Winning In The Rain: D&K Cup 2019 Preview

The 26th annual Oban Saints preseason tournament takes place this Saturday at Mossfield Stadium and Oban Lorne Rugby Club where once again the enduring popularity of the event is exhibited in the top class participants the tournament continues to attract. Three of this years visitors, Alloa Athletic, Dundee United and Hamilton Acadmical are long term supporters of the tournament and boast eleven tournament wins between them. St Anthony's, who made their tournament debut last year, are joined in making a second appearance by South Lochaber Thistle who come in as late replacements for four time previous winners Heart of Midlothian. The familiar tournament format remains unchanged with the teams playing each other once in matches lasting thirty minutes.

Despite the competition being principally designed to aid in the building of preseason fitness it is keenly contested and victory is greeted with as much celebration as any other trophy win. The tournament has been blessed with some excellent weather over the years and that certainly looks to be the case this year. The anticipated dry conditions with some sunshine and temperatures in the mid teens should make for perfect conditions for players and spectators alike. Whatever the weather the anticipated large crowd is sure to be entertained to a feast of quality football.

Saints are delighted that shirt sponsor D&K Lafferty Contractors have agreed to sponsor the club's flagship event for the seventh consecutive year. D&K Lafferty are fantastic supporters of local sport and everybody connected with Oban Saints is pleased to see them rewarded with the wide exposure that sponsorship of this prestigious tournament can offer.

Kick off 11am

Mossfield - Oban Saints v South Lochaber Thistle
Glencruitten - Alloa Athletic v St Anthony's

Kick off 11.40am

Mossfield - St Anthony's v Hamilton Academical
Glencruitten - Alloa Athletic v Dundee United

Kick off 12.20pm

Mossfield - Dundee United v South Lochaber Thistle
Glencruitten - Oban Saints v Hamilton Academical

Kick off 1pm

Mossfield - Dundee United v St Anthony's
Glencruitten - South Lochaber Thistle v Hamilton Academical

Kick off 1.40pm

Mossfield - Oban Saints v Alloa Athletic
Glencruitten - St Anthony's v South Lochaber Thistle

Kick off 2.20pm

Mossfield - Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic
Glencruitten - Dundee United v Oban Saints

Kick off 3pm

Mossfield - St Anthony's v Oban Saints
Glencruitten - Alloa Athletic v South Lochaber Thistle

Kick off 3.40pm

Mossfield - Hamilton Accies v Dundee United

Making a welcome return after having to withdraw from last years tournament are regular visitors Alloa Athletic. The three time winners, who this week appointed Celtic legend Peter Grant to the managerial post recently vacated by Jim Goodwin, will once again be represented by their reserve team. The young Wasps second string, which this season will play in the Scottish Professional Football League Reserve League 2, will be led on the day by reserve team coach Mark McAuley. Joining the Wasps for the coming season in the second tier of reserve league set-up are Airdrieonians, Albion Rovers, Ayr United, BSC Glasgow, East Kilbride, East Stirlingshire, Livingston and Queen's Park. With no first team fixture scheduled for Saturday the Wasps travelling faithful will relish the opportunity of a return to Oban to cheer on the second string.

Paul Carmichael and Alloa Athletic central defender Ivan Bengono in action in the 2017 tournament

Holders Dundee United have four wins from their thirteen previous tournament appearances and carrying United's hopes of retaining the trophy are their youthful reserve side. United will be led by Reserve Team Manager Craig Easton and his assistant Scott Robertson. Easton returned to Tannadice, where he made 259 first team appearances, in June 2018 following a successful spell in charge of the Development League side at Raith Rovers. Back-to-back Development League East titles at Stark's Park brought the United youth set-up graduate onto the radar of his first professional club. In an interview for Dundee United's website ahead of last year's trip to Oban Easton said "I am looking forward to it and the lads are looking forward to it. They have been back in training for almost two weeks and this will give them an opportunity to test themselves in games against good opposition. The format means they will play in high intensity short matches throughout the day over a five hour period. It is ideal and will help prepare them for the season ahead. We will be travelling up on Friday and staying overnight to prepare properly and I thank the Dundee United Youth Development Board for organising the stay"

Craig Easton pictured at the 2018 tournament

Four time previous winners Hamilton Academical make their sixteenth consecutive appearance at the tournament and have entrusted their bid for a fifth tournament win in seven years to their Under 20's/Under 18's squad. Speaking in this week's Oban Times Accies coach Dougie Imrie said "It's a great tournament as you can field five different teams if you want and it's good for using different tactics and of course ideal for match fitness. The Accies first team are in Betfred Cup action against Queens Park at New Douglas Park however the D&K Cup Tournament is always a big favourite with the Accies faithful travelling support and hopefully a good number of the tournament regulars will be in attendance where their humorous and vociferous encouragement for their team has become a regular feature of the day's proceedings.

Player of the 2017 tournament Lewis Ferguson receives his trophy from Councillor Jim Lynch

Returning for a second tournament appearance are well known and respected semi-professional outfit St Anthony's. The Ants were founded in Govan in 1904 and, after gaining Junior status in 1905, quickly became a major force in the semi-professional ranks reaching their zenith between the first and second world wars. Four Scottish Junior League Championships, including three in a row between the 1918-19 and 1920-21 seasons, were joined in the Ants' trophy cabinet by the West of Scotland Junior Cup, the Glasgow Junior Cup and numerous other trophies during a remarkable purple patch. Only the much coveted Scottish Junior Cup escaped their clutches during this period losing the 1918-19 and 1924-25 finals to Rutherglen Glencairn and Saltcoats Victoria respectively with the latter requiring two replays to separate the sides.

The resumption of football after the second world war saw the Ants gain more honours without managing to reach the heights of their formative years. A series of set backs off the field, starting with a German bomb razing their pavilion to the ground in 1941, eventually left the Ants homeless and at their lowest ebb. However their fortunes took a turn for the better in 2003 when they found a new home off Shieldhall Road in Cardonald promptly named McKenna Park. The move to McKenna Park coincided with the lifting of the Ants last significant piece of silverware when they secured the 2002-03 Scottish Junior Football Association West Region Central District Division Two title. A thirteen season spell in Division One followed eventually coming to an end in May 2016 when they joined Carluke Rovers and Dunipace Juniors in dropping into Division Two.

Often wrongly credited with being the inspiration for Celtic's famous green and white hoops the Ants have in fact provided the Glasgow giants with sixty one players over the years the most famous of which being Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Evans. Centre half Evans was transferred from the Ants to Celtic in 1944 and went on to Captain the Parkhead club making a total of 535 appearances along the way. Evans also won forty eight caps for Scotland and Captained his country on twelve occasions.

If you would like to find out more about the history of St Anthony's head over to the excellent http://www.antshistory.moonfruit.com/ website.

Going into his second season in charge Ants Manager John Kelly has been busy strengthening his squad for a bid to improve upon last season's eighth placed League Two finish. Drawing heavily on his extensive knowledge of the junior and amateur football scenes in the Paisley area Kelly has recruited much travelled midfielder Jonny McKay and former Renfrew Juniors striker Gary McCarroch. The sudden and unexpected demise of Oban Saints former Scottish Amateur Football League rivals Alba Thistle saw Ants Manager Kelly quick to pounce and secure the signatures of striker Martin Sinclair and left back Connor Milne.

Veteran Saints defender Alex Craik slides in on Ants striker John Ball

Oban Saints good friends South Lochaber Thistle return for a second tournament appearance deputising for four time winners Heart of Midlothian who are unable to attend. The Kinlochleven men enjoyed an excellent 2018-19 season culminating in a thrilling last day of the season victory over title rivals Helensburgh to secure the Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League Division Two crown. With both sides having already clinched promotion to Division One Thistle had only to avoid defeat against visitors Helensburgh at Lochaber High School on Saturday 1st June to be crowned champions whereas Burgh knew only a win would do for them.

Helensburgh came into the fixture on the back of an incredible fourteen match winning streak including a 3 - 2 win over Thistle at Hermitage Academy on 8th May. The hosts however were also in impressive form having recorded four thumping away victories in a row before setting up the title decider with Helensburgh courtesy of a 2 - 0 home win over old rivals Newshot.

It was Thistle who struck first through veteran striker Danny Mackintosh who beat Burgh keeper Paul Cavanna from a narrow angle after twenty minutes to settle the host's early nerves.

The visitors got back on level terms before the interval when David Sinclair headed a long David Wilkie throw-in past evergreen Thistle goalkeeper David Dunlop.

A share of the points was of no use to Helensburgh and they came out all guns blazing in the second half. As the hosts committed more and more men forward they were caught out on the break with a long ball over the top which man of the match Andrew Maclean latched onto and smashed past Paul Cavanna to seal victory.

South Lochaber Thistle Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League Division Two Champions 2018-19

The 2018 - 19 campaign saw new Co-Managers Donald Campbell and Willie Gemmell take the reins from Alex Craik who stood down after three years in charge. Veteran defender Jamie Graham joined Peter MacCallum on the coaching team while David Buchanan continued in his administrative role as Secretary, Treasurer and just about everything else.

Campbell and Gemmell built on the sterling work of predecessors Iain Jackson and Alex Craik and lead Saints to the club's first ever major cup final on Friday 3rd May. After a pulsating ninety minutes where six goals were shared Saints and opponents Bannockburn couldn't be separated and an additional thirty minutes was signalled by Referee Ross Holms. Unfortunately for Saints they conceded a sloppy fourth goal early in extra-time giving their more experienced opponents a lead which they never looked like losing. Two further breakaway goals for Bannockburn finally ended Saints hopes of a first ever major cup success and confirmed a fifth West of Scotland Cup win for 'Burn.

Despite the disappointment of losing out to Bannockburn the Saints Management duo still had silverware in their sights in the Scottish Amateur Football League however lady luck was also to desert them on that front. The final destination of the Premier Division trophy was decided in highly controversial circumstances at Clydebank High School on a sunny Wednesday evening where a share of the points with a depleted Saints was enough for St Joseph's FP to reclaim the league title from local rivals Goldenhill. A hotly disputed late Craig Cameron headed goal levelled the scores at 3 - 3 giving St Joe's an unassailable lead at the top of the table and consigning Saints to the runners-up spot.

There was similar heartbreak for Saints in the Jimmy Marshall Trophy where a semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat to eventual cup winners Goldenhill saw Saints end their forty three year membership of the Scottish Amateur Football League trophyless.

The 2019-20 season sees the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Saints with the addition of a second team, which will compete in Division 3 of the Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League, and the first team's move to the Central Scottish Amateur Football League where they have been drawn in what promises to be a highly competitive Division 1B.

The Oban Saints starting eleven for the West of Scotland Amateur Cup Final against Bannockburn. Also pictured are mascots Jack Cassells and Donald Campbell