Saturday 17th July 2021

Friendly

Oban Saints 6 - 1 Cambuslang Football Academy Pirates

Glencruitten 2

Mossfield Avenue

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4EH

Kick Off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Jimmy Litster

Oban Saints continued their build up to the new season at a sun drenched Glencruitten last Saturday afternoon. A first run-out on the Glencruitten turf for ten months saw the D&K Lafferty sponsored Saints play host to Glasgow Colleges Football Association side Cambuslang Football Academy Pirates in an entertaining encounter.

First half goals from Gavin Forgrieve and Rory Dowd added to a brace from Lewis Cameron to give Saints a four goal half time lead. The visitors rallied briefly in the second half and replied through Gordon Wynne before second half substitute Kyle Cooper added two more for Saints to round off the scoring at 6 - 1.

Manager Willie Gemmell returned from self isolation to take the reins and with a number of players unavailable was forced to name himself on the substitutes bench along with Fraser MacFarlane and latest Saints Youth graduate Kyle Cooper.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod, Martin Bonar and Kenneth Black. Myles McAuley and Gavin Forgrieve anchored the midfield with Rory Dowd, Lewis Cameron and Ross Maitland behind central striker Cammy Hill. On the bench were Kyle Cooper, Willie Gemmell and Fraser MacFarlane.

Oban Saints starting lineup:-

Used substitutes:-

Fraser MacFarlane

Kyle Cooper

Unused substitute:-

Willie Gemmell

Saints kicked off attacking the railway line end and had their noses in front inside five minutes. Rory Dowd picked out Lewis Cameron on the corner of the Pirates box from where he spun away from his marker and tucked the ball underneath the dive of Scott Matthews to open the scoring.

The home side doubled their advantage just two minutes later after good work on the left by the evergreen Ross Maitland. The Player/Coach who allegedly retired in 2017 found Gavin Forgrieve on the eighteen yard line whose curling net bound effort was deflected off a defender's back completely wrong footing goalkeeper Scott Matthews before nestling in the bottom corner of the net.

The Pirates made their first voyage into Saints territory in the twelfth minute with Kenneth Black doing well at left back to keep pace with Andy Bonham and block the Pirates right back's cross out for a corner kick. Jamie Alexander climbed well at the back post but found Saints number one Graham Douglas equal to the task holding Alexander's header safely to his right.

Alexander made a nuisance of himself again after twenty minutes when he wriggled away from Martin Bonar, who slotted in well alongside Steven MacLeod in central defence, and fired a low shot across Graham Douglas but wide of the far post.

Sixty seconds later Gordon Wynne swung over a cross from the left looking for Alexander which Douglas gathered comfortably before launching another Saints attack. Martin Bonar collected the ball from Douglas and combined well on the left with Kenneth Black and found Lewis Cameron midway inside the Pirates half. Cameron drove at the Cambuslang defence and drilled a low shot from eighteen yards inches wide of the post with Scott Matthews firmly rooted to the spot.

Ross Maitland continued to roll back the years and raced in from the right beating the Pirates offside trap to meet Gavin Forgrieve's through ball. Scott Matthews did well to narrow the angle and block Maitland's effort but luck deserted him when the loose ball fell to the feet of Rory Dowd who gleefully rolled the ball into the unguarded net for Saints third goal.

A speculative thirty five yard shot from Ross Thomson bounced awkwardly in front of Graham Douglas who needed two attempts to get the ball under control.

The visitors lost the services of centre forward Jamie Alexander to injury with David Lynass coming on in a straight forty first minute swap.

Cammy Hill's forty third minute driving run at the Cambuslang defence was halted two yards short of the eighteen yard line by a trip from Andy Bonham. Lewis Cameron took full advantage of the dead ball opportunity and curled a delightful finish over the four man Cambuslang wall and into the postage stamp corner to end the first half scoring.

Ross Maitland had the ball in the Pirates net sixty seconds after the restart after racing through the inside left channel to meet a pinpoint diagonal pass from Gavin Forgrieve. Referee Jimmy Litster, who handled a good natured encounter well, however ruled in favour of the visitor's appeals for an offside decision against the Saints wide man.

Graham Douglas had to watch Barry Duncan's swerving forty eighth minute effort from distance carefully and elected for safety first parrying to his left before picking up the loose ball.

Douglas parried again five minutes later this time to his right from a well struck David Lynass shot but the loose ball was well out of his reach and was pounced on by Gordon Wynne who, much to the delight of the boisterous crew on the touchline, tucked the ball underneath the Saints keeper's dive to raise the visitors hopes of a comeback.

Conceding a goal rekindled Saints interest in the game and Ruaridh Horne came close with a left foot effort across the face of goal from fourteen yards after cutting in from the right.

Saints Manager Willie Gemmell made the first of just two changes in the fifty sixth minute replacing Kenneth Black with Fraser MacFarlane.

MacFarlane was quickly involved linking up well with Lewis Cameron before teeing up Rory Dowd for a left foot shot from twenty yards which sailed just over the crossbar.

Latest graduate from the Oban Saints Youth set-up Kyle Cooper was given the chance to shine when he replaced Cammy Hill for the closing half hour.

The visitors continued to enjoy a good spell but were twice frustrated by important Saints interceptions. Steven MacLeod did well to divert a David Lynass shot away from goal before an in-swinging corner kick from the left evaded everyone only for Ross Maitland to thump the ball to safety at the back post.

Saints extinguished any hopes of a Cambuslang comeback when Kyle Cooper notched the first of his brace in the seventy fifth minute. Lewis Cameron feed the young substitute midway inside the Pirates half from where he powered forward holding off the attentions of Tom Coyle before beating Scott Matthews with a well struck right foot shot into the bottom corner from eighteen yards.

Despite the score line Pirates keeper Scott Matthews has a steady match but left his team mates all at sea in the eighty first minute. An under hit Matthews pass out from the back intended for Andy Bonham was intercepted by Rory Dowd who carried the ball into the Pirates box before squaring to the unmarked Kyle Cooper to roll the ball into the unguarded net for his second and Saints sixth goal of the afternoon.

The woodwork denied Cooper his hat-trick with two minutes remaining after the young striker had been found in the box by Ruaridh Horne. Cooper turned away from Jordan Serries and struck low to Scott Matthews' left but was left frustrated when the ball struck the inside of the post and bounced back into the grateful arms of the Pirates keeper.

Mr Litster brought proceedings to a close after three added minutes with both sets of players happy to escape the heat although the continuing ban on the use of showering and changing facilities would leave the visitors in particular an uncomfortable journey home.

The build-up to the new season continues this coming Saturday when Saints welcome old adversaries Thorn Athletic to Glencruitten for a first ever non competitive meeting of the two former Scottish Amateur Football League sides.