Winning In The Rain: Continue Shopping

Saturday 14th October 2017
West of Scotland Amateur Cup
3rd Round
Braehead AFC 0 - 4 Oban Saints AFC
Glasgow Club Drumoyne
337 Langlands Road
Glasgow
G51 4AW
Kick Off 2pm
Referee Mr Charles Burns

Oban Saints starting line-up:-

Used substitutes:-

Daniel Croarkin
Shaun MacIver

Unused substitute:-

Peter MacCallum

Normally the threat of a trip to Braehead would fill any red bloodied male with dread as it would inevitably entail an afternoon of drudgery being dragged by his better half around the shopping malls of the Intu Braehead Shopping Centre where insult would be added to injury in the shape of a substantial credit card bill.

On this occasion however the immeasurably more enjoyable prospect of a game of football was in store for the Oban Saints lads as they traveled South to face Braehead of the Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League in the third round of the West of Scotland Cup.

Manager Alex Craik was on holiday so Assistant Donald Campbell took responsibility for team selection. Donald's options were limited when work commitments deprived him of Matthew Kelly, Myles McAuley and Craig MacEwan. Also missing through illness was David Smith. Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Steven MacLeod, David McPhee, Craig Campbell and Craig MacMillan. Paul Carmichael, Willie Gemmell and Keith Millar patrolled the midfield with a strike force of Donald Campbell, Scott Maitland and Fraser MacFarlane. Shaun MacIver returned to the squad to join Daniel Croarkin and the ever youthful Peter MacCallum on the bench.

Saints started slowly allowing their opponents to settle and dictate the early exchanges. A sixth minute free-kick conceded by Craig MacMillan on the Braehead right gave Fraser O'Neil a chance to put a testing delivery into the Saints box. O'Neil found the head of Jason Hampsey nine yards out but his header lacked the power to seriously test Graham Douglas.

Operating in unfamiliar territory on the right of the front three, Scott Maitland won an eleventh minute free-kick for a foul by Ryan Mulholland midway inside the Braehead half. Willie Gemmell's ball pitched into the box was glanced goalward by Fraser MacFarlane whose header beat Braehead keeper Scott Fraser but also the far post.

Two minutes later a heavily disguised pass through the inside right channel from Willie Gemmell sent Scott Maitland racing into the box. Scott's shot from the corner of the six yard box was saved by the feet of Scott Fraser with Braehead Skipper Gavin McNicol making a vital block at the expense of a corner kick to prevent Paul Carmichael knocking home the loose ball. Scott Maitland's corner from the right was headed behind at the far post by Dean Kerr before Scott Fraser came through a ruck of bodies to punch clear Fraser MacFarlane's delivery from the left.

Willie Gemmell opened up the Braehead defence once again in the sixteenth minute with Donald Campbell frustrated not to have picked out the supporting run of Paul Carmichael.

Donald's frustration however didn't last long as sixty seconds later he opened the scoring with a well struck finish from twenty yards. Paul Carmichael flicked a Willie Gemmell long ball into the path of Fraser MacFarlane who helped the ball onto Donald who didn't need a second invitation to slam the ball low past Scott Fraser's despairing left hand.

Fraser MacFarlane tested Scott Fraser in the twenty first minute controlling a deep Donald Campbell cross from the right and firing in a shot which the big keeper did well to palm away.

Saints doubled their advantage in the twenty third minute with MacFarlane claiming his second assist of the afternoon. Fraser's pin point delivery from the corner flag landed perfectly on the head of David McPhee who guided his header inside the far post beating Iain McLennan on the goal-line.

A rare lapse in concentration in the Saints defence allowed Martin Wojtczak in behind with Graham Douglas having to react quickly to turn Wojtczak's effort behind for a corner. Douglas safely held Fraser O'Neil's corner kick from the left under pressure from Dean Kerr.

Scott Maitland was comimg in for some rough treatment and another heavy challenge from Ryan Mulholland gave Willie Gemmell a dead ball opportunity twenty six yards out. The suspiciously close looking Braehead wall did it's job sending Willie's effort spinning behind for a corner kick. Scott Maitland's in-swinger from the right was headed back across goal by Craig Campbell where Paul Carmichael sliced a volley wide of target.

Carmichael passed up two further presentable chances to put the tie to bed before the half-time interval with Donald Campbell also getting in on the act shooting over from twenty two yards.

Fraser O'Neil hit the top of the crossbar with a miscued cross in the forty third minute before closing the first half action with a shot wide of target after Craig MacMillan had done just enough to put the Braehead wide man off his stride.

Saints were good value for their half-time lead but two moments of slackness in an otherwise comfortable defensive performance almost undone their first half efforts. A misplaced forty sixth minute pass inside from young left-back Craig Campbell, who impressed in his first start, was pounced on by Martin Wojtczak. Keith Millar reacted well to get back and stop Wojtczak just outside the Saints box but unfairly in the opinion of Referee Charles Burns. Jason Hampsay sent the resulting free-kick just wide of the juction of post and bar.

Five minutes later a blind pass inside from David McPhee only succeeded in finding Ross Hocknull who drew a good save from Graham Douglas diving to his right to safely hold the Braehead midfielder's right foot shot.

Saints first effort of the second half came in the fifty second minute when Steven MacLeod who, although not quite the rampaging right-back of yesteryear, still managed to get forward and found himself in the Braehead box where he saw a decent effort blocked behind for a corner kick.

Any hopes of a comeback for the home side were snuffed out just before the hour mark when Willie Gemmell notched Saints third. Paul Carmichael forced a corner kick on the right which Scott Maitland sent into the six yard box for David McPhee. The big centre-half was denied a second goal of the afternoon by Iain McLennan who stopped McPhee's header on the goal-line with his right arm giving Mr Burns an easy decision to award Saints a penalty kick. Saints recent record from twelve yards has been patchy but Willie Gemmell showed no nerves grabbing the ball and slamming it emphatically into the postage stamp corner giving Scott Fraser absolutely no chance.

Braehead made a change in the sixty eighth minute replacing Iain McLennan at right-back with Nick Espie. Epie's first involvement was to scythe down Paul Carmichael twenty eight yards from goal. Donald Campbell's free-kick looped off the three man Braehead wall into the box where Paul Carmichael controlled the bouncing ball and sent a left foot shot inches over the crossbar.

Saints made their first change in the seventy third minute replacing Craig MacMillan with Shaun MacIver. Shaun joined the attack with Scott Maitland returning to his more familiar left-back slot.

Only some excellent work by Skipper Gavin McNicol and keeper Scott Fraser kept Saints at bay in the seventy fifth minute. A Willie Gemmell free-kick was flicked on by Fraser MacFarlane into the path of Donald Campbell who raced into the box and delicately lifted the ball left footed over the head of Scott Fraser. With the big keeper well beaten Gavin McNicol somehow got back to hook the ball off the goal-line but his goal saving clearance sat up nicely in the six yard box for Paul Carmichael. From point blank range Fraser saved Carmichael's shot with his right leg and was quickly up on his feet to turn Shaun MacIver's effort on the follow-up around his left hand post.

Carmichael's good midfield shift alongside the ever dependable Willie Gemmell and Keith Millar came to an end with twelve minutes remaining when he was replaced by Daniel Croarkin.

The fresh legs of Shaun MacIver were proving a handful for the home defence and, with ten minutes remaining, a powerful run from the half-way line ended with Willie Gemmell looping a shot from edge of the box into the gloves of Scott Fraser.

The Braehead keeper had similarly easy saves in the eighty third and ninetieth minutes. A good run from Keith Millar set up MacIver for a shot from the edge of the box and a Willie Gemmell free-kick onto MacIver's head both brought comfortable saves from Scott Fraser.

MacIver finally got the goal he so desperately wanted in the third minute added on by Mr Burns. Willie Gemmell and Daniel Croarkin linked up well on the right with Croarkin claiming the assist as MacIver rifled an unstoppable volley from sixteen yards over the head of Scott Fraser and into the roof of the net.

Mr Burns blew for full time immediately after the restart sending Saints through to Tuesday's fourth round draw.

Saints return to Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division business next Saturday with an extremely difficult away trip to the very much in form Goldenhill.