Winning In The Rain: Monster Away Trip

Saturday 3rd August 2019
Preseason Friendly
Inverness Athletic v Oban Saints
Inverness Royal Academy

Culduthel Road
Inverness
IV2 6RE

Kick Off 1.00pm

This Saturday Oban Saints make the scenic journey up the A82, along the shores of Loch Ness for some monster spotting and then on to the Capital of the Highlands where they will face Inverness Athletic of the North Caledonian League in a preseason friendly at Inverness Royal Academy.

Established in 2016 as the brainchild of now Club Chairman Sandy Stephen, Inverness Athletic were quickly accepted as members of the North Caledonian Football Association and admitted to the North Caledonian Football League for the start of the 2016-17 season.

The newly formed club played their first ever competitive match on the 3rd of September 2016 in a logistically challenging trip to Orkney which ended in a 2 - 0 victory for the home side. Initially setting up home at Inverarnie Park in Inverness, Athletic slipped to defeats against Invergordon and Tain based St Duthus before recording their first ever win in a 10 - 0 rout of Alness United.

Just three months into their debut season Athletic were forced to find a new home when use of the facilities at Inverarnie Park was suddenly and unexpectedly withdrawn. The search took them west of the Beauly Firth to Pavilion Park, Muir of Ord where they would remain until the end of the 2018-19 season.

The change of location did nothing to improve the fortunes of the fledgling club which ended it's first season second bottom of the eight team league ahead of wooden spoon winners Alness United on goal difference only.

With Manager Tommy Wilson, who had replaced Chris Darch midway through the previous campaign, still at the helm Athletic continued to struggle to adapt to the high standard of football in the North Caledonian League and once again finished in seventh place albeit with an improved points tally.

The high point of the season for Athletic came in the Jock Mackay Cup where a resounding semi-final win over St Duthus set up a first ever cup final appearance for the Inverness men. Alas there was to be no silverware for recently installed Caretaker Manager Shane Carling who saw his temporary charges go down fighting in a 3 - 1 final defeat to Invergordon. The Cromarty Firth men were themselves denied a league and cup double and back to back league titles by Orkney who topped the league table by a single point to take the title across the water for the first time ever.

Carling's reward for guiding Athletic to their first cup final was to be handed the Manager's job on a permanent basis where he continued the club's improvement with a fifth placed finish in their third season. Eight wins and one draw earned Athletic twenty five points, four more than the previous two seasons added together, which the Inverness men will hope to surpass in the 2019-20 season ahead.

Athletic kicked off their preseason fixtures last Thursday night at a sunny Bught Park against Nairn County's under 20's. In an open game Ryan Ingram opened the scoring for Athletic before a brace from Tyler Edie edged the Nairn youngsters ahead. Michal Zaleski levelled from the penalty spot before Ryan Ingram headed home a Ross Harrison cross to restore the Athletic lead. County failed to take advantage of the game's second penalty kick and were further punished when an Athletic trialist extended the lead still further. Glen Main pulled another goal back for County in the dying minutes but Athletic held on to get their preseason off to a good start.

Saturday's match will provide a good test for both sides as the build up to the new season continues. Athletic have one further friendly arranged against Inverness Clachnacuddin under 20's but will be looking for several more before they kick off their North Caledonian League campaign with a home match against Bunillidh Thistle on Saturday 7th September.

Saints will begin their new adventure in the Central Scottish Amateur Football League on Saturday 10th August in a fixture yet to be confirmed.

Inverness Athletic. Photograph kindly provided by Graeme Webster of GJW Sport Photography

While the Saints first team are pitting their wits against what promises to be a very useful Inverness Thistle side at Inverness Royal Academy, the club's second team, Oban Saints GG, will be entertaining the home faithful in the Argyll & Bute Cup.

The newly formed Oban Saints GG have agreed, at short notice, to take on the mantle of tournament hosts from Lochgilphead Red Star who have done a sterling job over the past four years.

Joining Argyll teams Oban Saints GG and Lochgilphead Red Star are last season's Caledonian League Division 1A winners Milngavie Wanderers and Kilmarnock side New Farm Loch who reached the Ayrshire Amateur Football Association Premier League for the first time in their short history when they clinched last season's First Division title.

The round robin tournament gets underway at 12 noon on the all weather surface at Oban High School when Oban Saints GG take on Lochgilphead Red Star in the first of six forty minute matches.

The action will switch between the High School and Glencruitten 2 with Referees Jimmy Litster and Martin Rae taking charge of proceedings.