Winning In The Rain: Saints Cup Hopes Go West

Saturday 21st September 2019
West of Scotland Amateur Cup
First Round
Oban Saints 1 - 2 Inverclyde

Glencruitten 2

Mossfield Avenue

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4EH

Kick Off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Steven Nicholls

A disastrous opening sixteen minutes in which Oban Saints fell two goals and a man down left last season's runners-up with a West of Scotland Amateur Cup mountain to climb at a sun baked Glencruitten last Saturday afternoon. Despite enjoying the majority of possession throughout the first round match Saints were unable to turn the tie around and will now have one less cup competition to distract them from this season's principal target of promotion to the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division.

Saints Management duo of Donald Campbell and Willie Gemmell made just one change to the starting lineup from the previous week's league win against Cambusnethan Talbot. In came Murdo MacKenzie in goal to make his senior team debut in place the unavailable Graham Douglas.

Saints lined up with Murdo MacKenzie in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Paul Carmichael, Captain Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland. Kerr Newbigging partnered 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. On the bench were Donald Campbell, Willie Gemmell, Steven MacLeod, Matt Rippon and teenager Gavin Forgrieve.

Oban Saints starting lineup:-

Used substitutes:-
Steven MacLeod
Donald Campbell
Matt Rippon

Unused substitutes:-
Willie Gemmell
Gavin Forgrieve

Prior to kick-off Referee Steven Nicholls led both sets of players and officials in a silence of remembrance for Margaret Beaton, mother of Inverclyde player Craig Beaton, and Tom McInally, Secretary of Uddingston Anvil, both of whom had sadly passed away during the week.

Saints kicked off attacking the railway line end and were immediately on the attack with Lewis Cameron picking out Craig MacEwan's run through the inside left channel. Chasing pair Cammy Hill and David Beaton were inches away from connecting with MacEwan's cross on the run as the ball flew dangerously across the Inverclyde goalmouth.

Already through to the semi-finals of the Scottish Amateur Football League Centenary Cup Inverclyde took the first step towards extending their 100 percent record so far this season in the fourth minute. A vital challenge on the edge of the Saints box by Matty Kelly denied Craig Ellis a shooting opportunity at the expense of a corner kick but from Skipper Darren Docherty's delivery from the left Greg Wilson was left unmarked to send a header bouncing past the unsighted Murdo MacKenzie to give the visitors the lead.

Saints looked to hit back immediately but found Inverclyde keeper Sean O'Conner to be in inspired form. The big number one stood up well at his near post to beat away a Lewis Cameron shot before denying Cameron again with a finger tip save after a driving run up the right.

Dene Cassells picked up the first caution of the match for his protests after being harshly penalised following an aerial joust with Michael McKitrick.

The visitors doubled their advantage in the fifteenth minute when an accidental handball in the box by Saints Skipper Dene Cassells was punished with a penalty kick. Greg Wilson made no mistake from twelve yards sending Murdo MacKenzie in the wrong direction in the process.

Things turned from bad to worse for Saints just sixty seconds later when Referee Nicholls ignored a clear foul on Lewis Cameron on the half way line and allowed the visitors to break forward on the right. Chasing back, Paul Carmichael clipped the heels of Michael McKitrick and, already with a booking to his name for his protests at the Inverclyde penalty kick, the big centre half knew his involvement in the tie was about to come to a premature end. Mr Nicholls showed Carmichael a straight red card leaving Saints staring down the barrel of a first round cup exit after just sixteen first half minutes.

Murdo MacKenzie did well to push the resulting twenty five free-kick from Darren Docherty over his cross bar for a corner kick from which Michael McKitrick hooked a shot off target.

Young fullback Ruaridh Horne was sacrificed in a tactical reshuffle which saw the experienced Steven MacLeod come on to form a back three with Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland.

Craig MacEwan sent a decent effort curling wide of the far post after cutting in from the left in the nineteenth minute as Saints set about trying to establish a foothold in a game which appeared already to be slipping away from them.

Lewis Cameron won the ball well in the centre circle in the twenty second minute and sent Cammy Hill off on a run. Hill tried to pick out Matty Kelly in the middle but sent his low cross too far in front of the supporting midfielder.

Five minutes later from a similar position Hill opted to go for goal himself but was denied by an excellent save from Sean O'Conner getting down smartly to his left at his near post.

At the other end a perfectly timed interception on the six yard line by Scott Maitland prevented Nick Jack from getting a shot away after Murdo MacKenzie could only parry a well struck Michael McKitrick drive.

Referee Nicholls ignored loud Saints appeals for a thirty seventh minute penalty kick after a Matty Kelly cutback struck an Inverclyde arm in the visitors box before Craig MacEwan and David Beaton both sent efforts over the crossbar.

Lady luck was on the side of Inverclyde central defender Patryk Gozdz when his sliced attempted clearance from a Scott Maitland cross spun narrowly over his own crossbar five minutes before half-time.

A fantastic double save from Matty Kelly and Cammy Hill by Sean O'Conner kept his side's two goal lead in tact before Referee Steven Nicholls brought the first half to a close.

Craig MacEwan's opening seconds cross from the left drifted agonisingly over the head of Cammy Hill as the ten man Saints made a positive start to the second forty five.

Just two minutes into the second half Sean O'Conner raced off his line to pip Craig MacEwan to a Matty Kelly through ball before Saints survived a scare at the other end when Michael McKitrick somehow failed to connect with a Nick Jack cutback from the right.

Newly signed Inverclyde defender Symon Gozdz continued to impress winning another important header at the back to repel a fifty third minute Lewis Cameron free-kick. Saints kept the pressure on however with Matty Kelly bursting forward and crashing a twenty yard drive just over the crossbar.

Sean O'Conner continued his impressive display in the Inverclyde goal with another excellent save to push a Kerr Newbigging shot from a low David Beaton cross over his crossbar.

Saints Co-Manager Donald Campbell joined the fray on the hour mark at the expense of teenage striker Cammy Hill. Campbell was quick to make an impression cutting in from the left and curling a shot just wide of the postage stamp corner.

The visitors lost their numerical advantage when Ryan Collins followed up a sixty fourth minute caution for simulation with a second yellow card sixty seconds later for petulantly kicking the ball away at a Saints free-kick.

Matty Rippon replaced David Beaton for the closing twenty minutes as Saints looked to inject fresh impetus into the attack.

Scott Maitland fired a shot over the crossbar after a jinking run on the left before Inverclyde defender Tom McKitrick received his marching orders after he dived to "save" a Donald Campbell shot on the goal line.

Definitely not on the goal line however was Sean O'Conner when he leapt forward and got down to his right to push Lewis Cameron's penalty kick round the post. Referee Nicholls however saw no need to order a retake and O'Conner continued his heroics by punching clear Lewis Cameron's corner kick from the left.

Kerr Newbigging and Matt Rippon both blazed very presentable chances over the crossbar as Saints collective lack of composure in front of goal continued to frustrate the home crowd.

Dene Cassells took advantage of Saints numerical advantage to join the attack for the closing stages and bucked the trend for failing to hit the target with an eighty second minute header straight down the throat of keeper O'Conner.

The mounting Saints pressure eventually told and they pulled a goal back with five minutes remaining when Craig MacEwan nodded home at the back post from a Lewis Cameron cross from the right.

Try as they might, even with a ten men against nine numerical advantage, Saints couldn't find the second goal necessary to take the tie to a penalty shoot-out. The visitors defended valiantly and even when Saints did get the better of the Inverclyde defence they found O'Conner in no mood to concede again.

One final O'Conner save from a poorly struck Kerr Newbigging strike was as close as Saints came with the final act of a disappointing afternoon being a rare Steven MacLeod shot which slipped inches wide of O'Conner's right hand post.

Saints return to league business this coming Saturday with a very tricky away fixture against fellow promotion hopefuls Blantyre RGM.