Winning In The Rain: Up The Drum

Wednesday 17th May 2017
Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division

Goldenhill AFC v Oban Saints AFC
Donald Dewar Leisure Centre
Garscadden Road
Drumchapel
Glasgow
G15 8SX
Kick off 7pm
Referee Mr John Campbell

Just ten days after their encounter at Glencruitten Saints and Goldenhill meet again this Wednesday night when they go up the Drum to the Donald Dewar Centre in Drumchapel. Saints 2 - 1 win at Glencruitten kept alive their slim hopes of finishing the league campaign in second place but with the points already on the board Goldenhill remain firm favourites to claim the runners-up spot behind Champions St Joseph's FP. Wednesday night's fixture is Goldenhill's final league match and victory for them would leave Saints requiring maximum points from their four remaining fixtures to clinch second place.

Perhaps more important than the league points is the requirement for both sides to maintain their momentum ahead of vital season defining cup ties. Saints have the Jimmy Marshall Trophy final to look forward to against either Easthall Star or Dunoon while Goldenhill have a Coronation Cup semi-final against Ferguslie Star this coming Saturday.

Last Season

The corresponding league fixture last season ended all square after a ninety minutes of high drama at Clydebank High School. Saints opened the scoring in the 12th minute when an excellently struck Donald Campbell shot from the corner of the eighteen yard box brought out a terrific diving save from Scott Rennie low down to his right. Unfortunately for the Gowdie the big keeper could only parry the ball into the path of Ross Maitland who coolly picked out Craig MacEwan on the six yard line with Craig tucking the ball into the net. After a number of presentable chances were spurned Saints doubled their lead in the 35th minute with the two holding midfielders Willie Gemmell and Paul Kerr combining for a rare goal for Paul. Willie sent a perfect delivery from the left towards the back post where Paul had made a late run to send a sensational header back across the goalkeeper and into the top corner of the net. Saints ended the first half seemingly well in control of the match but looking back ruefully on the missed chances which could have seen them already out of sight.

Saints didn't have long to enjoy their lead as it was wiped out in a blistering start to the second half from the home side. In the opening minute Saints conceded possession from their own throw-in on the left. Daniel Gibson raced into the inside right channel past a statuesque Saints defence and squared for James Gallagher to tap in at the back post. Barely sixty seconds later the Gowdie drew level when Gibson pounced on a speculative ball over the top splitting David McArthur and Dene Cassells. The Gowdie winger fired in a low shot which Thomas McCulloch got both hands to but couldn't keep out low down at his near post. The home side completed the turnaround in the 53rd minute when a deep cross from their left was nodded down at the back post by Daniel McKenna into the path of the unmarked James Gallagher to complete his hat-trick with a sweet right foot finish past the helpless Thomas McCulloch. The Gowdie had adopted a higher defensive line in the second half and after a couple of tight calls from Mr Hay Saints finally sprung the home side's offside trap with a perfectly timed Craig MacEwan run onto a David McArthur through ball. Craig drew the keeper and squared to Ross Maitland for a simple tap-in to restore parity. Barely a minute later Saints hit the woodwork for the second time when Ross Maitland got on the end of a Paul Kerr pass and hit the inside of the post with the ball being scrambled behind for a corner kick. Ross flighted in an excellent ball from the Saints left which eluded everyone in the centre but was well controlled by Dene Cassells at the back post who turned and fired in a shot which was blocked on the goal-line and hoofed to safety. Saints got their noses back in front in the 75th minute by once again springing the Gowdie off-side trap. Willie Gemmell began the move with a delicious curling pass setting Ross Maitland off on a run in the inside left channel. Ross won the foot race with the Gowdie full back Steven Dock and cut the ball back to Willie Gemmell who thundered in a fierce right foot shot which this time was too hot for the keeper to handle and the ball broke loose to Dean Smith six yards out who eagerly gobbled up the opportunity the restore the lead for Saints. The home side momentarily lost their heads with substitute striker Chris McGrath receiving a straight red card for aiming a kick at Jamie Graham and defender Jack Bennett picking up a second yellow for a petulant kick at Dean Smith as he lay on the ground having been brought down on the half way line. In between the two red cards Saints missed yet another chance which would have finally made the points safe. Craig MacEwan standing on the six yard line missed a Ross Maitland corner kick from the left with the ball landing at the feet of Dene Cassells who, from a tight angle, could only find the side netting with his shot through a sea of legs. With match seemingly safe Manager Alex Craik made a couple of changes replacing Ross Maitland and Dean Smith with Shaun MacIver and Allan Mackay. In the 82nd minute Craig MacEwan chased down an almost lost cause wide on the Saints left back heeling the ball on the dead ball line just before it could run out of play. Shaun MacIver did well to close down full back Steven Dock and set up Craig MacEwan for a curling shot from the corner of the box which dipped just over the junction of post and bar. With the clock ticking down and the killer fifth goal eluding them Saints seemed to panic and dropped deeper and deeper inviting the nine men of Goldenhill onto them. A succession of needless fouls gave the Gowdie the chance to lauch long balls into the box which although Saints managed to deal with their failure to fully clear their lines meant the ball kept coming straight back. It was therefore with a large dose of inevitability that the home side equalised in the 89th minute from a long throw on the Saints right level with the eighteen yard line. The Gowdie piled everybody into the box for the long throw and Damon Gray looped a free header beyond Thomas McCulloch and into the net for an equaliser for which Saints had only themselves to blame.

Goldenhill line up for their West of Scotland Amateur Cup Semi Final against Colville Park

Goldenhill's results so far this season:-

Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division

20th August 2016 Goldenhill AFC 4 - 3 Ferguslie Star AFC
3rd September 2016 Goldenhill AFC 2 - 1 St Joseph's FP AFC
15th October 2016 Goldenhill AFC 1 - 0 East Kilbride FC Amateurs
29th October 2016 Shawlands FP AFC 3 - 1 Goldenhill AFC
12th November 2015 Goldenhill AFC 1 - 2 Inverclyde AFC
26th November 2016 Campbeltown Pupils AFC 2 - 3 Goldenhill AFC
3rd December 2016 East Kilbride FC Amateurs 2 - 0 Goldenhill AFC
28th January 2017 Motherwell Thistle AFC 0 - 2 Goldenhill AFC
4th February 2017 Drumchapel Colts AFC 1 - 4 Goldenhill AFC
11th February 2017 Ferguslie Star AFC 1 - 7 Goldenhill
18th February 2017 Goldenhill AFC 2 - 1 Shawlands FP AFC
11th March 2017 Goldenhill AFC 4 - 1 Campbeltown Pupils AFC
18th March 2017 Goldenhill AFC 6 - 1 Motherwell Thistle AFC
25th March 2017 St Joseph's FP AFC 1 - 0 Goldenhill AFC
8th April 2017 Inverclyde AFC 3 - 2 Goldenhill AFC
19th April 2017 Goldenhill AFC 4 - 0 Drumchapel Colts AFC
6th May 2017 Oban Saints AFC 2 - 1 Goldenhill

SAFL Coronation Cup

1st Round Group Section 3
22nd April 2017 Goldenhill AFC 5 - 0 St Joseph's FP AFC
26th April 2017 FC Goldenhill AFC 4 - 0 East Kilbride FC Amateurs
29th April 2017 Inverclyde AFC 2 - 4 Goldenhill AFC

Semi Final
20th May 2017 Goldenhill AFC v Ferguslie Star AFC

SAFL Centenary Cup

1st Round Group Section 3
13th August 2016 Goldenhill AFC 3 - 1 Port Glasgow AFC
17th August 2016 FC Argyle 4 - 6 Goldenhill AFC
24th August 2016 Goldenhill AFC 7 - 0 Port Glasgow OBU AFC
27th August 2016 Milton of Colquhoun AFC 0 - 6 Goldenhill AFC

Quarter Final
17th September 2016 Goldenhill AFC 3 - 3 Rutherglen AFC
Rutherglen win 5 - 4 on penalty kicks

SAFL Jimmy Marshall Trophy

1st Round
Bye

2nd Round
10th December 2016 Rutherglen AFC 3 - 2 Goldenhill AFC

Scottish Amateur Cup

1st Round
Bye

2nd Round
1st Ocotber 2016 Goldenhill AFC 4 - 4 Carluke Hearts AFC

2nd Round Replay
8th October 2106 Carluke Hearts AFC 6 - 4 Goldenhill AFC (After Extra Time)

West of Scotland Amateur Cup

1st Round
Bye

2nd Round
22nd Ocotber 2016 East Kilbride YMCA AFC 1 - 5 Goldenhill AFC

3rd Round
17th December Blantyre Celtic AFC 2 - 4 Goldenhill AFC

4th Round
21st January 2017 Hurlford Thistle AFC 3 - 2 Goldenhill AFC