Winning In The Rain: Trophy Hopes Dashed

The Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy

Tuesday 21st May 2019
Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy
Semi-final
Goldenhill 2 - 2 Oban Saints
Goldenhill win 4 - 3 on penalties

Glasgow Green Football Centre
28 King's Drive

Glasgow
G40 1HB

Kick Off 8.00pm
Referee Mr Decio Espinha
Assistant Mr Derek Milton
Assistant Mr Jamie Andrews

Oban Saints hopes of ending their final season in the Scottish Amateur Football League with some silverware were dashed last Tuesday night at Glasgow Green. For the second time in six days the fixtures schedule handed Saints a midweek trip to Glasgow and once again there was disappointment for the Oban men.

The 8pm kick-off in the Jimmy Marshall Trophy Semi-final against last season's Scottish Amateur Cup runners-up Goldenhill produced four goals in the ninety minutes, including a controversial equaliser from the penalty spot for the Clydebank men, before Saints were edged out in the penalty shoot-out.

Saints welcomed back to the squad Scott Maitland, Cammy Hill and Keir MacLean who had all missed the previous week's league encounter with St Joseph's FP.

Graham Douglas took his customary place between the posts behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod, Captain Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland. Myles McAuley joined Matty Kelly in the holding midfield role behind James Ford, Lewis Cameron and Cammy Hill. Matt Rippon continued in his newly found centre forward's position while Daniel Croarkin, Willie Gemmell, Fraser MacFarlane, Aaron McKay and Keir MacLean occupied the substitutes bench.

Used substitutes:-
Fraser MacFarlane
Willie Gemmell

Unused substitutes:-
Daniel Croarkin
Aaron McKay
Keir MacLean

Saints were almost caught napping from Goldenhill's kick-off on the newly laid 4G surface. The ball was played quickly up to former Beith Juniors striker Ross McPherson on the edge of the box who turned smartly away from Dene Cassells and fired in a low shot which Graham Douglas did well to parry before Scott Maitland hacked the ball out for a throw-in.

Long throw specialist Kevin Maxwell came up from his central defensive role to take the throw from level with the six yard line which Graham Douglas collected at his near post.

Saints responded with a passing move up the left which saw Lewis Cameron find James Ford in the Goldenhill box however Ford, under pressure from Jack Bennett, couldn't make the contact he was looking for and Scott Rennie was able to gather comfortably.

Lewis Cameron and Scott Maitland linked up well again on the left in the eighth minute with the Goldenhill defence able to only partially clear Cameron's cross which Ruaridh Horne returned from the right for Cammy Hill to blast over from the eighteen yard line.

Jonny Dyer's electric pace on the Gowdie right was probably not what Scott Maitland would have chosen to face on his return from the chest infection which had laid him low the previous week. The speedy Goldenhill wide man raced away in the tenth minute and sent over a dangerous cross which Ross McPherson headed wide from the corner of the six yard box.

The woodwork denied Saints an opening goal in the fourteenth minute. The danger once again came from Lewis Cameron on the left with Cammy Hill getting underneath Cameron's cross and Matty Kelly deftly lobbing the ball over Scott Rennie from a tight angle onto the crossbar.

Goldenhill took full advantage of the let-off two minutes later with a ball over the top for James Gallagher to chase. Gallagher's pace took him away on the left and his low cross, fizzed along the six yard line, was tucked away by Jonny Dyer racing in at the back post to open the scoring.

The Clydebank men came close to doubling their advantage in the twenty third minute when Saints switched off at a throw-in after Graham Douglas had hooked a clearance out of the park. Goldenhill Skipper Tommy Martin gathered the throw and slipped in leading goalscorer James Gallagher who cracked a right foot shot off the outside of Graham Douglas' left hand post.

Myles McAuley thumped a shot from a Lewis Cameron left wing cross over the Goldenhill crossbar before another ball over the top for James Gallagher turned the Saints defence with Graham Douglas making a good save to deny the Goldenhill danger man.

Restored to the Goldenhill ranks after a spell with Drumchapel United PYM in the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Scott Rennie made the first of a number of good stops on the half hour mark pushing a Lewis Cameron shot over for a corner kick.

Two minutes later Rennie foiled Cameron once again after good work from Matt Rippon set up Cameron who fired off an early shot which Rennie pushed away diving full length to his left.

The goalkeepers continued to shine with Graham Douglas making a vital save with his feet to deny James Gallagher in the thirty third minute after another lightning quick break on the Goldenhill left.

Saints got back on level terms in the thirty sixth minute from a James Ford and Matt Rippon interchange on the right which Ford played into the path of up in support Matty Kelly to slot low past Scott Rennie.

Saints had the chance to get their noses in front two minutes later when Lewis Cameron flicked a Scott Maitland free-kick on for James Ford who shot straight at the keeper from sixteen yards.

Matty Kelly joined the attack again in the forty first minute but, after carrying the ball across the Goldenhill box couldn't get enough on his left foot shot to trouble Scott Rennie.

A mistimed challenge in the centre-circle on Jonny Dyer earned James Ford the first caution of the evening from Referee Decio Espinha.

Matty Kelly continued his rich vein of form with a second goal in the forty fourth minute. Timing his run from deep well Kelly met Lewis Cameron's cross from the left with inside of his right foot and passed the ball into the net past a static Scott Rennie. Kelly's strike takes his total for the season to eight, half of which have come in the past six weeks.

Saints ended the first half on the front foot with Matt Rippon, who lead the line well, winning a corner kick on the left. Lewis Cameron's delivery was plucked out of the air by Scott Rennie before Mr Espinha blew the half-time whistle.

In the first personnel change of the match Goldenhill introduced recent signing Steven Davies as a half-time replacement for goalscorer Jonny Dyer.

As Saints set about increasing their advantage in a good start to the second half Goldenhill keeper Scott Rennie stood up well at his near post to beat away a Lewis Cameron effort from the corner of the six yard box in the fiftieth minute.

Substitute Steven Davies left his mark on Matty Kelly with a late fifty third minute challenge just inside the Goldenhill half which earned him the game's second yellow card.

Saints conceded possession cheaply from a fifty eighth minute free-kick midway inside the Goldenhill half and were made to pay a heavy price. Once again Goldenhill broke with pace with James Gallagher tearing up the right wing. Racing back towards his own goal Ruaridh Horne slid in fractionally ahead of Ryan Deas at the back post and hooked Gallagher's low cross out for a throw-in before colliding with Deas just short of the goal-line. Somehow Mr Espinha, warming up for his appearance as an Assistant at the Scottish Amateur Cup Final, interpreted this as a foul and pointed to the penalty spot. To add insult to injury Horne was added to the list of cautions before Goldenhill's 2017-18 Player of the Year James Gallagher slammed the spot kick straight down the middle to level the scores.

Before the restart Robert Adens replaced Kevin Maxwell in the Goldenhill back three.

Former Petershill Juniors defender Chis Wilson joined the list of miscreants in the sixty fourth minute cynically taking out James Ford after the Saints wide man had skinned him on the outside.

Skipper Tommy Martin made way for Chris McGrath in Goldenhill's final change in the sixty fifth minute.

Matty Kelly was denied by the woodwork for a second time in the sixty seventh minute striking the bottom of Scott Rennie's left hand post with a left foot shot at the end of a flowing Saints move.

Saints came close again three minutes later when Matt Rippon and Cammy Hill tee'd up Myles McAuley arriving late in the box for a shot from close range which Scott Rennie did well to block.

Saints kept the pressure up with two corner kicks in quick succession the second of which Dene Cassells headed narrowly wide after beating Robert Adens at the back post.

James Ford was replaced by Fraser MacFarlane in the seventy third minute before Lewis Cameron made a driving run into the Goldenhill box. After evading three challenges Cameron looked set to pull the trigger but was foiled by an excellent sliding interception by Jack Bennett.

Goldenhill had the ball in the net with fifteen minutes remaining however Assistant Referee Derek Milton was well up with play to flag James Gallagher's header from a Ross McPherson right wing cross offside.

In an end to end closing quarter of an hour both sides had chances to seal victory with Saints coming closest when Matt Rippon crashed a shot off the crossbar and Scott Rennie made another fine save to deny Matty Kelly a hat-trick from the rebound.

At the other end Graham Douglas showed good reactions to save from James Gallagher at the end of another quick Goldenhill break.

With the threat of a penalty shoot-out looming Saints Co-Manager Willie Gemmell joined the action for the closing minutes sacrificing non penalty taker Myles McAuley.

Mr Espinha brought the ninety minutes to a close with the scores level at two goals each confirming the need for a penalty shoot-out to decide who would progress to the final.

There were a few raised eyebrows on the Saints bench when Steven MacLeod strode up to take the first penalty but they needn't have worried as the ever reliable central defender drilled his effort into the bottom corner beyond Scott Rennie's right hand.

Hoping for a repeat of James Gallagher's earlier straight down the middle approach Graham Douglas remained on his feet for Goldenhill's first penalty but Gallagher won the battle of minds by placing the ball neatly into the corner to level the scores.

Next for Saints was Matt Rippon who sent his low effort too close to Scott Rennie who dropped gratefully onto the ball to give give his side the edge.

Ross McPherson took full advantage placing his penalty in exactly the same spot as Gallagher to give Goldenhill an early advantage.

Young Cammy Hill kept a cool head to send Scott Rennie the wrong way before Graham Douglas levelled things up leaping to his right to stop a decent effort from Ryan Deas.

Lewis Cameron and Steven Davies were both on the mark to effectively put the shoot-out into sudden death.

So often Saints saviour from dead ball situations Willie Gemmell was unable to find the target on this occasion pulling his effort wide of Scott Rennie's right hand post. Referee Espinha ordered a retake however, bizarrely, then changed his mind.

Second half substitute Chris McGrath didn't want to hang about for the Referee to change his mind again and as soon as Gemmell's brief protestations had ended thumped the ball into the roof of the net to take his side through to the final and a local derby against arch rivals St Joseph's FP.

Saints were due to travel to face Motherwell Thistle on Saturday 25th May however the home side were unable to raise a team and were forced to cancel. The three remaining home fixtures against North Glasgow Colts, Goldenhill and Alba Thistle also appear unlikely to be fulfilled bringing the curtain down on Saints Scottish Amateur Football League era earlier than anticipated and leaving the Glencruitten faithful without a home league match to savour since 24th November.

The Saints management and players would like to express their gratitude to sponsors D&K Lafferty and Aulay's Bar and also to their loyal following for their support for their and encouragement throughout the season.

The players will now take a break before returning to action in the D&K Lafferty Cup tournament on Saturday 13th July.