Winning In The Rain: William Street Conquerors

Wednesday 31st May 2017
Scottish Amateur Football League
Premier Division
St Joseph's FP AFC v Oban Saints AFC
William Street
Duntocher
Clydebank
G81 6DF
Kick off 7pm
Referee Mr John McQuilter

Oban Saints travel to Duntocher this evening for their penultimate away fixture of a long and arduous season. With the bitter disappointment of last Friday's Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy Final penalty shoot-out defeat to Easthall Star still burning inside them Saints Gaffer Alex Craik will be hoping for a positive response from his troops against this season's Premier Division Champions St Joseph's FP. The Duntocher men have been worthy champions this season and only an opening day defeat at Goldenhill and a draw away at last season's champions East Kilbride FC Amateurs has denied them the chance of going into this their final match of the season chasing an unprecedented maximum points.

St Joe's continued their excellent form under new Management team Ajie McCall and Gary McGroarty into the cup competitions reaching the final of the Scottish Amateur Football League Centenary Cup where they clinched a league and cup double with a penalty shoot-out victory after a 2 - 2 draw with Premier Division One Champions Alba Thistle.

Unfortunately excellent runs in the Scottish and West of Scotland Amateur Cups were halted at sixth and fifth round stages respectively.

In the West of Scotland Cup St Joe's eased past Saints Argyll neighbours Carradale and Paisley and District Premier Division leaders Glenvale before taking the major scalp of Ayrshire Amateur Football Association Premier League leaders Glenburn Miners Welfare. The fifth round saw St Joe's edged out narrowly by the seemingly invincible Colville Park who currently lead the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division with a 100% record after ten games.

St Joe's Scottish Amateur Cup run contained three replays before they finally succumbed to another of the Central Scottish Amateur Football League in-form teams Southside who are currently unbeaten in Division 1A. After comfortably seeing off the challenge of Strathclyde Evangelical Churches Football League Premier Division Law Parish in the second round St Joe's were drawn away against Third Lanark of the Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League. St Joe's had to battle back from two goals down to force a replay which they eventually won by five goals to two. Round four saw St Joe's progress by virtue of a walkover against the now sadly folded Invac of the Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League. In the fifth round St Joe's were drawn away once again this time holding last season's runners up Leven United to a 1 - 1 draw. The replay at Clydebank High School saw the Duntocher men run out comfortable four goals to nil winners to secure a home sixth round tie against Southside. For the third tie running a replay was required this time after a rare goalless draw at Clydebank High School however this time the replay victory was to elude St Joe's with Southside running out 3 - 1 winners.

Only the Scottish Amateur League Jimmy Marshall Trophy has seen St Joe's fail to make a significant impression on the competition with the 2015 winners falling at the first hurdle against Motherwell Thistle leaving now to concentrate on their Premier Division campaign and look forward to their Centenary Cup final clash with Alba Thistle.

St Joseph's FP AFC fixtures so far this season:-

SAFL Premier Division

3rd September 2016 Goldenhill 2 - 1 St Joseph's FP
17th September 2016 Campbeltown Pupils 4 - 6 St Joseph's FP

8th October 2016 St Joseph's FP 3 - 1 Shawlands FP
29th October 2016 Motherwell Thistle 2 - 3 St Joseph's FP
26th November 2016 Drumchapel Colts 0 - 7 St Joseph's FP
18th February 2017 St Joseph's FP 5 - 1 Ferguslie Star
25th February 2017 St Joseph's FP 2 - 1 Inverclyde
11th March 2017 East Kilbride FC Amateurs 2 - 2 St Joseph's FP
18th March 2017 Oban Saints 0 - 3 St Joseph's FP
25th March 2017 St Joseph's FP 1 - 0 Goldenhill
1st April 2017 St Joseph's FP 8 - 1 Drumchapel Colts
8th April 2017 Shawlands FP 0 - 3 St Joseph's FP
15th April 2017 St Joseph's FP 4 - 2 East Kilbride FC Amateurs
19th April 2017 Ferguslie Star 2 - 5 St Joseph's FP
26th April 2017 Inverclyde 1 - 5 St Joseph's FP
29th April 2017 St Joseph's 3 - 1 Campbeltown Pupils
17th May 2017 St Joseph's FP 5 - 0 Motherwell Thistle

SAFL Centenary Cup

1st Round Group Section Eight
13th August 2016 Rossvale 0 - 6 St Joseph's FP

17th August 2016 St Joseph's FP 4 - 2 Easthall Star
24th August 2016 Millbeg 1 - 12 St Joseph's FP
27th August 2016 St Joseph's FP 10 - 0 Castlemilk

Quarter Final
15th October 2016 Drumchapel Colts 1 - 3 St Joseph's FP

Semi Final
16th November 2016 Motherwell Thistle 0 - 2 St Joseph's FP

Final
12th May 2017 Alba Thistle 2 - 2 St Joseph's FP
St Joseph's FP win 8 - 7 on penalty kicks

SAFL Jimmy Marshall Trophy

1st Round
17th December 2016 St Joseph's FP 1 - 1 Motherwell Thistle
Motherwell Thistle win 5 - 3 on penalty kicks

SAFL Coronation Cup

1st Round Group Section Three
22nd April 2017 Goldenhill 5 - 0 St Joseph's FP

3rd May 2017 Inverclyde 0 - 0 St Joseph's FP

West of Scotland Amateur Cup

1st Round
Bye

2nd Round
22nd October 2016 St Joseph's FP 8 - 0 Carradale

3rd Round
19th November 2016 St Joseph's FP 7 - 1 Glenvale

4th Round
10th December 2016 St Joseph's FP 3 - 1 Glenburn Miners Welfare

5th Round
28th January 2017 Colville Park 2 - 1 St Joseph's FP

Scottish Amateur Cup

1st Round
Bye

2nd Round
1st October 2016 Law Parish 1 - 6 St Joseph's FP

3rd Round
5th November 2016 Third Lanark 2 - 2 St Joseph's FP

3rd Round Replay
12th November 2016 St Joseph's FP 5 - 2 Third Lanark

4th Round
3rd December 2016 Invac v St Joseph's FP - Walkover to St Joseph's FP

5th Round
7th January 2017 Leven United 1 - 1 St Joseph's FP

5th Round Replay
21st January 2017 St Joseph's FP 4 - 0 Leven United

6th Round
4th February 2017 St Joseph's FP 0 - 0 Southside

6th Round Replay
11th February 2017 Southside 3 - 1 St Joseph's FP

St Joseph's FP AFC recent Scottish Amateur Football League finishes:-

2006/07 Premier Division One 4th

2007/08 Premier Division One 2nd Promoted

2008/09 Premier Division Champions

2009/10 Premier Division 6th and Centenary Cup Winners

2010/11 Premier Division 6th

2011/12 Premier Division 6th

2012/13 Premier Division 5th

2013/14 Premier Division 3rd and Centenary Cup Runners Up

2014/15 Premier Division Champions and Jimmy Marshall Trophy Winners
2015/16 Premier Division 3rd, Centenary Cup & Jimmy Marshall Trophy Runners Up
2016/17 Premier Division Champions & Centenary Cup Winners

Oban Saints away record against St Joseph's FP:-

2008/09 St Joseph's FP 1 - 1 Oban Saints
2009/10 St Joseph's FP 1 - 1 Oban Saints
2010/11 St Joseph's FP 1 - 3 Oban Saints
2011/12 St Joseph's FP 0 - 3 Oban Saints
2012/13 St Joseph's FP 0 - 1 Oban Saints
2013/14 St Joseph's FP 1 - 2 Oban Saints

2014/15 St Joseph's FP 1 - 2 Oban Saints
2015/16 St Joseph's FP 1 - 0 Oban Saints