Winning In The Rain: Roll On Next Week

Saturday 21st April 2018
Scottish Amateur Football League
Premier Division
East Kilbride Rolls Royce 0 - 3 Oban Saints
Kirktonholme Recreation Area
Kirkton Gate
West Mains Road
East Kilbride
G74 1NF
Kick off 1.15pm
Referee Mr Decio Espinha

Oban Saints starting line-up against East Kilbride Rolls Royce:-

Used substitute:-

Fraser MacFarlane

A rare goal from Player Manager Alex Craik sent Saints on their way to a three goal Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division victory over East Kilbride Rolls Royce last Saturday. Standing in at left-back for the unwell Scott Maitland, the Gaffer's first half header from a Willie Gemmell throw-in gave Saints a deserved first half lead in the sunshine at Kirktonholme Recreation Area, East Kilbride before second half goals from Donald Campbell and Willie Gemmell sealed the three points for the visitors.

With Matthew Kelly, Scott Maitland and Kerr Newbigging unavailable, match day twenty six brought starting line-up number twenty six and the burning question now is can Saints go through an entire season without naming the same starting line-up twice?

The Gaffer took Scott Maitland's left-back berth joining Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod and Paul Carmichael in the back four in front of keeper Graham Douglas. Willie Gemmell anchored the midfield three flanked by Myles McAuley and Captain Donald Campbell. Up front were Craig MacEwan, Shaun MacIver and James Ford. On the extremely sparsely populated substitutes bench was Fraser MacFarlane itching to make his first appearance since rejoining the club from Lochgilphead Red Star.

Since the two old rivals last met three months ago in a Scottish Amateur Cup fifth round tie, hosts East Kilbride Rolls Royce have undergone a major personnel change with only five of their sixteen man squad surviving to face Saints in the first of back to back league fixtures.

The hosts kicked off attacking the pavilion end on a tight, bumpy grass surface which would make passing football difficult for both teams. The narrow park gave the long throw of Willie Gemmell an added potency which Paul Carmichael was inches away from connecting with in the fifth minute.

Operating on the right of the front three, James Ford's direct running was posing one or two problems for the Rolly defence in the early exchanges. A surging ninth minute Ford run, ended unfairly by Keiron Miller, gave Willie Gemmell a chance to put the ball in the danger area with his deadly right foot. Gemmell's delivery was met by a spectacular overhead effort from Shaun MacIver which was blocked by the chest of Ross Moore on the six yard line.

MacIver succeeded in finding a way past the Rolly defence sixty seconds later tucking the ball past keeper Connor Flannagan only to be ruled offside by Referee Decio Espinha.

Donald Campbell collected a thirteenth minute Ruaridh Horne throw-in from the right and sent a diagonal ball up to Craig MacEwan on the edge of the Rolly box. Unable to find a way through, MacEwan retained possession and worked the ball across to Myles McAuley whose clipped cross onto the six yard line was headed narrowly wide by James Ford.

Ford tried again in the fourteenth minute this time sending a drive from twenty two yards over the Rolly crossbar.

Two minutes later good work on the left by Craig MacEwan set up Shaun MacIver for a shot from eighteen yards which Connor Flannagan, at full stretch, did well to finger tip around his left hand post.

Another Willie Gemmell long throw caused panic in the Rolly box in the eighteenth minute with Keiron Miller eventually forcing the ball clear after a stramash on the six yard line.

Saints eventually capitalised on the threat from Gemmell's long throw in the twenty sixth minute after Ross Moore had cut out a Donald Campbell through ball looking for Craig MacEwan. Alex Craik beat Moore in the air to help Gemmell's throw out of the reach of Connor Flannagan and into the postage stamp corner to give Saints the lead.

Gemmell and Craik combined again in the twenty ninth minute this time to set up Donald Campbell for a shot from the corner of the box which Connor Flannagan did well to push over his crossbar. From the resulting corner kick Paul Carmichael was inches away from connecting with Willie Gemmell's in-swinger from the left.

A failure to gamble at the back post cost Saints a two goal half-time cushion as Alex Craik flicked on another Gemmell throw across the face of goal with, much to the frustration of the Gaffer, no takers in Navy for what would have been a simple tap-in.

The half-time interval arrived with Saints good value for their single goal advantage and looking solid at the back in snuffing out the home side's threat on the break.

The home side showed more adventure at the beginning of the second half but it was Saints who continued to carry more of an attacking threat.

In the forty seventh minute good work on the left by Craig MacEwan sent Shaun MacIver in behind the Rolly defence with Connor Flannagan reacting quickly to come off his line and block MacIver's shot.

A flowing Saints move from the back started by Paul Carmichael saw Myles McAuley win a fiftieth minute corner on the left. Willie Gemmell's head height delivery picked out Craig MacEwan's near post run perfectly with MacEwan's glancing header being headed off the goal-line by Greig Kinnaird guarding the far post.

An exquisite touch and turn from James Ford from an Alex Craik ball out from the back opened up space for a shot from eighteen yards which flew inches wide of Connor Flannagan's left hand post.

A nervy spell from Saints around the hour mark gave the home side some encouragement however the Saints defence regained it's composure to repel the danger from a string of Rolly corner kicks. A swift Saints counter attack from a Rolly corner kick headed clear by Paul Carmichael saw James Ford beat the advancing Connor Flannagan on the corner of the six yard box before sending his low finish agonisingly the wrong side of the post and into the side netting.

Saints doubled their advantage in the sixty ninth minute when Donald Campbell rounded off an excellent move through the middle involving Craig MacEwan, Myles McAuley and Shaun MacIver. The Skipper's cool finish from twelve yards was a just reward for an influential performance in the middle of the park.

Gaffer Alex Craik made his only change with twenty minutes remaining when Fraser MacFarlane replaced Shaun MacIver in attack.

Campbell came within a matter of inches of adding a third in the seventy seventh minute curling a delicious effort just wide of Flannagan's left hand post after good work by Craig MacEwan and James Ford.

The Rolly gave a late run-out to their extremely youthful four man bench with the youngsters all set to play a big part for the club for the remainder of the season.

Saints substitute was denied a goal on his return to the side when his seventy ninth minute effort was blocked by Connor Flannagan with James Ford prevented from reaching the loose ball by the young substitute Kerr Sanderson.

It was Flannagan to the rescue again sixty seconds later when the Rolly keeper stood up well at his near post to parry away Craig MacEwan's left foot shot from the corner of the six yard box.

At the other end a long range effort from Rolly striker James Banks was easily dealt with by Graham Douglas who had a reasonably comfortable afternoon in the Saints goal.

With five minutes of the ninety remaining Craig MacEwan was sent sprawling in the Rolly box however Mr Espinha, who was well up with play, ruled that the offence had occurred outside of the box and awarded Saints a free-kick in perfect Willie Gemmell territory.

The Saints dead ball expert didn't disappoint curling the ball around the five man Rolly wall and inside the post agonisingly out of reach for Connor Flannagan who did well to get close to Gemmell's perfectly placed free-kick.

Gemmell came within inches of a fourth for Saints in the eighty eighth minute sending a Donald Campbell lay-off wide of Flannagan's left hand post after a good work on the right from Ruaridh Horne and Fraser MacFarlane.

Mr Espinha, who handled proceedings well, brought an entertaining encounter to an end after three added minutes with the three points going to Saints who now leapfrog the Rolly into sixth place in the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division table.

The pair will meet again in the reverse fixture at Glencruitten this Saturday.