Winning In The Rain: Saints Get Some Four Star Fuel In The Tank

Saturday 3rd July 2021

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Oban Saints 4 - 0 Lochgilphead Red Star

Oban Community Sports Field (3G)

Soroba Road

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4JB

Kick Off 1.15pm
Referee Mr Martin Rae

Following the withdrawal of two previously interested parties Oban Saints Secretary David Buchanan was grateful to closest neighbours Lochgilphead Red Star for stepping in at short notice to provide the opposition at Oban High School last Saturday afternoon for the first of Saints four friendlies ahead of the new Central Scottish Amateur Football League campaign.

Strict matchday protocols, including no changing facilities and no supporters inside the perimeter fencing, were followed by both sides where two first half goals each from Lewis Cameron and Captain Craig MacEwan gave Saints a comfortable victory over a Red Star side featuring a number of youngsters which bodes well for the future of the Mid Argyll club.

Saints had a number of absentees most notably Manager Willie Gemmell, whose place on the touchline was filled by Coach Ross Maitland, and goalkeeper Graham Douglas with Club legend David Dunlop taking care of business between the posts.

Saints lined up with David Dunlop in goal behind a back three of Ruaridh Horne, Kerr Newbigging and Dene Cassells. Across the midfield were David Beaton, Rory Dowd, Lewis Cameron, Myles McAuley and Scott Maitland. James Ford partnered Captain Craig MacEwan up front. On the bench were Kenneth Black, Alex Craik, Matty Kelly and Steven MacLeod.

Oban Saints starting lineup:-

Saints kicked off attacking the school end and quickly stamped their authority on a first half which they would go on to dominate almost entirely. From a first minute Lewis Cameron corner kick on the right the ball found it's way back to the taker's feet who cut into the box and crashed a shot into the side netting from an acute angle.

After having a right foot volley from a James Ford left wing cross blocked by Joseph Harper, Lewis Cameron opened the scoring in the thirteenth minute from Saints first effort on target. David Beaton was felled twenty four yards out from where Cameron found the top corner with unerring accuracy giving Red Star keeper Ally Lewis no chance.

Saints skipper Craig MacEwan made a good sixteenth minute run opening up space for another Cameron effort which flew narrowly wide of target.

The visitors were dealt a blow when they lost the services of skipper Aaron Moore to injury after twenty minutes allowing young central midfielder Keiran Caskie a longer than planned run-out on his first team debut.

A rare Red Star foray into Saints territory had the home defence appealing in vain for an offside decision from Referee Martin Rae which wasn't forthcoming. Ryan Caskie ran onto Andy Weir's ball over the top however Saints keeper David Dunlop narrowed the angle sufficiently to force Caskie into looking for a cutback which Ruaridh Horne intercepted to mop up the danger.

Horne featured at the other end in the twenty fourth minute winning a throw-in on the right level with the Red Star six yard line. Horne took the throw himself finding Lewis Cameron whose measured cross found the head of Captain Craig MacEwan who headed firmly past Ally Lewis to double the home side's advantage.

Saints kept up the pressure on the Star defence and four minutes later added a third with Skipper MacEwan completing his brace. James Ford and Lewis Cameron combined well on the left to send Myles McAuley on an overlapping run from where he produced an unlikely left foot cutback which MacEwan slammed home from close range.

A second change and first team debut for the visitors came on the half hour mark when young Woody Hoad replaced Ryan Caskie on the right of midfield.

Saints continued to knock the ball about confidently and struck again with ten of the first forty five minutes remaining. Myles McAuley won possession on the halfway line and sprayed the ball out to Ruaridh Horne on the right. Horne sent David Beaton scurrying forward with the pacy Saints wide man holding off the attentions of Joseph Harper to fire a low cross along the six yard line which Lewis Cameron arriving at the back post cushioned home with some aplomb.

Despite having almost nothing to do for entire first half veteran Saints keeper David Dunlop kept his wits about him to preserve his highly prized clean sheet safely holding a forty third minute snap shot from Stuart MacLean.

Saints Coach Ross Maitland made a double change for the start of the second half replacing Dene Cassells and Rory Dowd with Steven MacLeod and Matty Kelly.

The second half opened in similar style to the first and inside the first minute Scott Maitland and James Ford combined well on the left with Ford's cutback from the left being knocked out to Myles McAuley on the edge of the box who dragged his low shot just wide of target.

Despite his alleged retirement in 2018 the evergreen Alex Craik continued to turn back the years replacing Kerr Newbigging in the middle of the Saints back three in the fifty fifth minute.

Red Star's young keeper Ally Lewis made an impressive stop to deny Craig MacEwan a fifty seventh minute hat-trick goal from a Lewis Cameron lay-off. Lewis repeated the trick sixty seconds later when MacEwan and Cameron reversed roles for MacEwan to send Cameron into the box for a low effort which Lewis saved well at his near post.

Oban Saints GG Skipper Kenneth Black replaced Ruaridh Horne on the hour mark prompting a reshuffle in the back three where Steven MacLeod moved to the right allowing Black to take up his familiar position on the left.

Although still in control of proceedings Saints posed nowhere near the threat they carried in the first half and the visitors gained in confidence as the match progressed with Lee MacLean impressing in the midfield battle.

Scottish Amateur international colleagues Scott Maitland and Lewis Cameron linked up to good effect on the left for Cameron to pick out James Ford for a shot from eighteen yards which slipped just wide of Ally Lewis' right hand post.

Red Star Gaffer Colin Weir made it a hat-trick of first team debuts when he gave hard working central midfielder Angus Lewis a well earned rest and sent on Craig Aitken. The young left fullback made an instant impact racing forward on the left to fire off a shot which David Dunlop was pleased to see fly over his crossbar.

At the other end David Beaton had a similarly high and wide effort in the sixty seventh minute before Coach Ross Maitland made his first use of the rolling substitutes option to replace Craig MacEwan with Rory Dowd.

Lewis Cameron's search for a third goal continued in vain in the seventy sixth minute when despite a good turn to escape the attentions of Coll McCallum he was once again unable to find the target from eighteen yards.

David Beaton took what would prove to be a short breather when Ruaridh Horne replaced him in a straight swap on the right of midfield.

With the tempo continuing to drop Myles McAuley was caught in possession in the centre circle and was grateful to Alex Craik who put Neilly Russell under just enough pressure to ensure his effort lacked the pace to pose David Dunlop any problems.

Lewis Cameron's seventy ninth minute chip was well held by Ally Lewis before David Beaton was thrust back into the action to replace Myles McAuley for the closing stages.

The visitors deservedly kept their second half clean sheet intact when Ally Lewis saved with his feet to deny James Ford from close range after a jinking run into the box by Ford left the Red Star defence trailing in his wake.

Mr Rae, who handled proceedings well, brought a competitive but good natured encounter to an end with the minimum of added time giving both sides a valuable ninety minutes in the tank ahead of the season ahead.

For Red Star their preparations for the new Scottish Amateur Football League campaign continue with a trip to the Isle of Bute on Saturday 17th July to face Rothesay Brandane.

Before Saints can focus on the new Central Scottish Amateur Football League season they must first conclude the 2019 - 20 season with the League Division One play-off against the very impressive Division 1A winners Castlemilk Dynamo at Dalziel Park, Motherwell this coming Saturday.