Used Substitutes:-

Martin Bonar
Jay Cooper
Keith Millar
Fraser MacFarlane

Unused Substitute:-

Alex Craik

Oban Saints warmed up for their crunch Scottish Amateur Cup sixth round tie against Tarbolton Amateurs with an emphatic 6 - 1 league win over an understrength Ferguslie Star at Glencruitten last Saturday. The match had been in doubt twenty fours before kick-off with Star only able to muster eight players so full credit to the twelve who altered work and family commitments to ensure their club made it's first ever trip to Oban to fulfill the fixture.

Saints Gaffer Alex Craik also had selection problems with Donald Campbell, Dene Cassells, Myles McAuley and Marc Maccallum all missing from the previous week's line-up due to former player Allan Miller's wedding. Alex was however still able to name a strong starting eleven whose performance on the day will now give him a massive headache as he ponders his squad for the trip to Ayrshire. Thomas McCulloch continued in goal behind a new look central defensive pairing of David McArthur and Paul Carmichael with Matthew Kelly and Scott Maitland occupying the full back berths. Willie Gemmell made his first start since the away defeat at Drumchapel Amateurs Colts in November joining Brian Mackay and stand-in Skipper Paul Kerr in the middle of the park. Dean Smith and Ross Maitland were restored to the starting line-up with the on-fire Craig MacEwan making up the eleven. On the bench were utility man Martin Bonar, veterans Alex Craik and Keith Millar and youngsters Jay Cooper and Fraser MacFarlane.

The visitors kicked off in heavy rain attacking the Mossfield end and after some early sparring it was Saints who were first to show with Star keeper Raymond Brown coming off his line to gather a Ross Maitland cross from the right wing intended for Craig MacEwan. Paul Kerr also got forward on the right and picked out Brian Mackay whose knock down to Ross Maitland was met with a shot narrowly wide of Brown's left hand post. Willie Gemmell then tested Brown's handling with a low twenty five yard shot which the keeper fielded safely in the wet conditions. After ten minutes the rain eased off and as the good crowd's umbrellas came down Saints made the breakthrough. A well weighted pass from Willie Gemmell sent Brian Mackay scurrying through the inside left channel. Brian skipped two challenges making his way into the box and cutting back to Ross Maitland whose effort was blocked at his feet by Raymond Brown. The Star keeper hurt his left shoulder in the process and couldn't hold the ball which broke kindly for Dean Smith to roll into the net. There was a three minute delay for treatment to Brown's injured left shoulder before the Star keeper was thankfully able to continue. As the visitors tried to push forward in the twentieth minute Saints sprung a swift counter attack. Dean Smith turned well in the centre circle to beat David Cunningham before laying off to Craig MacEwan and bursting forward in search of a return ball. Craig sent the ball out wide to Ross Maitland on the left whose first time cross on the run was agonisingly out of reach for Dean sliding in eight yards out. One minute later a cheeky back heel flick in the box from Ross Maitland set up Craig MacEwan for a shot which the Star defence blocked behind for a corner kick. Saints doubled their advantage in the twenty fourth minute when David McArthur carried the ball a long way out from central defence and sent a deep cross into the Star box looking for the head of Craig MacEwan. Craig climbed above Leon Morrow and David Cunningham to loop a header out of the reach of Raymond Brown and into the bottom corner of the net. From the restart the visitors showed some attacking intent with Shaun Kelly driving forward on the left and flashing a drive across Thomas McCulloch which the Saints keeper could only palm across his six yard line. Fortunately for Saints Scott Maitland was on hand to mop up the loose ball comfortably with no other Star players up in support. Star tested McCulloch again in the thirty second minute when David Stewart delivered a cross from the right touchline which Paul Carmichael headed out but only as far as Martin Stewart who drew a good save from the Saints keeper with a well struck shot from twenty two yards. Saints countered immediately with Willie Gemmell's through ball forcing Raymond Brown to scamper off his line to smother the ball just inside his eighteen yard box just ahead of Ross Maitland. Gemmell's range of passing from midfield paid dividends in the thirty third minute when he picked out Dean Smith twenty five yards from goal. Dean turned away from the close attentions of Derek McGrory and from sixteen yards slotted past the advancing Raymond Brown to put Saints three goals in front. Three minutes later the Star keeper defied his shoulder injury leaping high to his left to palm away a curling Craig MacEwan effort from eighteen yards. Saints carved out another good opening on the left in the thirty eighth minute with Craig MacEwan sending Brian Mackay into the box. The perpetual motion midfielder cut back to Scott Maitland who was unfortunate to see his shot from twelve yards stopped by a good block from Leon Morrow. Saints ended a dominant first half performance with a David McArthur header over the crossbar after another driving run from Brian Mackay had given Ross Maitland the chance to send in a corner kick from the right.

Saints started the second half confidently but without the urgency which had caused the visiting defence so many problems in the first half. The visitors were given some encouragement in the forty eighth minute when Skipper Andrew Turner beat two men before laying off to John Syme who sent his shot wide. Star followed this up three minutes later with David Stewart beating Scott Maitland on the right and feeding Leon Morrow for a shot on target which Thomas McCulloch saved comfortably. The visitor's good spell continued with a dipping volley from Andrew Turner which Thomas McCulloch saved well low down to his right. The big keeper immediately launched a counter attack with Brian Mackay, Dean Smith and Craig MacEwan carving open the Star defence with only the final pass missing as MacEwan's ball across the box just eluded Ross Maitland at the back post. Efforts from Brian Mackay and Matthew Kelly were blocked behind with the Star defence coping comfortably with Ross Maitland's corner kicks which strangely lacked their usual potency. In the fifty eighth minute Willie Gemmell made a rare run forward from midfield racing away from Leon Morrow and David Cunningham only for Raymond Brown to narrow the angle and spread himself well to save Willie's effort from seventeen yards. Disappointingly for Ross Maitland his supporting run went unnoticed by Willie as a pass from Willie would surely have left Ross a simple tap-in. Just before the hour mark Andrew Turner forced Thomas McCulloch into another save after turning away from David McArthur on the edge of the Saints box. With twenty minutes remaining the visitors were rewarded for their perseverance when Paul Carmichael brought down Andrew Turner just outside of the Saints box giving Derek McGrory the chance to demonstrate his prowess with the dead ball. McGrory had curled a wonderful free kick high past Thomas McCulloch in the corresponding fixture at Seedhill last October but this time shot low through a disintegrating Saints wall and into the bottom corner past Thomas McCulloch's despairing right hand. The goal from the visitors was exactly what Saints needed to wake them from their second half lethargy and within two minutes they restored their three goal advantage. Brian Mackay picked out Craig MacEwan's run forward and from eighteen yards the in-form Saints hit man lifted the ball over the on-rushing goalkeeper and into the bottom corner of the net. Manager Alex Craik elected not to join the action himself but used all four of his other options from the bench. With fifteen minutes remaining Martin Bonar and Keith Millar replaced Matthew Kelly and Willie Gemmell. and five minutes later Dean Smith and Ross Maitland made way for Jay Cooper and Fraser MacFarlane. In between times Dean was denied the chance of a hat-trick by a tight but correct offside decision by Referee John Stobo who acquitted himself well throughout. In the eighty fourth minute Star danger man Andrew Turner was denied when Thomas McCulloch made a fine save from Shaun Kelly crucially holding onto the ball to foil the lurking Turner. Saints have been guilty of not converting enough chances in recent weeks so Manager Alex Craik will have been delighted to see his charges notch two further goals in time added on for stoppages. Inside the ninetieth minute Craig MacEwan cut into the right hand side of the box turning Derek McGrory inside out before laying off to renowned goal sniffer Martin Bonar who calmly stroked the ball into the net from eight yards. Two minutes later Craig MacEwan put the icing on the cake of an excellent team performance rounding off an inspired personal performance with his second hat-trick in as many weeks. Brian Mackay demonstrated phenomenal energy reserves to drive forward from midway inside his own half. Leaving the Star midfield in his wake Brian hurdled a cynical challenge from Derek McGrory before setting up Craig MacEwan for a sweet left foot finish past the helpless Raymond Brown. Craig may yet ask the dubious goals panel to have another look at the goal against Campbeltown Pupils controversially awarded to Marc Maccallum which would have earned him three consecutive hat-tricks. Mr Stobo cautioned Derek McGrory for the challenge on Brian Mackay adding his name to that of Gary Gormley which he had taken earlier for dissent. The visitors were spared any further punishment with the Referee blowing for full time and a convincing home win which sends Saints to the top of the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division.