Saturday 28th November 2020

Friendly

Oban Saints GG 0 - 3 Lochgilphead Red Star

Oban Community Sports Field (3G)

Soroba Road

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4JB

Kick Off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Martin Rae

Oban Saints Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League side took to the field recently vacated by their Central Scottish Amateur Football League colleagues for a two o'clock kick-off against Lochgilphead Red Star at Oban High School last Saturday.

After a short breather Referee Martin Rae, who had also officiated at the twelve noon kick-off on the 3G surface, got the action underway in what continued to be pleasant weather conditions.

Saints lined up with Murdo MacKenzie in goal behind a back three of Daniel Sloss, Alex Craik and Ryan Barclay. Across the five man midfield were Robert Johnstone, Daniel MacCuish, Fraser MacFarlane, Cammy Clark and Captain Kenneth Black. Up front were Alan Buchanan and Lewis Buchanan. On a densely populated bench were James Beaton, Kyle Cooper, Craig Easton, Craig Livingstone, Keir MacLean and Andrew Moore.

Oban Saints starting lineup:-

Used substitutes:-

James Beaton

Kyle Cooper

Craig Easton

Craig Livingstone

Keir MacLean

Andrew Moore

Eager to test themselves against considerably more experienced opposition the match got off to a bad start for the young Saints side. Defending a fifth minute corner kick a thumping Angus Lewis shot smacked Alan Buchan in the face before hitting the big striker on the arm. Referee Rae correctly pointed to the penalty spot from where Red Star right winger and dead ball specialist Andrew Weir made no mistake to give the visitors the lead.

Things went from bad to worse for Saints in general and Buchanan in particular when he came off worse in a collision with Red Star defender Ben Forbes which ended his interest in the proceedings.

Saints keeper Murdo MacKenzie was in inspirational form and produced the first of a string of excellent saves in the twenty fifth minute to deny Stuart MacLean.

Red Star striker Ciaran McPhie spun away from Daniel Sloss in the thirty second minute but couldn't beat Murdo MacKenzie who pushed the ball across the face of goal. The Saints shot stopper waited for the net to bulge from the waiting Stuart MacLean but was delighted to see Alex Craik get back with a perfectly executed sliding challenge to take the ball off the toes of the Red Star striker.

The visitors struck again in the forty second minute after veteran defender Craik had turned an Andy Weir right wing cross behind for a corner kick. Weir's delivery from the right was headed away but only as far as Red Star youngster Zander MacKenzie who lashed an unstoppable shot across a well beaten Murdo MacKenzie and into the top corner of the Saints net.

The young Saints side passed up a terrific opportunity to half the deficit going into the interval when Keir MacLean, with the goal at his mercy, blazed wide of target from six yards after an excellent run and cutback on the right wing from Robert Johnstone.

There was a more promising start to the second half from the home side when Skipper Kenneth Black found Keir MacLean with a raking pass. MacLean fed Kyle Cooper on the edge of the box but, despite getting the better of Ben Forbes, Cooper couldn't find away past Red Star keeper Ally Lewis who made a good save low down to his left.

Kenneth Black came driving forward on the left in the fifty third minute and cut inside for a left foot shot which the Star defence managed to block behind for a corner kick. Robert Johnstone's delivery from the right was knocked out to the edge of the box but was returned by Craig Easton for Alex Craik who, from a tight angle, tried to beat Ally Lewis at his near post with the young keeper able to scramble the ball behind for another corner.

After a quiet first half Ally Lewis was seeing a lot more of the ball in the second forty five and was forced into action again to parry a seventy seventh minute Daniel MacCuish shot before gathering safely at the second attempt.

Any faint hopes the home side may have entertained of a comeback were cruelly extinguished in the seventy eighth minute when Ciaran McPhie pounced on a slack pass out from the back and raced through on goal to calmly slot the ball past Murdo MacKenzie for the third and final Red Star goal.

Saints kept plugging away but, in keeping with the general theme of the afternoon, all too often the final pass went astray making life easy for their Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division One opponents.

There was one final test for Red Star keeper Ally Lewis in the eighty fifth minute with the youngster taking great delight in keeping his clean sheet intact pulling off a fine save to deny Kyle Cooper after good work on the Saints right from Lewis Buchanan and Daniel MacCuish.

Referee Martin Rae, who handled proceedings well, brought the action to an end sending the visitors back down the A816 by far the happier of the two sides. After completing one hundred and eighty minutes of action in one day Mr Rae could now take the rest of the day off before bidding to outdo Twitter's notorious "Demon Ref" by taking charge of the following day's Saints Youth action.

Despite being faced with more experienced and accomplished opponents the Saints Management team of Donald Black and Robert Johnstone will be disappointed that their young charges failed to produce the quality play they are capable of and will be looking for a massive improvement for next week's scheduled encounter with Oban Saints Central Scottish Amateur Football League side.