Winning In The Rain: Four Shades Of Grey

Saturday 14th September 2019
Central Scottish Amateur Football League
Division 1B
Oban Saints 4 - 0 Cambusnethan Talbot

Glencruitten 2

Mossfield Avenue

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4EH

Kick Off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Kevin O'Neil

A hat-trick from Lewis Cameron and a further strike from leading goal scorer Craig MacEwan helped maintain Oban Saints 100% record at the top of the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Division 1B at a rain soaked Glencruitten last Saturday.

Resplendent in their new grey and black strips, kindly supplied by principal sponsors D&K Lafferty Contractors, Saints were made to work hard for the points against a battling Cambusnethan Talbot side still in search of their first league victory of the season.

Saints Management duo of Donald Campbell and Willie Gemmell made four changes to the starting lineup from the previous week's win away at Bridgewater. In came Paul Carmichael, Kerr Newbigging, Lewis Cameron and Cammy Hill for Steven MacLeod, Myles McAuley and Matt Rippon, who all dropped to the bench, and James Ford who was unavailable for selection. Completing another strong bench were Donald Campbell and teenager Gavin Forgrieve.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Paul Carmichael, Captain Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland. Kerr Newbigging got the nod to partner Matty Kelly in the holding midfield role behind the more advanced triumvirate of David Beaton, Lewis Cameron and Craig MacEwan. Spearheading the attack was Cammy Hill.

Oban Saints starting lineup:-

Used substitutes:-
Steven MacLeod
Donald Campbell
Myles McAuley
Matt Rippon
Gavin Forgrieve

Prior to kick-off Referee Kevin O'Neill led both sets of players and officials in a silence of remembrance for former Saints player and manager Henrik Madej who sadly passed away during the week.

Graham Douglas' new luminous green goalkeeper's outfit left the opposition in no doubt as to where the target was and an audacious first minute lob from Ryan Boyle was inches away from forcing the Saints number one into early action.

Cambusnethan kept up their good start and only a good covering run by Scott Maitland prevented Frazer Kirkland from reaching an inviting ball over the top in the third minute.

Visiting keeper David Thomson made the first of a string of good saves to deny Lewis Cameron in the fourth minute before punching clear the resulting corner kick from the Saints left.

Timely interceptions from Talbot skipper Paul O'Kane and Gary Miller prevented Matty Kelly and David Beaton from getting on the end of Lewis Cameron crosses before Cammy Hill made a solid connection at the back post only to find David Thomson well positioned to make a clean catch.

Graham Douglas showed similarly safe hands at the other end to clutch a tenth minute Christopher McLennaghan free-kick as the even opening exchanges continued.

Lewis Cameron had a shot blocked behind for a seventeenth minute corner kick which the Talbot defence could only partially clear allowing Craig MacEwan a shooting opportunity which curled wide of the postage stamp corner.

The deadlock was broken in the twentieth minute when Lewis Cameron regained the scoring touch from the penalty spot which had recently deserted him. Cammy Hill's galloping run up the right touchline found David Beaton inside the box where the diminutive wide man had the legs whipped away from him giving Referee Kevin O'Neil an easy decision to make.

Craig MacEwan gathered in a twenty third minute Scott Maitland left wing cross before laying the ball off to Matty Kelly for a low twenty yard shot just wide of David Thomson's left hand post.

The visitors forced a twenty eighth minute corner kick which Paul Carmichael headed out towards the touchline under pressure from Paul O'Kane. The pair's tussle continued after the ball had rolled out for a throw-in and Referee O'Neil rewarded both with a yellow card.

David Thomson produced a fine save diving full length to his right to tip a thirty second minute Cammy Hill shot behind for a corner kick which Lewis Cameron smacked off the near post.

Sixty seconds later Cammy Hill's well weighted ball through the inside left channel was seized on by David Beaton who was denied a shooting chance by a perfectly timed sliding interception by Paul Costello.

David Thomson continued his heroics in the Talbot goal with another fine save from Lewis Cameron in the thirty seventh minute.

After climbing well to win a header the subsequent fall on his head didn't quite provide the soft landing for Ruaridh Horne that many onlookers had speculated on and, despite a brief groggy return to the action, the young fullback would fail to reappear after the half-time interval.

A diving header well wide of target from Ian Caulfield saw the first half action come to a close as the rain which had stayed away for most of the opening period turned heavier and had the crowd scurrying for the shelter of the trees on the hostel side.

Steven MacLeod replaced the out of sorts Ruaridh Horne for the start of the second half which saw Saints come flying out of traps. Cammy Hill and Lewis Cameron combined to set up David Beaton for a shot from eighteen yards which David Thomson did well to push behind for a corner kick.

It was Thomson to the rescue again from another sweeping Saints move on the left denying firstly Scott Maitland and then Craig MacEwan before Matty Kelly finally hooked the loose ball over the crossbar.

The visitors made the first of their changes in the fifty first minute sending on Douglas Bell to replace Aaron Gray.

Saints storming start to the second half petered out and Cambusnethan came close to an equaliser when Scott Bannatyne dispossessed Dene Cassells deep inside the Saints half only to send his cross from the right too close to Graham Douglas.

The brief panic in an otherwise steady performance from the Saints defence continued when Scott Maitland was robbed trying to usher the ball behind for a goal kick requiring a last ditch sliding challenge from Steven MacLeod inside the six yard box to clear the danger.

Kerr Newbigging made way for Myles McAuley just before the half hour mark with McAuley soon on the wrong end of a trip in the centre circle which earned Cambusnethan substitute Douglas Bell a yellow card.

The visitors picked up a third caution when Gary Miller's late lunge on Cammy Hill brought a promising Saints counter-attack to a premature end.

A further Saints change followed in the sixty seventh minute which paid instant dividends for the home side. David Beaton was withdrawn in favour of Donald Campbell who linked up with Lewis Cameron to feed Craig MacEwan on the left. MacEwan's cross evaded keeper David Thomson who would have been impressed with the agility shown by Paul Costello to fingertip Cammy Hill's net bound cushioned volley over the crossbar. Less impressed with Costello's innovative intervention was Referee O'Neil who sent the big defender packing. Lewis Cameron made no mistake with his second penalty kick of the afternoon to double Saints lead.

More inventive work from Donald Campbell and Lewis Cameron saw Cameron unselfishly pick out the supporting run of Craig MacEwan who calmly slotted the ball past the hopelessly exposed Cambusnethan keeper to put the game well beyond the reach of the ten men.

Keith Hogg replaced Frazer Kirkland as the visitors made their second change before the restart.

Lewis Cameron missed the chance to seal his hat-trick in the seventy fifth minute heading a cross from Central Scottish Amateur Football League Select colleague Matty Kelly wide of target.

Donald Campbell followed suit two minutes later getting underneath a Lewis Cameron corner kick from the left to head the ball high over the crossbar.

Saints made a double substitution with ten minutes remaining replacing Cammy Hill and Matty Kelly with Matt Rippon and Gavin Forgrieve.

Both substitutes were quickly into the action and only the outstretched right leg of Cambusnethan keeper David Thomson prevented Matt Rippon from adding to the scoring when played in by Donald Campbell.

Referee Kevin O'Neil, who had a good game, remained unmoved by a loud Saints hand ball appeal when a Craig MacEwan shot appeared to strike the arm of a Cambusnethan defender.

Lewis Cameron completed his hat-trick and rounded off the scoring in the eighty fourth minute slotting home from the corner of the six yard box after being sent through by young Gavin Forgrieve.

Wayward finishes from Donald Campbell and Craig MacEwan failed to find the target as Saints continued to find gaps in the visitor's stretched defence.

Mr O'Neil ruled out a Craig MacEwan strike for offside and David Thomson made another fine save to deny MacEwan a second goal of the afternoon before Mr O'Neil brought proceedings to a close.

Saints are at home again this coming Saturday when they welcome old rivals Inverclyde in the first round of the West of Scotland Amateur Cup. Taking charge of the 2.00 pm kick off at Glencruitten is experienced Caledonian League Referee Steven Nicholls.