Saturday 30th November 2019
The Scottish Amateur Football Association Challenge Cup Competition
Fourth Round
Rothie Rovers v Oban Saints
Rothie Park
Rothienorman
Inverurie
Aberdeenshire
AB51 8YD
Kick off 1.45pm
Referee Mr Mark Crawford
Oban Saints face a gruelling 410 mile round trip this coming Saturday when they travel to the Aberdeenshire village of Rothienorman to face Rothie Rovers in the fourth round of the Scottish Amateur Cup. The two sides met at the fifth round stage of last season's competition when Saints required a last minute Lewis Cameron equaliser from the penalty spot to salvage a draw and force a replay. That excitement, however, would pale into insignificance compared to the high drama which would unfold at Glencruitten seven days later.
After a goal a piece in the ninety minutes followed by the same again in extra-time it was Rothie goalkeeper Lewis Milne who emerged the hero saving two Saints penalties to give his side a 9 - 8 shoot-out victory and clinch a place in the last sixteen.
With the pressure building Saints took a deserved lead in the twenty third minute when a Daniel Croarkin shot from eighteen yards took a deflection which deceived Lewis Milne a nestled in the bottom corner of the Rothie net.
The Saints defence was finally breached in the seventy seventh minute from yet another Rothie set piece when Mark Thomson bundled home a Keith Walker corner kick from the left.
Despite having all of the late pressure Saints struggled to breach the well organised Rothie defence and when they eventually did in time added on for stoppages they were again denied by the feet of keeper Lewis Milne who blocked two point blank Saints shots to send the tie into extra-time.
After five of the additional thirty minutes Saints were again undone from a set piece much to the delight of the large travelling support. A long straight free-kick from Keith Walker was flicked on by Grant Ritchie to Ryan Walker who volleyed past the helpless Graham Douglas to give Rothie the lead.
With just sixty seconds remaining Saints were reduced to nine men in highly controversial circumstances at which point there appeared to be no way back for the home side.
However, spurred on by a deep sense of injustice the nine men miraculously drew level deep into time added on for stoppages. A straight ball over the top was glanced by Dene Cassells beyond the advancing keeper and into the top corner sparking wild celebrations among the home support.
In rapidly failing light Mr Holms took the players away from the bulk of the crowd to the railway line end where ten penalties each would be taken before a winner would emerge.
After eight successful kicks each and a save a-piece for goalkeepers Graham Douglas and Lewis Milne it was back to the start where Aidan Elrick repeated his earlier straight down the middle success. Having scored from the spot in the first match, Lewis Cameron was by now taking his third penalty kick of the tie and Lewis Milne finally won the battle of wits guessing correctly and dropping to his right to beat away Cameron's effort and seal victory for Rothie.
Unfortuneatley for Rothie Rovers their best ever Scottish Amateur Cup run was halted in the sixth round by eventual losing semi-finalists Alba Thistle. The extended Scottish Amateur Cup run, where they were the Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association's best performers, however took it's toll on Rothie's final league standing. After keeping within touching distance of leaders Woodside for most of the campaign Rothie's title challenge eventually fizzled out to see them equal the third placed finish of the two previous seasons behind Sportsmans Club and three-in-a-row Champions Woodside.
Rothie's disappointment at their Scottish Cup exit and faltering league challenge was eased considerably when they landed the North of Scotland Amateur Cup and the Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Premier Trophy to round off a highly successful season.
The 2019-20 league campaign currently has Rothie sitting in the familiar third position with twenty points from nine games and very well placed to mount a serious challenge for the Premier Division title.
The Rothienorman men are already through to the third round in their defence of the North of Scotland Amateur Cup where they have seen off the challenge of Aboyne and Glendale. The defence of the Premier Trophy which Rothie clinched in convincing style against league champions Woodside at the end of last season will begin with a home tie against fellow title chasers Newtonhill.
In this season's Scottish Amateur Cup campaign Rothie have given every indication that they are on course to match or better last season's impressive run to the sixth round. Near neighbours Echt were edged out by the odd goal in three in the first round before a far more straight forward 3 - 0 win away at Newburgh Thistle saw Rothie through the regional ties and safely through to the "all in" third round draw. The home tie against Midlands Amateur Football League Barnhill fell victim to the weather on 2nd November but when the tie eventually got underway seven days later it was the Aberdeenshire men who came easily out on top against the much fancied Dundonians to set up a fourth round re-match with Oban Saints.
Saturday's match between two well matched sides, if anything like as exciting as last season's two encounters, should provide an entertaining watch for the good people of Rothienorman. Unlike almost every other cup competition in amateur football the Scottish Amateur Cup still includes replays therefore a re-match will follow at Glencruitten in seven day's time if the two sides cannot be separated after ninety minutes.
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| Rothie Rovers Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Division One (North) Champions 2013 - 14 |
Rothie Rovers results so far this season:-
Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Premier Division
Rothie Rovers 1 -1 Insch
Bervie Caledonian 0 - 6 Rothie Rovers
Rothie Rovers 6 -2 St Laurence
Echt 2 - 5 Rothie Rovers
Rothie Rovers 2 -1 Newburgh Thistle
Newtonhill 1 - 1 Rothie Rovers
MS United 2 - 3 Rothie Rovers
Tarves 3 - 2 Rothie Rovers
Newburgh Thistle 2 - 3 Rothie
Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Premier Trophy
First Round
Rothie Rovers v Newtonhill
Quarter Finals
Rothie Rovers or Newtonhill v Tarves
Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Trophy
First Round
Rothie Rovers 2 - 0 Great Western United
Second Round
Stonehaven Athletic 2 - 3 Rothie Rovers (After Extra Time)
Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Aberdeen FC Trophy
First Round
Rothie Rovers v Newtonhill
Scottish Amateur Cup
First Round
7th September 2019 Echt 1 - 2 Rothie Rovers
Second Round
5th October 2019 Newburgh Thistle 0 - 3 Rothie Rovers
Third Round
9th November 2019 Rothie Rovers 5 - 0 Barnhill
Fourth Round
30th November 2019 Rothie Rovers v Oban Saints
North of Scotland Amateur Cup
First Round
19th October 2019 Rothie Rovers 5 - 0 Aboyne
Second Round
16th November 2019 Glendale 1 - 4 Rothie Rovers
Rothie Rovers Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Finishes:-
2016-17 Premier Division 3rd
2017-18 Premier Division 3rd
2018-19 Premier Division 3rd North of Scotland Cup and Premier Trophy Winners
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| Rothie Rovers |
Oban Saints Route To The Fourth 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.
Round Two
One hundred and eighty minutes of high octane cup football, which included fourteen goals, failed to separate Oban Saints and Perthshire Amateur Football League Division One high flyers Vale of Earn. Vale striker Peter Reilly, who had led the line well in both matches, was the unlucky man who missed the target in the penalty shoot-out at Market Park, Crieff and decided the tie in Saints favour by four successful penalty kicks to three.
After sharing eight goals on the all weather surface at Oban High Scool Oban Saints and Vale of Earn were forced to do it all again in the replay at Market Park seven days later. A brace from Craig MacEwan, a towering header from teenage substitute Cammy Hill and a successfully converted penalty kick from Matt Rippon were cancelled out by Aaron Dawson, Peter Reilly, Darral Cramb and Ross Nixon strikes which earned the visitors a deserved replay.
The re-match in Crieff was similarly end to end with Co-Gaffers Willie Gemmell and Donald Campbell hauling their side back into the tie with a goal a-piece to wipe out Vale's second and sixth minute strikes from James Webster and Brian Finlay to restore parity at the half-time interval. The hosts regained the lead through Kros Brown who poked home from close range a Peter Reilly cross on the hour mark.
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.
Round Three
There was no such drama in the third round tie at a damp Garscube Sports Complex where two typically crisp strikes from Donald Campbell helped Saints past a stuffy Westerlands side. Also on the score sheet for Saints against the Caledonian League First Division promotion chasers were Captain Dene Cassells, who showed the strikers how to dispatch a penalty kick, and the evergreen Ross Maitland who wrapped up a 4 - 1 victory with his first touch after coming on as a second half substitute.
Oban Saints 2019 - 20 Scottish Amateur Cup Campaign
1st Round
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