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| Eddie and the Hot Rods front man Barrie Masters who "quit this town" for the last time this week |
Saturday 12th October 2019
The Scottish Amateur Football Association Challenge Cup Competition
Second Round
Oban Saints v Vale of Earn
Oban Community Sports Field 3G
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick off 1.30pm
Referee Mr Ross Holms
After last weekend's enforced layoff Oban Saints return to action this Saturday afternoon with a home Scottish Amateur Cup second round tie against Perthshire Amateur Football Association Division One outfit Vale of Earn. Following a first round bye for Saints and a committee decision home win for Vale of Earn after Forfar West End's failure to travel to fulfill their first round obligations this will be the first action of this season's competition for both sides.
Saturday's visitors to Oban are based at Crieff's picturesque Market Park and are members of the Perthshire Amateur Football Association where they currently occupy ninth place in the twelve team division one. A frustrating fixture schedule has limited Vale of Earn to just two league games so far where they followed up an opening day defeat to last season's runners-up St Johns with a thumping 9 - 0 victory over Kettins. Those first three points on the board will give Vale a major confidence boost ahead of their next league fixture where they entertain early pace setters Bridge of Earn whose six wins from six includes a home victory over perennial champions Letham.
The early marker put down by Bridge of Earn bodes well for Perthshire's Division One title race where Vale of Earn will join St Johns and Bridge of Earn in a bid to bring to an end Letham's run of six successive league titles.
As well as trying to improve upon last season's fourth placed league finish Vale of Earn will be looking to add more silverware to an already impressive trophy cabinet which currently plays host to the West District Cup, which Vale have won in five of the past nine seasons, and the Consolation Cup won in a nail biting final against Alyth on the last day of the 2018-19 season.
It has been a case of so far so good for the Crieff men on the cup front where a resounding 9 - 0 home victory over Division Two Vale of Atholl sent them safely through to the second round of the Ashleigh Cup. In the North of Tay regional cup Vale await the outcome of the first round tie between Craigie and Dunkeld and Birnam before learning their opponents for a home second round tie.
Cup Fever
Saints will be aiming to produce a far better performance than their last outing in front of the Glencruitten faithful when cup fever returns to Oban this Saturday. The disappointing West of Scotland Cup first round exit at the hands of Inverclyde endured by the loyal home support is the only black mark on an otherwise perfect start to the season for Saints.Seven straight league victories has seen Saints open up an eight point gap on nearest challengers Blantyre RGM at the top of the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Division 1B and a continuation of that league form will be required if they are to progress against a very useful Vale of Earn side.
Unlike almost every other cup competition in amateur football the Scottish Amateur Cup still includes replays therefore a re-match will follow at Market Park, Crieff in seven day's time if the two sides cannot be separated after ninety minutes.
Unfortunately for the purists incessant heavy rain has forced a switch of venue from the grass at Glencruitten to the all weather surface 3G surface at Oban High School where the action will commence at the slightly earlier than normal time of 1.30pm.
The reward for the winners is a third round away trip to face Westerlands of the Caledonian Amateur Football League First Division on Saturday 2nd November.
In charge of proceedings is last season's West of Scotland Amateur Cup Final Referee the vastly experienced Mr Ross Holms of the Caledonain Amateur Football League.
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| Vale of Earn Perthshire Amateur Football Association Consolation Cup Winners 2018-19 |
Vale of Earn Fixtures so far this season:-
Scottish Amateur Cup
1st Round
7th September 2019 Vale of Earn v Forfar West
Unfilled tie awarded to Vale of Earn
2nd Round
12th October 2019 Oban Saints v Vale of Earn
North of Tay Amateur Cup
1st Round
Bye
2nd Round
16th November 2019 Vale of Earn v Craigie or Dunkeld and Birnam
Perthshire Amateur Football Association Division One
24th August 2019 St Johns 5 - 3 Vale of Earn
21st September 2019 Vale of Earn 9 - 0 Kettins
Perthshire Amateur Football Association League Cup Section 8
13th August 2019 Vale of Earn 0 - 6 Letham
20th August 2019 Coupar Angus 2 - 4 Vale of Earn
Perthshire Amateur Football Association Ashleigh Cup
1st Round
14th September 2019 Vale of Earn 9 - 0 Vale of Atholl
Vale of Earn recent Perthshire Amateur Football League finishes:-
2013-14 Division One 6th
2014-15 Division One 3rd
2015-16 Division One 5th
2016-17 Division One 3rd
2017-18 Division One 6th
2018-19 Division One 4th
Oban Saints Route To The Second Round
Round One
In the Scottish Amateur Cup first round draw Saints were one of twenty six West Region clubs to receive a bye. The three other Central Scottish Amateur Football League representatives to receive byes were Blantyre RGM, Bridgewater and Cambusnethan Talbot which, with all four clubs competing in Division 1B, gave Match Secretary Ross Stirling a few different options for his fixtures schedule on Saturday 7th September. Eventually Blantyre RGM hosted Cambusnethan Talbot in a share of the points at the Sir Matt Busby Complex and Saints travelled to the Palace of Art where they netted three times without reply against Bridgewater.Oban Saints 2019 - 20 Scottish Amateur Cup Campaign
1st Round
7th September 2019 Bye
2nd Round
12th October 2019 Oban Saints v Vale of Earn
2nd Round
12th October 2019 Oban Saints v Vale of Earn
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