbell and Marc Maccallum to replace Paul Carmichael and Matthew Kelly. Donald replaced Paul in a straight swap at centre forward while Marc took up his accustomed position at the heart of the defence with David McArthur moving to right full back. The Pupils robust style cost them cautions for Jamie Burns and Lee Allan with the card for Burns ultimately to prove extremely costly. With thirteen minutes remaining Saints made a triple substitution bringing on Jamie Graham, Willie Gemmell and Martin Bonar to replace Scott Maitland, Myles McAuley and Ross Maitland respectively. Willie Gemmell made an instant impact badly mistiming a challenge on Jamie Burns before he had a chance to get up to the pace of the match. Mr Litster considered the challenge worthy of a yellow card, unfortunately for Pupils he also showed a second yellow to Burns for his violent reaction to the challenge from Gemmell. The red card finally extinguished any feint hopes Pupils had of getting back into the match with Saints threatening to run riot in the closing stages. Marc Maccallum made his obligatory once a match lung bursting run from the back in the eighty first minute drawing an excellent save from Robert Coffield who shoveled the ball round his left hand post for a corner kick. With Ross Maitland off the field Willie Gemmell took responsibility for the dead ball and didn't disappoint with a tempting ball into the six yard box which Craig MacEwan and Marc Maccallum both went for. Both beat Liam Renton to the ball which nestled in the bottom corner past Coffield's right hand. Skipper Maccallum, whose goals are rare, immediately claimed the goal with MacEwan countering that he had got the vital touch. A poll on the Saints official Twitter account later awarded the goal to the Skipper ultimately denying Craig the match ball. Saints kept up the pressure on the beleagured Pupils defence with Martin Bonar keeping alive a deep Craig MacEwan cross from the left and flashing a left foot drive narrowly wide of the junction of post and bar. In the eighty seventh minute Paul Kerr chased down a seemingly lost cause on the right keeping the ball in play and cutting back to Brian Mackay just inside the box. A tired looking tackle from behind by Ellis Robertson sent Mackay sprawling and had Mr Litster pointing to the spot. Regular penalty taker Donald Campbell deferred to Craig MacEwan who slammed the ball high to Coffield's left to put the visitors four nil up. There was no let-up from Saints in the closing minutes and only some good saves from Coffield and Saints own wayward finishing kept the scoreline down before Mr Litster blew for full time. Pupils are very much a side in transition at the moment but Saints will nonetheless be delighted to emerge from Argyll's biggest Derby match with full points. A special mention for Referee Jimmy Litster who handled a full blooded encounter well getting all the big decisions correct and remaining firmly in control even when tempers briefly threatened to boil over.