Saturday 15th February 2020
The Scottish Amateur Football Association Challenge Cup Competition
Sixth Round Replay
Oban Saints v Wishaw High School F.P.
Oban Community Sports Field (3G)
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick-off 1pm
Referee Mr. Donald McCallum
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| A rather damp Glencruitten centre circle |
Heavy overnight rain on the eve of the match put the final nail in the coffin of the slender hopes of Glencruitten surviving the recent dismal weather forcing the postponement of last Saturday's scheduled Scottish Amateur Cup Sixth Round Replay between Oban Saints and Wishaw High School Former Pupils. The eagerly anticipated re-match had therefore been re-arranged for this coming Saturday with a 2pm kick-off at Glencruitten.
However, as Storm Ciara brought with her more heavy rain, a decision to move the tie to the all weather surface at Oban High School became inevitable with the kick-off time also being brought forward to 1pm to accommodate Oban Saints GG home Greater Glasgow Pemier Amateur Football League Division Three match against Westerlands GG.
The incentive, if any was needed, for the two combatants is a home quarter-final tie against last season's runners-up, and many tipsters competition favourites, Eastfield of the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division.
The 2011 winners of the most prestigious trophy in Scottish amateur football kicked off this season's campaign with a comfortable 3 - 0 away win at Windlaw of the Strathclyde Saturday Morning Amateur Football League. Amongst the goalscorers was Lee Hadden beginning a remarkable run of scoring in every round of the competition bringing him to the attention of Central Scottish Amateur Football League Select Manager Colin Hamilton and National Select Manager Colin MacLeod.
Wishaw were on the road again for their second round tie which took them to Falkirk to face Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Football Association Lothian West Division strugglers Mill where an emphatic 6 - 0 win eased them through to the third round.
A third consecutive away draw gave Wishaw a shorter journey to Glasgow Green and a third round tie against Hampden of the Glasgow Colleges Football Association Premier Division. Despite succeeding where all others in the competition have failed in breaching the miserly Wishaw defence, the Saturday morning team were no match for their afternoon opponents and and were easily brushed aside by six goals to one.
The fourth round draw set up an all Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division tie between Wishaw and three time cup winners St Patrick's FP. Having already inflicted a heavy away league defeat on their opponents the much fancied Dumbarton men went into the tie as favourites however Wishaw had other ideas and produced their best performance of the season to progress by two goals to nil.
Due to delays in previous rounds for their opponents Glasgow Colleges Football Association Premier Division title hopefuls Singer, Wishaw were forced to wait until last week to play their fifth round tie. After competing well for the first forty five minutes on the newly laid 4G surface at Clydebank High School the hosts were stunned by two Wishaw goals in five minutes at the start of the second half. There was to be no way back for the home side and Wishaw added a third goal to put the tie beyond any doubt and set up a sixth round clash with Saints.
Scottish Amateur Football Association Select Manager Colin MacLeod was among the large crowd at Wishaw Sports Centre when Wishaw High School Former Pupils hosted Oban Saints in round six. The National Gaffer will have been impressed with a number of players on both sides and quietly satisfied that two of his players, Oban Saints Scott Maitland and Wishaw's Lee Hadden, provided the goals.
Wishaw have experienced mixed fortunes in the other cup competitions going out of the West of Scotland Cup at the third round stage at the hands of Ayrshire Amateur Football Association Premier League high flyers Glenburn Miner's Welfare and exiting the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Bunrigh Trophy following a quarter-final defeat against Division 1A promotion chasers Castlemilk Dynamo.
Already through to the second round of the Cinema Cup, and with the McAvoy and McIntyre trophy still to get underway, Wishaw still have two domestic cup competitions to focus on.
In the league Wishaw currently sit in eighth place in the Premier Division with ten points from nine games, fourteen points behind leaders Eastfield but still within touching distance of the chasing pack of Harestanes, St Patrick's F.P. and Bannockburn.
Saturday's tie must be decided on the day with a penalty shoot-out coming into play if the two sides cannot be separated after ninety minutes. Once again taking charge of proceedings is Mr Donald McCallum of the Scottish Amateur Football League.
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| Wishaw High School Former Pupils |
Wishaw High School F.P. results so far this season:-
Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division
10th August 2019 Drumchapel United PYM 2 - 3 Wishaw HSFP
17th August 2019 Wishaw HSFP 1 - 1 Drumchapel
24th August 2019 Eastfield 2 - 0 Wishaw HSFP
31st August 2019 Wishaw HSFP 0 - 5 St Patrick's FP
12th October 2019 Wishaw HSFP 0 - 2 Harestanes
26th October 2019 Wishaw HSFP 1 - 1 Fallin
14th December 2019 Bannockburn 2 - 2 Wishaw HSFP
11th January 2020 Wishaw HSFP 2 - 2 Drumchapel United PYM
18th January 2020 Campsie Minerva 0 - 2 Wishaw HSFP
Central Scottish Amateur Football League Bunrigh Trophy
Group Section 8
6th August 2019 Uddingston Anvil 0 - 4 Wishaw HSFP
13th August 2019 Wishaw HSFP 2 -1 Newton Vale
21st August 2019 Craigneuk 1 - 4 Wishaw HSFP
Quarter Final
20th November 2019 Castlemilk Dynamo 2 - 1 Wishaw HSFP
Central Scottish Amateur Football League Cinema Cup
First Round
9th November 2019 Wishaw HSFP 5 - 2 Garrowhill Thistle
West of Scotland Amateur Cup
First Round
21st September 2019 Craigneuk 2 - 4 Wishaw HSFP
Second Round
19th October 2019 Moorlands 0 - 1 Wishaw HSFP
Third Round
16th November 2019 Wishaw HSFP 0 - 1 Glenburn Miner's Welfare
Scottish Amateur Cup
First Round
7th September 2019 Windlaw 0 - 3 Wishaw HSFP
Second Round
5th October 2019 Mill 0 - 6 Wishaw HSFP
Third Round
2nd November 2019 Hampden 1 - 6 Wishaw HSFP
Fourth Round
7th December 2019 Wishaw HSFP 2 - 0 St Patrick's FP
Fifth Round
25th January 2020 Singer 0 - 3 Wishaw HSFP
Sixth Round
1st February 2020 Wishaw HSFP 1 - 1 Oban Saints
Sixth Round Replay
8th February 2020 Oban Saints P - P Wishaw HSFP
Sixth Round Replay
15th February 2020 Oban Saints v Wishaw HSFP
Wishaw High School F.P. Recent Central Scottish Amateur Football League Finishes:-
2008-09 Division 1B 3rd
2009-10 Division 1A 3rd and Robert Whyte Trophy Winners
2010-11 Division 1 Champions (Promoted) and Scottish Amateur Cup Winners
2011-12 Premier Division 6th
2012-13 Premier Division 12th (Relegated)
2013-14 Division 1B 4th
2014-15 Division 1B 7th
2015-16 Division 1B 8th
2016-17 Division 1B 5th
2017-18 Division 1B Winners (Promoted)
2018-19 Premier Division 8th
Oban Saints Route To The Sixth 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.
Round Five
Oban Saints eased through to the sixth round of the Scottish Amateur Cup with a convincing 5 - 1 victory over Renfrew Town of the Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League at Oban High School.
Strikes from Craig MacEwan, Willie Gemmell and Dene Cassells added to a brace from Lewis Cameron saw Saints comfortably through to the last sixteen of the Scottish Amateur Football Association's blue ribband competition.
Heavy rain forced a switch of venue from the grass Glencruitten to the all weather surface at Oban High School where Saints kicked off with the stiff breeze at their backs attacking the Dalintart end.
Making a rare starting appearance, evergreen Ross Maitland smacked the Renfrew Town crossbar in the second minute after cutting in from his wide left berth and unleashing a fierce right foot shot which left goalkeeper Ross Dougall rooted firmly to the spot.
Making his home debut standing in for the suspended Graham Douglas, recent signing Strachan made a routine twentieth minute save from a speculative Adam Williams shot after Chris Burke had flicked-on a Ross Dougall clearance.
As the first half wore on Saints began ramping up the pressure on the Renfrew goal and eventually made the breakthrough in the twenty fifth minute. Ross Maitland's perfectly weighted through ball sent Matty Kelly into the box where his cutback from the left was sent back across the keeper by leading goal scorer Craig MacEwan and into the net via the inside of the post.
Saints deservedly doubled their advantage in the fortieth minute when Lewis Cameron wriggled clear in the heavily congested Renfrew box to tuck a low left foot finish beyond Ross Dougall.
The visitors were almost handed a lifeline on the stroke of half-time when Dene Cassells and Jamie Strachan got their wires crossed and the Skipper's pass back rolled past the big keeper and, to gasps of relief from the large crowd who had braved the elements, inches wide of the post. Cassells climbed well to head clear William Johnstone's corner kick sending Willie Gemmell off on a counter attack which was unceremoniously halted by Stuart Connelly inside the centre circle at the expense of a yellow card.
Second half substitute Steven Mitchell became the second Renfrew player to find his way into Referee Gerry Reid's notebook when he was penalised for handball on the corner of the Renfrew box in the fifty third minute. The free-kick conceded by Mitchell proved to be an expensive one for the visitors when Lewis Cameron's delivery from the Saints left was met by a firm downward header from Willie Gemmell which bounced over the despairing grasp of Ross Dougall for Saints third goal.
Three minutes later the bookings tally increased to three when Martin Donald's late challenge on Willie Gemmell was punished with a free-kick and a yellow card. The punishment however didn't stop there as Gemmell rolled his free-kick short to Lewis Cameron thirty yards out who thundered an unstoppable dive into the net off the underside of the crossbar for the goal of the day.
The visitor's perseverance was rewarded in the eighty ninth minute when Scott Maitland was dispossessed midway inside the Renfrew half and a swift counter attack was rounded off with a crisp left foot William Johnstone strike for a deserved consolation goal.
The scoring didn't end there however when James Ford had his dancing feet whipped away from him in the Renfrew box in the ninety first minute. Skipper Dene Cassells strode up confidently to smash his second successful penalty kick of the season into the bottom corner giving Ross Dougall no chance.
Round Six
Goals in each half from Scottish Amateur Football Association Select teammates Scott Maitland and Lee Hadden cancelled each other out in the all Central Scottish Amateur Football League clash at Wishaw Sports Centre.
In front of a large crowd of home supporters and interested neutrals, including Scottish Amateur Football Association Select Manager Colin MacLeod, 2011 cup winners Wishaw and two time losing semi-finalists Oban Saints couldn't be separated with a draw ultimately being a fair reflection of the proceedings.
Wishaw danger man Lee Hadden took just two minutes to demonstrate the threat he would pose throughout the game when he charged down a Willie Gemmell free-kick midway inside the Saints half. Hadden raced past Gemmell onto the loose ball and fizzed a low shot from the left edge of the eighteen yard box across Graham Douglas and narrowly wide of the far post.
John Neill swung over a dangerous sixth minute cross which Brian Ross headed into the arms of Graham Douglas as the home side began a period of sustained domination. Neil looked for the head of Ross again two minutes later with a delivery from the left which Dene Cassells read well to head clear.
Saints eventually managed to get forward with Craig MacEwan and James Ford combing to force a corner kick on the left. Lewis Cameron's delivery was glanced on by Craig MacEwan at the near post and helped back into the danger area by Willie Gemmell before being scrambled out for a throw-in on the right.
The home side came within inches of opening the scoring when the impressive Ewan Leonard raced away from Willie Gemmell inside the centre circle and powered forward crashing a fierce left foot strike past Graham Douglas and off the crossbar. Fortune favoured Saints again when Jamie Moir's attempted bicycle kick failed to connect with the rebound.
Wishaw keeper Sandy Thomson's prodigious kicking turned defence into attack from a rare Lewis Cameron foray into the home penalty area. The Wishaw number one launched the ball almost to the edge of Saints box from where Jamie Moir tee'd up John Neill for a snap shot well wide of target.
Against the run of play Saints broke the deadlock in the thirty fifth minute. James Ford's driving run had the home defence backpedalling and his perfectly weighted pass sent Scott Maitland through one-on-one with the keeper. Thomson stood up well but was unable to prevent Maitland from skipping through and, from an acute angle, slotting the ball into the unguarded net to give Saints an unlikely lead.
The interval benefited Saints who took the field refreshed and ready to exert more of an influence on proceedings. After the home defence had scrambled clear a forty sixth minute corner kick Skipper Liam Smith made a telling challenge to take the ball away from Lewis Cameron in a threatening position sixty seconds later.
Smith was well beaten in the air in the fifty sixth minute when Willie Gemmell leapt high to meet a Lewis Cameron corner kick from the left with his downward header dropping into the grateful arms of Sandy Thomson.
Gemmell found the arms of Thomson again five minutes later with a twenty five yard free-kick after Craig MacEwan had been felled by Blair Kidd.
Ross Maitland made way for David Beaton whose pace posed an immediate threat racing onto a Craig MacEwan ball up the right wing and firing over a low cross which James Ford hooked wide of target at the back post.
The hosts also made a change handing a debut to new signing Joshua Payne who replaced Cameron Ballantyne. The former Arthurlie man's first involvement was to latch onto another long Sandy Thomson clearance and lift the ball over the advancing Graham Douglas but wide of the far post.
Saints leading goal scorer Craig MacEwan was inches away from increasing his tally for the season when he glanced a seventy first minute Lewis Cameron corner kick from the left across the face of goal and just wide of the far post.
Wishaw keeper Sandy Thomson kept his side in the game with a crucial save to deny David Beaton when the pacy winger was set up by Lewis Cameron in the seventy sixth minute. Cammy Hill replaced the influential James Ford before the resulting corner kick could be taken and nodded Lewis Cameron's delivery from the left just over the crossbar.
Lewis Cameron passed up a good opportunity to make the tie safe in the seventy eighth minute lashing a left foot volley over the junction of post and bar after good work on the right by Ruaridh Horne and David Beaton.
Saints were disappointed when Referee McCallum awarded a soft eighty second minute free-kick against Willie Gemmell who was judged to have fouled Brian Ross in making what appeared to be a good clearing header. Disappointment turned to anger when Mr McCallum, ignoring the Saints protests, allowed Wishaw to take a quick free-kick which was eventually bundled over the line by Lee Hadden despite the valiant efforts of Graham Douglas and Steven MacLeod. The man in the middle rubbed salt into the Saints wound by issuing yellow cards to Dene Cassells, Craig MacEwan and Steven MacLeod for their protests.
Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing minutes with substitute Luke Dickson coming close for the hosts and Skipper Liam Smith getting a vital touch to deny opposite number Dene Cassells inside the Wishaw six yard box.
In the final act of an entertaining encounter Willie Gemmell hooked a difficult chance from a ninety third minute Lewis Cameron corner kick wide of target before Referee McCallum brought proceedings to a close.
Oban Saints 2019 - 20 Scottish Amateur Cup Campaign
1st Round
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