Winning In The Rain: Good Crieff, Saints Earn Scottish Cup Progress The Hard Way

Saturday 19th October 2019
The Scottish Amateur Football Association Challenge Cup Competition
Second Round Replay
Vale of Earn 3 - 3 Oban Saints
Oban Saints win 4 - 3 on penalty kicks
Market Park
Broich Road
Crieff
PH7 3HE
Kick off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Calum Race

Following the previous week's high scoring draw at Oban High School, Oban Saints and Vale of Earn produced another thriller in last Saturday's Scottish Amateur Cup second round replay at Market Park, Crieff.

Once again ninety minutes of ebb and flow couldn't separate the two evenly matched sides who finished on three goals each and a penalty shoot was required to decide who would progress to face Westerlands in round three.

Vale striker Peter Reilly, who had led the line well in both matches, was the unlucky man who missed the target and decided the tie in Saints favour by four successful penalty kicks to three.

Saints made two changes to the previous week's starting lineup giving Willie Gemmell his first start of the season in place of the unavailable Myles McAuley and preferring fit again Ruaridh Horne at right back to utility man Matt Rippon who dropped to the bench.

The hosts also made two changes with regular net minder Daniel Yurdakol relieving Club Secretary Garry Brock of his duties in goal and Kros Brown replacing Fraser Corbett in midfield.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a familiar back four of Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod, Captain Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland. Willie Gemmell partnered Matty Kelly in the holding midfield roles behind the more advanced triumvirate of David Beaton, Lewis Cameron and Craig MacEwan. Leading the line was Donald Campbell while Daniel Croarkin, Cammy Hill, Aaron McKay, Ross Maitland and Matt Rippon populated the bench.

Saints starting lineup:-

Used substitute:-
Cammy Hill

Unused substitutes:-
Daniel Croarkin
Ross Maitland
Aaron McKay
Matt Rippon

Saints kicked off attacking the King Street end of a long grassed and very heavy Market Park which favoured the home side's more direct style and eventually forced the visitors to adapt their own style accordingly.

The home side got off to the best possible start with James Webster pulling out wide to meet a second minute ball over the top from Ross Nixon. The pacy striker raced away from Saints Skipper Dene Cassells on the right and, cutting inside, slipped the ball wide of the advancing Graham Douglas into the path of strike partner Peter Reilly who gleefully slammed the ball into the unguarded net.

Worse was to follow for Saints four minutes later when they failed to deal with a throw-in from the Vale right level with eighteen yard line and left Brian Finlay in acres of room to curl a delicious left foot finish into the top corner to double the home side's advantage.

Saints were reeling from Vale's blistering start and were inches away from conceding a third when Webster's pace on the counter attack once again left the Saints defence trailing. Fortunately for Saints Peter Reilly's stretching neck muscles couldn't quite connect his forehead with Webster's cross from the right as the ball flew agonisingly across the face of goal.

The shell shocked Saints eventually managed to pose a few problems of their own with Donald Campbell heading a Ruaridh Horne right wing cross wide of target from a tight angle at the back post and Vale keeper Daniel Yurdakol doing well to cut out a Lewis Cameron cross ahead of Craig MacEwan.

Danger men James Webster and Peter Reilly combined again in the seventeenth minute when Reilly beat Dene Cassells in the air to head a hotly contested Webster corner kick just wide of Graham Douglas' left hand post. Steven MacLeod's protests at the highly questionable award earned him the first a flurry of yellow cards issued by Dundee based whistler Calum Race.

Vale's Darral Cramb got back to make a vital interception to deny David Beaton on the end of a sweeping twenty first minute move involving Lewis Cameron, Matty Kelly, Craig MacEwan and Donald Campbell.

Saints were the beneficiaries of an uncontested drop ball after Referee Race inadvertently broke up a promising attack just inside the Vale box. Donald Campbell picked out Management partner Willie Gemmell who marked his first appearance of the season with a low drive from thirty five yards which arced away from the despairing dive of Daniel Yurdakol and into the bottom corner of the net to bring Saints right back into the match.

On the half hour mark Vale midfielder Aaron Dawson joined Steven MacLeod in the book after throwing himself into MacLeod in a Harry Kanesque attempt to win a penalty kick which failed to deceive Mr Race.

Saints pulled themselves level after thirty three minutes in a move started by returning right back Ruaridh Horne. Making his first appearance since sustaining concussion in the West of Scotland Cup defeat to Inverclyde, Horne carried the ball out from the back before finding Lewis Cameron midway inside the Vale half. Cameron kept the move flowing feeding the ball out to Craig MacEwan on the left. MacEwan did well to get away from Kros Brown and, from the bye-line, sent a low cut back to the near post where Donald Campbell got across his marker tuck the ball into the bottom corner for the equaliser.

Confidence was now high in the Saints ranks and Willie Gemmell was inches away from doubling his own personal tally with a thumping right foot shot from twenty eight yards which flew wide of Daniel Yurdakol's left hand post.

There was a let-off for the home side when Referee Race ruled an Aaron Dawson shove on Craig MacEwan to be outside the box when the offence appeared to have taken place about a foot inside the Vale penalty area. Willie Gemmell sent the free-kick crashing into the Vale wall and closed the half shortly after with a wayward left foot strike from a Ruaridh Horne right wing cutback.

There was a scrappy start to the second half with neither side able to create any chances of note in the opening exchanges.

Saints had another penalty kick appeal dismissed by Mr Race when David Beaton was pushed to the ground when attempting to gather in a Willie Gemmell throw-in from the left.

Brian Finlay joined the growing list of miscreants in the Referee's notebook after offering some unwanted advice to the man in charge in the fiftieth eighth minute.

The hosts regained the lead on the hour mark when a deep James Webster corner kick from the left was returned invitingly across the six yard box by Peter Reilly and poked home at the back post by Kros Brown.

Referee Race turned down yet another Saints penalty appeal when Dene Cassells was pushed in the back trying to connect with a Lewis Cameron free-kick with Craig MacEwan having his name taken for continuing his protests too long for the Referee's liking.

It was the host's turn to feel aggrieved in the sixty first minute when an extremely tight offside call on striker Peter Reilly went against them and, to rub salt into the wound, Mr Race cautioned Reilly for kicking the ball away.

Saints sent on teenage striker Cammy Hill for the closing twenty minutes at the expense of David Beaton but it was Vale who were next to threaten. The Saints defence struggled to clear a throw-in from the left and were relived to see Aaron Dawson's shot from the edge of the box shave a coat of paint off the outside of Graham Douglas' right hand post.

Donald Campbell joined the increasing number treading the disciplinary tight rope for his comments following a particularly bizarre free-kick award by Mr Race whose decisions continued to frustrate both sides in equal measure.

With fourteen minutes remaining Darral Cramb made way for Aaron Smith in the first of the hosts two changes.

Daniel Yurdakol produced a vital double save in the seventy ninth minute diving full length to his right to push away a Matty Kelly shot from twenty two yards before getting quickly to his feet to block Craig MacEwan's follow up effort from a tight angle at his near post.

Matty Kelly picked up the final caution of the match for a late eighty fifth minute challenge on Aaron Dawson with whom he enjoyed a fascinating battle in the middle of the park throughout the ninety minutes.

Before the action could recommence Brain Finlay was replaced by the fresh legs of Jack Howie.

Graham Douglas kept his side in the tie with an excellent one handed save low to his right from a curling left foot James Webster shot on the break which, with just three minutes remaining, would have almost certainly guaranteed a home win.

An increasingly desperate Saints threw Dene Cassells into attack in an attempt to make some impression on the solid Vale back three who were winning every high ball. The presence of Cassells was enough to force just about the only error of the afternoon from opposite number Ross Brock whose miscued attempt to head clear a ninetieth minute Willie Gemmell long throw from the left could only help the ball across the face of goal. Donald Campbell was first to react and, after peeling off his marker on the corner of the six yard box, met the ball perfectly on the half volley and sent it beyond Daniel Yurdakol for a last gasp equaliser.

With four minutes of added time to be played Saints resisted the temptation to bring on penalty taker Matt Rippon believing that with the momentum firmly with them they could secure the win without the need for penalty kicks.

There was, however, to be no further scoring as the home defence remained firm sending the tie into the lottery of a penalty shoot-out.

Displaying maturity beyond his tender years Cammy Hill stepped up to dispatch the first penalty past Daniel Yurdakol to establish an early advantage for Saints.

Further successful strikes followed from Dene Cassells and Vale's Ross Nixon and Euan Carter before the decision to leave Matt Rippon on the bench threatened to prove costly when Yurdakol dropped to his right to beat away Willie Gemmell's spot kick.

Vale Skipper Ross Brock confidently slammed his kick straight down the middle to edge his side in front heaping pressure on Lewis Cameron whose response was to calmly send the keeper the wrong way and restore parity.

Having kept his side in the proceedings just a few minutes earlier Graham Douglas made another vital intervention diving to his left to claw away David Sinclair's effort effectively sending the shoot-out into sudden death.

Daniel Yurdakol guessed correctly but Craig MacEwan successfully found the bottom corner to heap pressure on Peter Reilly for Vale penalty number five.

The big striker left Graham Douglas rooted to the spot but steered his effort fractionally wide of the keeper's left hand post to hand the tie to Saints by the narrowest of margins.

Saints reward for digging out a very hard earned win is a third round away tie at Caledonian League First Division side Westerlands on Saturday 2nd November.

Next up for Saints is a home Central Scottish Amateur Football League Division 1B clash with Garrowhill Thistle.