Winning In The Rain: High Fives

Saturday 15th December 2018
The Scottish Amateur Football Association Challenge Cup Competition
Fourth Round
Oban Saints 5 - 1 East Kilbride Thistle
Glencruitten 2
Mossfield Avenue
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4EH
Kick off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Thomas Gilchrist

Ian 'Haybo' Hay may have relinquished control at Oban Camanachd but thankfully he hasn't given up his day job as Argyll & Bute Council's number one groundsman. Despite the torrential rain which battered down relentlessly all day the Glencruitten turf, painstakingly prepared by Haybo, stood up perfectly to the challenge of last Saturday's Scottish Amateur Cup fourth round tie between Oban Saints and East Kilbride Thistle avoiding any chance of a repeat of the previous two cancellations in East Kilbride.

With the tie now reversed to Oban it provided an unexpected treat for the hardy band of loyal supporters who had escaped the delights of Christmas shopping to cheer on their favourites in the pouring rain and ice cold wind. A five star performance from Saints in very testing conditions booked a fifth round trip to Rothienorman, deep in the Aberdeenshire countryside, to face Rothie Rovers of the Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Premier Division, the most northerly club left in the competition on 5th January. Five goals from five different scorers allowed Saints Management duo of Donald Campbell and Willie Campbell the luxury of giving all five substitutes a run in the club's final match before the Christmas and New Year break.

Saints lined-up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod, Captain Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland. Willie Gemmell replaced the suspended Kerr Newbigging to partner Daniel Croarkin in the holding midfield roles. Up front Donald Campbell lead the line in front of James Ford, Lewis Cameron and Craig MacEwan. Making up a strong substitutes bench were David Beaton, Dougal Graham, Jamie Graham, Matthew Kelly and Fraser MacFarlane.

Oban Saints starting line-up:-

Used substitutes:-

David Beaton
Dougal Graham
Jamie Graham
Matthew Kelly

Fraser MacFarlane

After two weeks of inactivity Saints were desperate to bounce back from defeat against Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division title rivals St Joseph's FP in their last outing and came flying out of the traps with Donald Campbell forcing Thistle keeper Daniel Connelly into a smart save low down to his right inside the first minute.

Barely sixty seconds later, after being played in by Craig MacEwan, Campbell successfully beat the keeper however his effort from a tight angle on the left of the eighteen yard box slipped agonisingly wide of the far post.

A cheaply conceded free-kick twenty two yards from goal gave the Saints defence their first test which they passed conceding the first corner kick of the match in the fourth minute. Graham Douglas in the Saints goal showed good handling to hold Jordan Conner's in-swinger from the left directly under his crossbar.

Saints continued to threaten with Craig MacEwan flashing a left foot shot inches wide of Daniel Connelly's right hand post and Sean Maclean clearing a deflected Lewis Cameron corner kick off the Thistle goal line.

The pressure from the home side eventually paid off in the eighteenth minute when young full back Ruaridh Horne showed Calum Robertson a clean pair of heels on the Saints right. Hugging the touchline, Horne reached the byeline and sent a cutback into the six yard box where Lewis Cameron, with his back to goal, sent a neat flick past the helpless keeper.

Having got their noses in front Saints were almost pegged back in the twentieth minute when Sean Cullen robbed Dene Cassells on the Saints byeline and took aim for the near post where Graham Douglas was able to shovel behind for a corner kick.

Jordan Conner's delivery from the corner flag was once again right on top of Douglas who this time punched clear.

Willie Gemmell came close to notching a birthday goal when he sent a diving header from a twenty second minute Lewis Cameron right wing corner a fraction wide of the near post.

Daniel Croarkin picked up the first yellow card of the afternoon for a late challenge on Jordan Conner in the twenty third minute and was joined in the book sixty seconds later when Craig Livingstone exacted some retribution on the Saints midfielder.

Sean Cullen continued to make a nuisance of himself wherever possible and caught out Steven MacLeod and Ruaridh Horne in the twenty eighth minute. Horne recovered just in time to get the slightest touch on Cullen's attempted lob and send it spinning onto the top of the Saints crossbar with Graham Douglas left clawing at thin air.

On the half hour mark Dene Cassells joined the attack for a Lewis Cameron free-kick which picked out the Skipper's back post run perfectly. Unfortunately Cassells couldn't find the finish to match his run and glanced his header wide of Daniel Connelly's left hand post.

Daniel Croarkin followed suit two minutes later peeling off to head a Lewis Cameron corner kick wide of the same post as Saints continued their pursuit of a second goal.

The home side didn't have too much longer to wait with the advantage being doubled in the thirty seventh minute when Craig MacEwan got on the end of a Willie Gemmell defence splitting pass and curled a delightful right foot finish across the keeper and just inside the far post.

The lead was halved just two minutes later when David Wilson was allowed to carry the ball unchallenged along the edge of the Saints box and curl a left foot shot past the unsighted Graham Douglas.

The goal gave the visitors from the Strathclyde Saturday Morning Amateur Football League Premier Division a major confidence boost as they enjoyed their best spell of the match in the time leading up to Referee Thomas Gilchrist's half-time whistle.

Thistle looked to set to maintain their new found vigour attacking straight from the restart where Dene Cassells was happy to see Sean Cullen carry the ball behind from a promising situation. Saints however delivered a sucker punch to stretch their advantage and regain the initiative.

From the goal kick Saints worked the ball out from the back and Scott Maitland threaded a pass to Lewis Cameron who spun in behind the visitor's high defensive line and raced through on goal. Daniel Connelly came off his line and got his feet to the ball which sent Cameron away from goal but still with the ball in his possession. With the keeper in no man's land Cameron rolled the ball to Donald Campbell on the corner of the eighteen yard box who calmly passed the ball into the unguarded net for Saints third goal.

Matthew Kelly continued his injury recuperation with a fifty fifth minute appearance at the expense of Daniel Croarkin who was just one mistimed challenge away from a second yellow card.

Saints once again failed to hit the target with a header when Dene Cassells made a good run across the face of goal to send a stooping header from a fifty sixth minute Lewis Cameron left wing corner kick wide of Daniel Connelly's right hand post.

With the deficit still at two the visitors who never gave up maintained some hope of getting back into the match and Jordan Conner forced Graham Douglas into a save after a good Thistle move through the middle.

Those hopes were extinguished however on the hour mark when Scott Maitland linked up well with Matthew Kelly and Craig MacEwan to get in behind the Jags defence on the left and fire a low shot across the keeper and into the far corner to open his goal scoring account for the season.

An ankle knock ended Reece Bryce's involvement with Peter Carr coming on as a sixty third minute replacement before Thistle struck the woodwork for a second time when Jack Irvine sent a dipping effort from twenty yards onto the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.

Saints made a further two changes in the sixty fifth minute replacing Willie Gemmell and James Ford, who had a quiet game by his usual standards, with David Beaton and Fraser MacFarlane.

Saints passed up yet another headed opportunity in the sixty seventh minute with Craig MacEwan this time the culprit sending header from a Lewis Cameron free-kick wide of target.

With twenty minutes remaining Jags striker Sean Cullen, who in the most part had been kept in check by Saints central defensive pair Dene Cassells and Steven MacLeod, made way for the fresh legs of Barry McMullan. This was also the cue for Saints to make their final changes with good shifts from full backs Ruaridh Horne and Scott Maitland being rewarded with the chance to get to the showers early. Brothers Jamie and Dougal Graham came on as replacements at right and left back respectively.

Lewis Cameron stung the palms of Daniel Connelly with a free kick on seventy four minutes which the big keeper couldn't hold and had to rely on Skipper Calum Campbell to thump clear ahead of Craig MacEwan.

The visitors kept plugging away and won a free kick twenty five yards from goal in the seventy fifth minute. Goal scorer David Wilson took responsibility for the set-piece but failed to add to his tally curling his effort well over the crossbar.

Saints rounded off the scoring in the eightieth minute when a well weighted pass from David Beaton sent Craig MacEwan scampering through the inside left channel. MacEwan rounded the advancing keeper and from an acute angle rolled the ball to the far post presenting Fraser MacFarlane with a tap-in.

The time remaining on the watch of Referee Gilchrist, who had an excellent game, was played out with little incident with players and supporters alike happy to hear the final whistle and finally escape the elements.

The Scottish amateur football scene now takes a two week break for Christmas and New Year with Saints still going strong in all competitions. However, with three important cup ties to look forward to in January, the Saints Management duo of Donald Campbell and Willie Gemmell won't be resting on their laurels and will be looking at ways of keeping their charges ticking over for a flying start on the 5th of January.

The club would like to take this opportunity to thank their fans and sponsors for their support throughout the year and to wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.