Winning In The Rain: Eastern Stars

Saturday 18th November 2017
West of Scotland Amateur Cup
4th Round
Red Star AFC 2 - 2 Oban Saints AFC (2 -3 After Extra Time)
Lochend Sports Centre
20 Cairnbrook Road
Glasgow
G34 0NZ
Kick Off 1.30pm
Referee Mr W McCulley

Used substitutes:-

Alex Craik
David McPhee
Andrew Moore

Oban Saints secured their place in the fifth round of the West of Scotland Amateur Cup last Saturday with a gutsy extra-time win over Red Star at Lochend Sports Centre in Glasgow's Eastern suburbs. After twice coming from behind, and playing for almost an hour with ten men, a beautifully struck dipping shot from Willie Gemmell finally saw off the challenge of a very useful Red Star side.

Manager Alex Craik's selection woes continued when Craig MacEwan's cracked rib, sustained in the Scottish Amateur Cup replay victory over Falkirk Community, ruled him out along with Donald Campbell who was working. On the plus side Ally McKerracher and David McPhee returned from extended spells on the sidelines to bolster the squad numbers.

Graham Douglas regained his place in goal after missing the previous week's Scottish Amateur Cup win due to work commitments and lined up behind a back four of Steven MacLeod, Craig Campbell, Captain Willie Gemmell and Craig MacMillan. Matthew Kelly, Myles McAuley, Keith Millar and Scott Maitland formed a four man midfield with Paul Carmichael and Ally McKerracher up front. On the bench were Alex Craik, David McPhee and Andrew Moore.

In charge of proceedings was Glasgow based Willie McCulley whom Saints last encountered in a Scottish Amateur Cup fourth round tie against the now folded Postal United. However this was to be no case of old familiar faces as only Skipper for the day Willie Gemmell remained from Saints starting eleven on that particular afternoon less than two years ago.

Willie Gemmell won the toss of Mr McCulley's coin and chose to take advantage of the bright low sun by switching ends for the first half. The move however didn't go quite according to plan as Saints conceded from Red Star's first attack with just ninety seconds on the watch. A quick counter-attack on the right wing lead by Kevin Fraser turned the Saints back four with Sam Donald tapping in Fraser's low cross at the back post to give the home side an early advantage.

Saints recovered from this early set-back to create their first decent opening in the fourth minute with Steven MacLeod and Paul Carmichael linking up to force a throw-in on the right. The two combined again for Carmichael to swing in a deep cross which Scott Maitland controlled picking out Ally McKerracher who laid the ball off to Myles McAuley for a shot from twenty yards which flew narrowly wide of keeper David Hosie's right hand post.

Saints restored parity from Hosie's goal-kick when Matthew Kelly's run up the right wing was halted unfairly by John Crawley. Kelly's low free-kick picked out Ally McKerracher in the middle nine yards out. With his back to goal McKerracher turned away from the assembled throng and clipped a left foot finish into the bottom corner past the unsighted David Hosie.

This should have been the signal for Saints to kick on however it was the home side who seized the initiative against a very much out of sorts Saints.

From a hotly disputed seventh minute John Crawley corner on the right Steven MacLeod cleared an Allan Cairns header off the goal-line before danger man Cairns got the better of young Saints left-back Craig MacMillan to fire a low shot across Graham Douglas but wide of the far post.

Calamity struck the Saints defence in the twelfth minute when a misplaced Willie Gemmell back-pass put keeper Graham Douglas under pressure gifting an opportunity to John Crawley. Douglas stopped but couldn't hold Crawley's effort which squirmed loose to Sam Donald who gratefully accepted his second tap-in of the afternoon.

Matthew Kelly latched onto a Paul Carmichael flick-on in the nineteenth minute with the big striker quickly on his toes to get on the end of Kelly's cutback from the right. Disappointingly Carmichael's shot from eighteen yards cleared the crossbar by some distance.

Scott Maitland and Craig MacMillan swapped places after twenty minutes with the Saints youngster introducing himself to the midfield battle with a late tackle on Paul Shaw which earned him the games first yellow card.

Saints continued to struggle in the middle of the park and created little of note for the strikers. On the rare occasions when Saints did get forward Red Star keeper David Hosie, who shipped nine goals with Millbeg Villa in the Scottish Amateur Cup at Glencruitten two years ago, was happy to see efforts from Ally McKerracher and Paul Carmichael slip wide of target.

Calamity wasn't restricted to the Saints defence when Referee McCulley blew for half-time after just forty one and a half minutes. To his credit the jovial whistler quickly realised his mistake and brought the players back on to play out the remainder of the allotted forty five minutes plus an additional two minutes of stoppage time.

The momentary interruption appeared to benefit Saints as they at last produced a decent move on the right with Steven MacLeod, Ally McKerracher and Matthew Kelly combining for Kelly to swing over a cross from which Paul Carmichael drew a fingertip save from David Hosie at the expense of a corner kick. Ally McKerracher's poor delivery from the left however failed to clear the first man summing up a disappointing first half from Saints.

Manager Alex Craik opted for a tactical re-shuffle for the second forty five switching to a 3-5-2 formation to match that of the home side. The change necessitated a sixth appearance of the season for the over-worked Gaffer with young Craig MacMillan making way.

The change of formation gave Saints more of an attacking threat with Scott Maitland desperately unlucky to see a forty ninth minute goal bound shot from eighteen yards blocked on the penalty spot by Ally McKerracher.

Getting free on the right wing in the fifty third minute, McKerracher frustratingly sent his near post cross too close to the Red Star keeper with Paul Carmichael closing in.

At the other end Graham Douglas had to come quickly off his line to save at the feet of substitute Craig Stewart who had come on to replace the injured Allan Cairns. The loose ball found it's way across to John Crawley on the left who blazed over from the corner of the eighteen yard box.

Saints responded with a Keith Millar left foot shot from seventeen yards which David Hosie, unable to hold the veteran Saints man's effort, was relieved to see Michael McKenna turn behind for a corner kick. Willie Gemmell's delivery from the left was glanced on at the near post by Paul Carmichael but headed behind by David McGaoghey. Gemmell aimed deeper with his second effort which was bundled behind by Craig Campbell under pressure from Michael McKenna.

Millar was in the thick of the action again in the fifty seventh minute acrobatically volleying a Paul Carmichael flick-on from a Willie Gemmell throw over the crossbar.

As Saints pressed for the equaliser they had to be wary of the Red Star counter-attack which broke through in the sixty first minute with John Crawley racing to the front post to turn Sam Donald's low cross from the right into the side netting.

Craig Campbell was next to attempt an acrobatic finish hooking a Matthew Kelly corner kick over from eight yards after Myles McAuley's driving run and shot had been blocked behind.

Ally McKerrcher made space again on the right and sent a tempting ball across the face of goal which Scott Maitland racing in at the back post could only turn into the side netting.

The momentum was building for Saints and they were left incredulous in the sixty fourth minute when Referee McCulley turned down a loud penalty appeal when John Crawley appeared to "save" a Keith Millar shot inside his own six yard box.

There was no reprieve for the Red Star defence sixty seconds later when Mr McCulley pointed to the spot after Ally McKerracher was tripped cutting into the box from the right. McKerracher's rash reaction to the foul sparked a melee which Mr McCulley quickly put the lid on flashing a red card in McKerracher's direction and issuing a yellow to Red Star Skipper Gary McLean.

To compound the blow of losing McKerracher Willie Gemmell had his spot kick saved by David Hosie diving to his right.

While Saints were reeling from this double setback Red Star passed up a gilt edged chance to extend their lead when substitute Ross Lambie lost his footing on the eighteen yard line after Sam Donald had sent him clean through on the counter-attack.

In a bold move to get back into the match Saints pushed Craig Campbell up front to partner Paul Carmichael leaving just the Gaffer and Steven MacLeod at the back.

Mr McCulley dismissed another loud Saints penalty appeal with fifteen minutes remaining when David McGaoghey appeared to wrestle Paul Carmichael to the ground on the corner of the six yard box.

Saints risky man-for-man policy at the back was exposed in the seventy seventh minute when Sam Donald again picked out Ross Lambie in the middle however Graham Douglas saved the day with a smart save to deny the Red Star substitute.

Scott Maitland's run from the left of midfield across the Red Star defence presented a shooting opportunity to Matthew Kelly who tested the handling of David Hosie from twenty five yards.

Kelly followed this up in the eightieth minute with a run of his own which John Crawley unceremoniously ended twenty eight yards from goal. Having previously been denied from twelve yards, Willie Gemmell found this distance more to his liking and drew Saints level curling the ball around the Red Star wall and inside David Hosie's left hand post leaving him clutching at fresh air.

Before the restart the clearly struggling Steven MacLeod limped off to be replaced by David McPhee. who, with parity again restored, was joined alongside the Gaffer by Willie Gemmell.

Saints received another let-off with two minutes of the ninety left to play when a long throw from the right found it's way across to the unmarked John Crawley who sent a left foot shot flying inches over the crossbar.

Injury struck again for Saints in the dying seconds when Keith Millar's tightening hamstring forced him off to be replaced by Andrew Moore.

After two added minutes Mr McCulley blew for full time and gave the players a moment or two to get their breath back before the commencement of the thirty minutes of extra-time.

The first period of extra-time got off to a dream start for Saints who took the lead for the first time in the match after just one minute. Paul Carmichael won a throw-in on the right which Myles McAuley took aiming for Carmichael's head on the corner of the six yard box. Cameron Stevenson knocked the ball to the edge of the box where Andrew Moore played it back out to McAuley on the right. McAuley picked out Willie Gemmell on the edge of the D who beat Andrew Hosie all ends up with a dipping effort into the top corner.

Saints at last had something to cling to and coped well in the ensuing fourteen or so minutes with Graham Douglas making comfortable saves from Jamie Campbell and Craig Stewart as the home side loaded the box for set-pieces before Mr McCulley brought the first half to a close.

Despite briefly threatening in the opening minute when David Hosie had to come a long way off his line to intercept Scott Maitland's through ball for Paul Carmichael it was very much a case of attack against defence in the final fifteen minute period. The ten man Saints side defended manfully again restricting six time Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League Premier Division Champions Red Star to set-piece opportunities which on the whole were repelled comfortably.

When the chances did fall Red Star's way Saints were grateful beneficiaries of wayward finishes from Ross Lambie and John Crawley which enabled the visitors to hold on and dig out an heroic victory.

Although the performance fell a long way short of the standard required to mount a serious assault for honours this season Saints Gaffer Alex Craik will be quietly pleased with the dogged determination of his charges not to accept defeat against a useful Red Star side particularly when reduced to ten men for almost an hour.

It's Red Star opposition once again for Saints next week when they face Lochgilphead Red Star at Glencruitten in the second round of the Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy.