Winning In The Rain: Hard Rain

Saturday 30th December 2017

Oban Saints AFC Practice Match
Glencruitten 2
Mossfield Avenue
Oban
Argyll PA34 4EH
Kick off 9.45am
Referee Mr Peter MacCallum

A frustrating failure to secure opposition for a friendly match forced Oban Saints Manager Alex Craik into a hastily arranged practice match last Saturday morning in an attempt to keep his players ticking over ahead of next Saturday's crunch Scottish Amateur Cup fourth round replay against Greenock High School Former Pupils.

The match kicked off at 0945 to allow the players to take in the distinctly less friendly sight of the Old Firm derby on TV which a number of the players had already travelled to view at closer quarters.

In addition, and in fairly typical fashion, injuries, work and family commitments further restricted the Gaffer's selection options thus requiring a heavy reliance on the club's promising crop of youth players who all showed up extremely well in more experienced company.

The pitch at Glencruitten, which has been out of action for the past three weeks, was passed fit for play, however had the match been of a more serious nature it is doubtful whether the extremely wet but still frozen in places surface would have been given the nod.

Either through a desire not to subject the pitch to too much punishment or, more likely, to ensure he got to Aulay's Bar in time for the Old Firm kick off, Referee Peter MacCallum decided on two thirty five minute halves which, given the miserable weather conditions, everybody was happy to agree to.

After an even opening fifteen minutes the bibs, lead by Gaffer Alex Craik, were first to threaten when Lewis Campbell pounced on a slip by Willie Gemmell ten yards outside of the railway end penalty box. The youngster, a regular at the senior squad's training sessions, attempted to lob Graham 'Sugar' Douglas who was well positioned to make the catch.

At the other end the Gaffer showed all his experience to cut out a promising opening for Daniel McCuish who would be a major threat for the non bibs throughout the match.

Two of the other older heads in the bibs ranks combined to open the scoring in the twenty second minute. Keith Millar picked out Ross Maitland cutting into the box on the right. Taking one touch to control the cross the evergreen Ross tucked the ball past Graham Douglas and into the bottom corner to give the bibs the advantage.

The lead however was to last only three minutes when Daniel McCuish took full advantage of an unfortunate ricochet in the bibs penalty area. Lochgilphead Red Star keeper Ben Pollock's clearance hit Alex Craik on the back and landed at the feet of young McCuish who calmly walked the ball over the goal-line to restore parity.

A welcome sight for the Saints management team was the return of Kerr Newbigging making his first appearance since the D&K Lafferty Cup Tournament in July. Work commitments have kept the midfielder out of action so far this season but he gave a glimpse of what to expect in the new year with a powerful run and shot in the twenty seventh minute which cannoned off Sugar's crossbar. The loose ball fell to Lewis Campbell who was denied by a vital sliding block from David Smith at the expense of a corner kick which Jamie Graham headed clear at the front post.

Referee MacCallum controversially ruled out a thirty first minute Ross Maitland strike for offside, a decision which he would later balance up.

Kerr Newbigging's run from deep opened up another shooting chance in the thirty third minute. A one-two with Ross Maitland on the edge of the box took Newbigging in behind the non bibs defence but his shot slipped wide of Sugar's left hand post.

On the stroke of half-time a swift counter-attack from a successfully defended Ross Maitland corner saw Daniel McCuish race away on the left wing and place a lob on top of the bibs' crossbar with Myles McAuley managing only to send the rebound wide of target from the corner of the six yard box.

The heavy rain, the prelude to storm Dylan, continued to fall throughout the second half which started well for the bibs. Rhuaridh Horne, part of the Saints squad which lifted the Argyll & Bute Cup in Lochgilphead in August, made a terrific run on the right and fed Lewis Campbell on the edge of the box. The youngster was again denied by Graham Douglas who dived high to his right to palm away the shot. Inexplicably what looked like a routine clearance for David Smith somehow managed to end up in the back of the net to put the bibs back in front.

The bibs were stepping up the pressure with Ross Maitland coming agonisingly close to adding a third in the thirty ninth minute with a lob from thirty yards which cleared the crossbar by a matter of inches.

David Smith made amends for his earlier abhorration with an excellent sliding block to stop yet another goal bound effort from Lewis Campbell. Young Lewis refused to let his head drop and drew another fine save from Graham Douglas in the forty fifth minute with the Saints number one diving full length to his left to tip the youngster's effort around the post. From Ross Maitland's corner kick on the right Matthew Kelly's spectacular overhead kick flew well over Sugar's crossbar.

On another day Lewis Campbell might have bagged a hat-trick but it just wasn't to be for the youngster when, after dumping Jamie Graham on his backside with an excellent turn on the corner of the eighteen yard box, Graham Douglas once again got his angles spot on to deny him from close range.

Myles McAuley saw the non bibs first effort of the second half saved by Ben Pollock in the forty ninth minute before Graham Douglas yet again saved from Lewis Campbell.

Having withstood a period of sustained pressure the non bibs levelled the scores in the fifty first minute with another of the youngsters who featured in the Argyll & Bute Cup win providing the assist. Gavin Forgrieve, who also made his debut for the Scottish Youth Football Association Under 16's in 4 - 0 win over Scottish Youth Cup holders Spartans in Edinburgh last week, threaded a perfectly weighted through ball for Daniel McCuish who lifted a tidy finish over the head of Ben Pollock for his second goal of the match.

Three minutes later the turnaround was complete with the goal coming from an unlikely source. Myles McAuley, thriving in an unaccustomed advanced role, made a powerful run on the left and dispatched a shot from a tight angle which beat Ben Pollock at his near post.

Graham Douglas kept his side in the lead with fine saves from Matthew Kelly and, inevitably, Lewis Campbell before Ben Pollock replied in kind for the bibs denying Daniel McCuish a hat-trick and what would surely have been a winning goal.

With Referee MacCallum allowing a generous amount of stoppage time he even more generously awarded the bibs a last gasp penalty kick for an innocuous looking coming together between Graham Douglas and Ross Maitland. The wee man calmly sent Sugar in the wrong direction burying his spot kick in the bottom corner before Mr MacCallum blew the full-time whistle with honours even.

Although disappointed not to have more of his first team squad involved Manager Alex Craik will be pleased with the workout and delighted with the performance of the youngsters who were a credit to the club's youth set-up and continue to show great promise.