Winning In The Rain: 02's Argyll Derby

UK Number One on 16th December 2002

Saturday 16th December 2017
Dunbartonshire Football Development League
Oban Saints Under 16's 7 - 0 Campbeltown Pupils Under 16's
Oban High School 3G
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick off 2.30pm
Referee Mr John Scott

With the frozen pitch at Glencruitten forcing a second postponement of Oban Saints Scottish Amateur Cup fourth round replay against Greenock High School Former Pupils, the only football show in town last Saturday was the Dunbartonshire Football Development League clash between Oban Saints Under 16's and their local rivals Campbeltown Pupils.

The temperature lingered above freezing just long enough for Referee John Scott to declare the "all weather" surface playable giving the football starved locals some action to enjoy at last.

The visitors with six under 15's and one under 14 in their small squad kicked off attacking the school end but it was Saints who were first to threaten with Aaron McKay forcing a corner kick on the right inside the first minute. McKay sent over a teasing cross from the corner flag which Daniel Sloss headed just over from the six yard line.

Pupils responded with a third minute free kick from just inside the first half which the combined efforts of Jude Bain and Jordan Norman could only clear as far as Elliot Gemmill who flashed a first time right foot effort inches wide of Saints keeper Jake Weir's right hand post.

The Saints midfield began to gain the upper hand against their less experienced opponents and were soon opening up the Campbeltown defence. Sent through by Cameron Clark in the seventh minute, Lennon Campbell attempted to chip Campbeltown keeper Archie McKellar from twenty five yards with the stranded net minder relieved to see the ball clear the crossbar.

Sixty seconds later Aaron McKay's run through the inside right channel was inches away from connecting with Euan Finlay's threaded through ball. The little winger did however connect with another Finlay through ball in the eleventh minute after good work by Gavin Forgrieve but his finish from the corner of the six yard box across the face of goal slipped wide of the far post.

From Archie McKellar's goal kick Saints came forward again with Gavin Forgrieve testing McKellar's handling from twenty five yards.

Pupils briefly threatened to break through with Saints defenders Blair MacFarlane and Jude Bain combining well to force out Matthew Lang. The home side quickly turned defence into attack where a strong run on the left wing by Lennon Campbell won a corner kick. Gavin Forgrieve's delivery from the left found the head of Jordan Norman who climbed well but sent his header from four yards crashing over the crossbar.

Saints made the breakthrough in the sixteenth minute when Aaron McKay skinned youngest man on the pitch, Campbeltown's Euan Dott, on the right before sending a cut-back from the bye-line to Lennon Campbell who fired a right foot finish from twelve yards into the top corner.

The visitors responded well to falling behind and came close through Elliot Gemmill, who had a close range effort deflected into the side netting by Blair MacFarlane, and Fraser MacBrayne who made a real nuisance of himself from a long punt from Archie McKellar in the twenty sixth minute. The big centre forward forced his way into the Saints box and, from the corner of the six yard box sent a low shot across Jake Weir and inches wide of the far post.

Lennon Campbell had the opportunity to double his tally after Craig Millar was tripped inside the Pupils penalty box after a good twenty eighth minute break on the left. However Archie McKellar guessed correctly getting down well to his left to stop Campbell's effort from the penalty mark.

Unfortunately for the visitors keeper McKellar wasn't quite so assured with his handling two minutes later allowing a speculative Jordan Norman effort from twenty five yards to slip from his grasp and squirm into the net to double the Saints advantage.

Gavin Forgrieve tried his luck from distance five minutes before the interval sending a thumping right foot drive from thirty yards just wide of the junction of post and bar.

Campbeltown lifted themselves again and ended the first forty minutes camped in the Saints half forcing a succession of corner kicks and finding themselves on the wrong end of a tight offside call from Referee John Scott as Elliot Gemmill threatened to break clear.

Despite having the upper hand for the majority of the first half Saints could count themselves slightly fortunate to go into the interval two goals to the good as with better finishing the visitors could well have been on level terms.

A heavy challenge from Daniel Sloss brought the only booking of the match in the first minute of the second half. The free kick from the edge of centre circle carried all the way to Jake Weir who could only palm the ball out to Pupils central defender Calum Cook who headed a good chance wide of Weir's left hand post.

In the forty fifth minute Jordan Norman linked up well with Aidan MacPhee to create a shooting opportunity for Gavin Forgrieve who saw his curling effort from the corner of the eighteen yard box pushed round his left hand post by Archie McKellar.

The keeper however couldn't keep out Forgrieve's next attempt in the fifty second minute. After a neat turn on the edge of the box, Forgrieve who has already impressed with the senior Saints team and has an Argyll & Bute Cup winners medal in his trophy cabinet, celebrated his fifteenth birthday in style with a shot that was too hot for McKellar to handle and ended up in the back of the net.

Forgrieve was in the thick of the action again four minutes later teeing up Andrew Law for a left foot volley from twelve yards which flew wide of McKellar's left hand post.

The more experienced Saints were now in complete control and tightened the screws a little further with a storming fifty seventh minute run and left foot finish from Aidan MacPhee.

Just sixty seconds later Saints notched their fifth from a twenty five yard Craig Millar shot which flew past the static keeper to nestle in the back of the net.

Jordan Norman's afternoon came to a premature end in the sixty fourth minute after a typically powerful run was halted by a perfectly timed tackle from Calum Cook. The Saints man came off distinctly second best and after treatment left the field badly winded and nursing a nasty burn from the hardening artificial turf.

Saints notched another quick-fire double in the sixty eighth and sixty ninth minutes with birthday boy Gavin Forgrieve having a hand in both. Euan Finlay latched onto Forgrieve's ball through the inside right channel and tucked a low finish across Pupils keeper McKellar and into the bottom corner for Saints sixth goal.

Sixty seconds later Forgrieve sent Aidan MacPhee racing into the left hand side of the box who was thwarted at his near post by McKellar. The rebound fell kindly for Andrew Law who lofted the ball into the six yard box where Cameron Clark stooped to head home for Saints seventh.

With the temperature plummeting and the match long since over as a contest experienced whistler John Scott, now retired from the Scottish Amateur Football League but still keeping his hand in on the youth scene, wisely decided to blow slightly early for full time giving the Argyll Derby spoils to Saints.

Despite being outplayed for long spells in what was a good advert for youth football in Argyll, Campbeltown Pupils will be pleased with the showing of their young players against the more experienced Oban side. Also providing a major boost for Pupils was the performance of Calum McKillop making his first appearance after eighteen months out injured.