Saturday 5th December 2020

Friendly

Oban Saints 5 - 0 Oban Saints GG

Oban Community Sports Field (3G)

Soroba Road

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4JB

Kick Off 1.30pm
Referee Mr Pat O'Donnell

Oban Saints Central Scottish Amateur Football League side and their Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League counterparts played out an entertaining friendly at Oban High School last Saturday afternoon.

Despite the final score line this was no walk in the park for the senior of the club's two sides with the youthful second string ensuring their more experienced opponents had to work hard for their victory.

With a return to competitive football as we know it still some way away Referee Pat O'Donnell ensured the current match day protocols, including no spectators inside the perimeter fencing, were strictly enforced for the 1.30pm kick-off played in pleasant winter sunshine.

Both Managers had selection headaches not the least of which was first team Manager Willie Gemmell's own unavailability leaving Coaches Jamie Graham and Peter MacCallum and Club Secretary David Buchanan in charge.

Martin Bonar, James Ford, Myles McAuley and Craig MacEwan all dropped out from the previous week's squad with Scott Johnston returning and Coach Jamie Graham taking a place on the substitutes bench.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod, Kerr Newbigging and Scott Maitland. Scott Johnston returned to partner Matty Kelly in the holding midfield roles with Aaron McKay, Gavin Forgrieve and Cammy Hill supporting central striker David Beaton. On a sparsely populated bench were Lewis Campbell and Jamie Graham.

Oban Saints starting lineup:-

Used substitutes:-

Lewis Campbell

Jamie Graham

Saints GG Manager was without Alan Buchanan, Cammy Clark and Robert Johnstone but still had sufficient depth in his squad to name three substitutes.

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

Oban Saints GG starting lineup:-

Used substitutes:-

James Beaton

Kyle Cooper

Keir MacLean

Saints kicked off attacking the school end and straight from Referee Pat O'Donnell's first whistle took the game to their Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League opponents. Aaron McKay sent a shot wide of Murdo MacKenzie's right hand post in the third minute before Ryan Barclay made an important block to deny the Saints wide man in the ninth minute. Barclay's interception fell kindly for Gavin Forgrieve who looked set to give Murdo MacKenzie his first test of the afternoon until Craig Easton's vital touch sent the ball spinning behind for a corner kick.

Forgrieve's delivery from the right was intercepted at the front post by Andy Moore with a glancing header which flashed dangerously across the six yard box. Saints kept the pressure on the GG defence and worked the ball back over to the right wing where Andy Moore slid in on Scott Johnston at the expense of another corner kick. This time Gavin Forgrieve aimed for the back post where his perfect delivery was met by Cammy Hill who leapt above the GG defence to head home from four yards range.

Having provided the assist for the opening goal Gavin Forgrieve opened his own account in the sixteenth minute rounding off a patient build up with a sweet curling finish. Thirty plus passes were involved as Saints probed for an opening which finally came from a David Beaton lay off to Forgrieve on the corner of the eighteen yard box who curled a right foot finish across Murdo MacKenzie into the postage stamp corner.

Saints GG made their first foray forward in the eighteenth minute but found Steven MacLeod once again in commanding form at the heart of the Saints defence. MacLeod was too strong for Fraser MacFarlane and launched a counter attack up the left wing. Gavin Forgrieve found Cammy Hill in the middle who helped the ball on to galloping fullback Ruaridh Horne who held off the challenge of Daniel Sloss before crashing a right foot shot into the side netting.

Elder statesman of an otherwise youthful Saints GG line up Alex Craik showed all his experience to snuff out a promising burst into the box from David Beaton before Craig Easton was once again on hand with an interception to divert a net bound Gavin Forgrieve effort wide of target.

Rolling substitutes was the order of the day and Saints GG Manager Donald Black was first to take advantage of this option swapping Fraser MacFarlane for Kyle Cooper. The young striker was quickly involved in the action getting on the end of a Craig Easton cutback from the left. Daniel MacCuish did well to dispossess Scott Johnston and send Easton away however, despite making a good near post run, Cooper was unable to beat Saints number one Graham Douglas from close range.

Both sides made enforced changes in the thirty fifth minute. Lewis Buchanan couldn't run off the effects of a heavy Matty Kelly challenge and was replaced by Keir MacLean while a thigh strain ended Kerr Newbigging's involvement giving Jamie Graham an unexpected run out in central defence.

The new front pairing for Saints GG linked up well in the thirty eighth minute taking advantage of a slack ball out from the back by Graham Douglas. Keir MacLean picked out Kyle Cooper at the back post but the young striker couldn't direct his effort on target.

Saints took full advantage of the two let-offs to stretch their lead still further in the fortieth minute. Cammy Hill held the ball up well on the edge of the GG box and laid off to Gavin Forgrieve who turned onto his right foot and sent a shot from twenty three yards arcing away from Murdo MacKenzie's right hand into the top corner of the net.

With the low sun in his eyes Graham Douglas had to watch a speculative forty fourth minute long range effort from Andy Moore carefully before calmly plucking the ball out of the air.

There was no such calm sixty seconds later when the backpedalling keeper was at full stretch to make a fine save tipping a forty yard Daniel MacCuish lob over his crossbar.

Saints made a change for the start of the second half sending on Lewis Campbell to replace Aaron McKay. Inside the first minute Campbell was sent sprawling in the box however Referee Pat O'Donnell, who handled proceedings well throughout, saw nothing wrong with the challenge from Andy Moore.

Campbell was involved again in the fiftieth minute shooting wide of target after Murdo MacKenzie could only parry a Scott Maitland effort.

Skipper for the day Maitland was in adventurous mood again five minutes later driving into the box on the left however Murdo MacKenzie read his intentions and stood up well to beat the ball away.

MacKenzie made another good save to deny Ruaridh Horne in the fifty seventh minute but was powerless to stop Cammy Hill from finding the net for a second time from the resulting corner kick. Gavin Forgrieve once again found Hill's head in the six yard box from the corner flag. MacKenzie stopped Hill's header on the goal line but was beaten for the fourth time by Hill's side foot finish on the rebound.

James Beaton replaced Andy Moore for the final thirty minutes and won a sixty fifth minute free-kick on the left on the corner of the Saints eighteen yard box. Keir MacLean sent an inviting ball bouncing across the face of goal which Matty Kelly, guarding the back post, was happy to thump clear.

Sixty seconds later Jamie Graham sent MacLean crashing to the ground on the opposite corner of the box which favoured the left foot of Daniel MacCuish. The central midfielder lifted his free-kick over the Saints wall forcing Graham Douglas to punch clear with Alex Craik and Keir MacLean waiting to pounce.

Murdo MacKenzie held a seventy fifth minute Lewis Campbell shot before, at the other end, Kyle Copper headed over a Kenny Black cross after the Saints GG Skipper had been sent clear on the left by Craig Easton.

Daniel MacCuish continued to impress in central midfield for Saints GG and turned away from Aaron McKay in the centre circle in the seventy eighth minute. MacCuish drove forward and tee'd up Fraser MacFarlane for a twenty five yard shot which Graham Douglas safely held.

Following a quick release from Graham Douglas Saints moved swiftly into the Saints GG half where Cammy Hill slipped David Beaton through in the inside right channel. Beaton's pace took him away from the defence and his early shot from nineteen yards gave Murdo MacKenzie no chance and rounded off the scoring.

To their credit Saints GG refused to give up and kept pushing for a consolation goal but found the Saints defence in no mood to surrender a highly prized clean sheet. James Beaton led an eightieth minute Saints GG counter attack and tried to feed Fraser MacFarlane but Steven MacLeod read the danger well to usher the ball safely through to Graham Douglas.

Jamie Graham, who was a lot closer to the action than the afternoon of barking orders from the touchline he had anticipated, was on hand with a vital interception in the eighty fifth minute heading a Daniel MacCuish left wing cross behind for a corner kick.

Murdo MacKenzie made futher saves from Aaron McKay, who had rejoined the action as a replacement for Scott Johnston, Matty Kelly, Gavin Forgrieve and Lewis Campbell before Referee O'Donnell brought an entertaining encounter to an end.