Winning In The Rain: Saints Youngsters Down Port

The Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy

Saturday 6th April 2019
Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy
Second Round
Oban Saints 2 - 1 Port Glasgow

Glencruitten 2

Mossfield Avenue

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4EH

Kick Off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Jimmy Litster

An experimental Oban Saints side containing five teenagers was forced to dig deep to book their place in the Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy third draw at Glencruitten last Saturday. Going into the match opponents Port Glasgow were top of Premier Division One and among the favourites to win promotion to next season's Premier Division therefore the Saints starting eleven was met with some surprise by the home faithful.

After being second best for the first forty five minutes Saints turned things around in the second half and, despite failing to impress, did just enough to maintain their interest in the Scottish Amateur Football League's premier cup competition.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Captain Steven MacLeod, Kenneth Black and Dougal Graham. Willie Gemmell and Matt Rippon occupied the holding midfield roles with Aaron McKay, Fraser MacFarlane and David Beaton behind central striker Keir MacLean. By way of insurance, joining teenage striker Cammy Hill on the bench were more experienced quartet Donald Campbell, Daniel Croarkin, Matty Kelly and James Ford.

The visitors kicked off attacking the Mossfield end where Jamie McKay had an early chance from a Peter McNeil cross from the left. Fortunately for Saints the Port striker couldn't make the connection he was looking for and Graham Douglas gathered the cushioned volley safely to his right.

A tight offside decision against Fraser MacFarlane midway inside the Port half in the fourth minute gave central defender Kyle McGuigan a chance to launch a long ball into the Saints box. Captain for the day Steven MacLeod headed out towards the right touchline however Peter McNeil once again sent a tempting delivery into the box for Jamie McKay who fired a good chance wide of target.

Port were making all the early running and danger man McKay was sent sprawling just outside the Saints box by Steven MacLeod in the eighth minute. The Saints wall did it's job and deflected Michael Hepburn's free-kick behind for a corner kick. Dead ball specialist Hepburn trotted over to the corner flag from where he picked out Peter McNeil nine yards out for a header which looped wide of target.

Matt Rippon was robbed by Ciaran Murray in the twelfth minute with Rippon's attempted recovery penalised by Referee Jimmy Litster. Michael Hepburn's free-kick from twenty eight yards however lacked the power to test Graham Douglas who made an easy take to his right.

The Saints number one came to the rescue in the fourteenth minute standing up well at his near post to get a strong left hand to Paul Millar's close range shot after Peter McNeil had sent over another dangerous cross from the left.

A Paul Payne shove on Matt Rippon gave Saints a rare chance to get forward from a long Willie Gemmell free-kick. Port Skipper Thomas Wilson's attempted clearance fell to Dougal Graham who sent a difficult chance on the half volley spinning wide of the junction of post and crossbar.

The visitors took a deserved lead after twenty minutes when Paul Millar got in behind the static Saints defence and squared to Jamie McKay for a simple tap-in from seven yards.

Michael Hepburn curled a twenty second minute free-kick from the left wide of the junction of post and bar as the hard working visitors, who were first to every second ball, continued to hold the upper hand.

Rarely seen as an attacking force Saints mustered just their second attempt of a poor first half performance just before the half-time interval. Willie Gemmell sent a long diagonal free-kick into the Port box which Dougal Graham took down well setting up Keir MacLean for a strike on goal which the young striker unfortunately couldn't direct on target.

There was strong words from Co-Managers Donald Campbell and Willie Gemmell at the half-time team talk who promised wholesale second half changes if a marked improvement wasn't quickly forthcoming.

Port Glasgow looked to continue their domination and made a good start to the second half with Jamie McKay drawing an early save from Graham Douglas and an unmarked Michael Hepburn sending a shot from the edge of the box wide after a Dougal Graham clearing header.

The promised changes came after just five second half minutes when Donald Campbell, Daniel Croarkin, Cammy Hill and Matty Kelly came on to replace Kenneth Black, Fraser MacFarlane, Aaron McKay and Keir MacLean. Only James Ford remained on the bench as it was decided not to risk aggravating his niggling ankle injury.

Saints immediately began to pose more of a threat and a driving run from Matty Kelly at the heart of the Port defence earned a free-kick when Thomas Wilson chopped down Donald Campbell twenty two yards out. Willie Gemmell's search to rediscover his formerly deadly free-kick touch however continued in vain when his strike from twenty three yards struck the Port Glasgow wall.

Donald Campbell and Matty Kelly linked up well on the hour mark sending Daniel Croarkin in behind the Port defence with keeper Stephen Kangley having to come quickly off his line to smother the ball at Croarkin's feet.

Teenage striker Cammy Hill had his strike partner Donald Campbell howling in frustration in the sixty third minute when he elected to shoot from a tight angle after a good run through the inside right channel ignoring the potentially better option of a square pass.

Saints drew level in the sixty fifth minute when, after good work on the left, a Donald Campbell shot eluded the grasp of Stephen Kangley and was turned into his own net by the unfortunate Robert Payne when attempting the clear the ball off the goal line.

The home side at last had the bit between their teeth and had the visitors camped in their own penalty box with a succession of corner kicks which the Port defence did well to repel. Eventually the Saints pressure told and, from a sixty eighth minute throw-in on the left, Donald Campbell sent a cross into the box which David Beaton at the front post flicked on to Cammy Hill steaming in at the back post to crash a header beyond the helpless Stephen Kangley and give Saints the lead.

Hill almost doubled his tally straight from the restart squeezing a low shot the wrong side of Stephen Kangley's left hand upright after racing away from the Port defence and slotting beyond the advancing keeper.

Daniel Croarkin did well to break through on the right in the seventy ninth minute however Stephen Kangley once again read the situation well to come off his line and gather at Croarkin's feet.

Dougal Graham became the first name in Referee Litster's notebook for a late challenge on Jamie McKay in the eighty first minute. The Saints defence almost paid a heavy price for Graham's indiscretion when McKay's run to the near post wasn't tracked and he had a free header on the end of Michael Hepburn's free-kick which, fortunately for Saints, he couldn't direct on target.

McKay tried his luck with the dead ball in the eighty eighth minute after he had been felled by Steven MacLeod twenty eight yards from goal. The Port striker successfully curled the ball around the three man Saints wall but couldn't beat Graham Douglas who gathered cleanly low down to his left with Sean Kelly and Michael Hepburn waiting to pounce on any handling error.

Cammy Hill picked up the second and final caution of a game played in a good spirit for a push in the back on Thomas Wilson.

Daniel Croarkin's needless foul on Jamie McKay out by the corner flag in the ninetieth minute heaped more pressure on the Saints defence as the visitors pressed for a late equaliser. Croarkin however redeemed himself with clearing header from Michael Hepburn's free-kick.

The visitors had the ball in the Saints net in the ninety second minute however Mr Litster, who had a good game, was perfectly placed to spot Jamie McKay in an offside position.

Saints had a chance to make the tie safe in the ninety fifth minute when Cammy Hill raced through on the right on the end of a Donald Campbell pass but sent his low cross too far in front of the supporting Matty Kelly.

With the crowd beginning to wonder if Mr Litster had forgotten to put his watch forward last Sunday he eventually blew for full time on the ninety six minute mark after correctly ruling two Port players offside chasing a ball over the top from Michael Hepburn.

Saints reward for their narrow victory is a third round away tie against Motherwell Thistle on Saturday 20th April.

Next up for Saints is a trip to the Hope CBD Stadium, home of good friends Hamilton Academical, for the West of Scotland Cup semi-final against Scottish Amateur Cup holders Shortlees.