Saturday 11th January 2020
The Scottish Amateur Football Association Challenge Cup Competition
Fifth Round
Oban Saints v Renfrew Town
Oban Community Sports Field (3G)
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick Off 1.00pm
Referee Mr Gerry Reid
After a four week festive lay-off Oban Saints return to action this Saturday afternoon with a crunch Scottish Amateur Cup fifth round tie against Renfrew Town.
Saturday's opponents rejoined the Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League for the start of this season after a four year absence and appear to have regrouped well following their sabbatical.
2014-15 Premier Division Champions Renfrew Town currently occupy sixth place in Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League Division One, nine points behind leaders Bellahouston but with five games in hand.
Renfrew kicked off their league campaign with a thumping 12 - 1 victory over the fantastically named AC Milanda and have collected maximum points in four of their other five Division One fixtures.
Town's only reverse of the league campaign so far came in Paisley at the hands of close neighbours and fellow title hopefuls Moorpark Athletic.
The Renfrew men have suffered only one other defeat in their first five months back in competitive action which saw them exit the Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League Vince McGlinchy Trophy at the quarter finals stage after losing out to Premier Division Cleland.
The Scottish Amateur Cup campaign began for Renfrew Town with a 3 -1 home win over Law Community of the Strathclyde Evangelical Churches Premier Division.
Next up was the first of a run of four away ties which matched Renfrew against local rivals Erskine. It was the Renfrew men who emerged victorious defeating Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League Division One high flyers by two goals to nil.
Round three took Renfrew to Dundee to face Dundee Saturday Morning First Division promotion chasers Charlie Accies. The recently formed Accies gave the newly reformed Townies their stiffest test yet and were unlucky to lose out by the odd goal in three. After taking the lead and and hitting the woodwork twice the Dundee men conceded twice from set pieces which saw Renfrew Town through to the fourth round and another trip east.
Despite enjoying home advantage, Ormiston from the lower reaches of the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Football Association were no match for their west coast opponents and Renfrew ran out 3 -1 victors setting up this Saturday's encounter with Oban Saints.
Unlike almost every other cup competition in amateur football the Scottish Amateur Cup still includes replays therefore a re-match will follow at Renfrew's King George V pitches in seven day's time if the two sides cannot be separated after ninety minutes.
Despite the winter solstice having passed several weeks ago daylight still remains in short supply therefore kick-off has been moved to the earlier than usual time of 1pm.
The recent heavy rain has taken it's toll on the grass surface at Glencruitten and, with heavy rain forecast for Saturday, a switch of venue to the all weather surface 3G surface at Oban High School has been confirmed.
In charge of proceedings is experienced Dumbarton based whistler Mr Gerry Reid.
Renfrew Town results so far this season:-
Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League Division One
14th September 2019 Renfrew Town 12 - 1 AC Milanda
28th September 2019 Belvidere 1 - 4 Renfrew Town
9th November 2019 Accies AFC 0 - 1 Renfrew Town
16th November 2019 Renfrew Town 3 - 1 Gorbals
23rd November 2019 Moorpark Athletic 4 - 1 Renfrew Town
14th December 2019 Renfrew Town v Hamilton Wanderers (Walkover to Renfrew)
GDSML League Cup
First Round Group Section
24th August 2019 Dumbarton 0 - 1 Renfrew Town
11th September 2019 Renfrew Town 1 - 1 Bishopton
GDSML Cup
First Round
7th December 2019 Renfrew Town 3 - 0 Drumchapel United
GDSML Vince McGlinchy Trophy
First Round
Cleland 4 - 1 Renfrew Town
Scottish Amateur Cup
First Round
7th September 2019 Renfrew Town 3 - 1 Law Community
Second Round
5th October 2019 Erskine 0 - 2 Renfrew Town
Third Round
2nd November 2019 Charlie Accies 1 - 2 Renfrew Town
Fourth Round
30th November 2019 Ormiston 1 - 3 Renfrew Town
Fifth Round
11th January 2020 Oban Saints v Renfrew Town
Renfrew Town Recent GDSML Finishes:-
2011-12 Premier Division Champions
2012-13 Premier Division Runners Up
2013-14 Premier Division 3rd
2014-15 Premier Division Champions
Oban Saints Route To The Fifth 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.
Round Four
Saints made a gruelling 410 mile round trip to the chilly North East for a Scottish Amateur Cup re-match with last season's conquerors Rothie Rovers. Thanks to the sterling efforts of the Rothie Rovers Committee, Rothie Park survived the deep freeze which wiped out half of the fourth round card passing an early morning pitch inspection to give the Saints travelling party the green light for an 8am departure from Oban.
Co-Manager Willie Gemmell was dealt a selection blow on the eve of the match when illness ruled out midfielder Kerr Newbigging and leading goalscorer Craig MacEwan forcing Gemmell to include himself on the substitutes bench alongside Ross Maitland, Matt Rippon and youngster Aaron McKay.
MacEwan's goals however were not missed with a brace from Cammy Hill, adding to David Beaton's fifteenth minute opener, giving Saints revenge for the agonising penalty shoot-out defeat in last season's epic encounter and confirming their place in the fifth round draw.
Oban Saints 2019 - 20 Scottish Amateur Cup Campaign
1st Round
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