Saturday 31st July 2021

Friendly

Oban Saints 1 - 0 Stenhousemuir Community AFC

Glencruitten 2

Mossfield Avenue

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4EH

Kick Off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Pat O'Donnell

Oban Saints continued their build up to the new season at a sunny Glencruitten last Saturday afternoon with Stenhousemuir Community providing the opposition. The first time visitors to Oban are the amateur wing of Scottish Professional Football League Two club Stenhousemuir FC and currently ply their trade in the Caledonian Amateur Football League Premier Division.

Clear cut chances were at a premium and a solitary first half strike from teenage striker Kyle Cooper was all that could separate the two sides.

Injuries to key players continue to restrict Manager Willie Gemmell's options and the Gaffer was dealt a further blow when Kerr Newbigging pulled up injured during the warm-up.

There was a surprise in store for the Glencruitten faithful when striker Cammy Hill was deployed at right fullback while Kyle Cooper's impressive performances from the substitutes bench earned him a starting role up front.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four Cammy Hill, Steven MacLeod, Dene Cassells and Captain Scott Maitland. Myles McAuley and Gavin Forgrieve anchored the midfield with Ross Maitland, Lewis Cameron and Rory Dowd behind central striker Kyle Cooper. On the bench were Kenneth Black, Martin Bonar, Donald Campbell, Alex Craik and Fraser MacFarlane.

Oban Saints starting line-up:-

Used substitutes:-

Alex Craik

Donald Campbell

Martin Bonar

Fraser MacFarlane

Unused substitute:-

Kenneth Black

Saints kicked off attacking the railway line end but it was the visitors who were first to threaten when David Mitchell's near post run to connect with Ryan Wilson's free-kick from the right saw the big defender's cushioned effort fall wide of Graham Douglas' left hand post.

Back in the more familiar territory of his own eighteen yard box Mitchell's attempted clearance from Scott Maitland's sixth minute left wing cross was sliced over the Stenny crossbar however Lewis Cameron's corner kick from the left found no takers at the back post.

The tenth minute saw teenage striker Kyle Cooper net the only goal of the game. The evergreen Ross Maitland made a good run on the right but saw Stenny keeper Allan Pacitti race out of his box to intercept Cammy Hill's ball over the top. Pacitti's luck was out however when he could only direct the ball into the path of Kyle Cooper who showed great composure to lift the ball over Pacitti and the retreating Stenny defence into the unguarded net.

Jack Donaldson opened up the Saints defence with a slide rule fifteenth minute pass for James Macadam. The Stenny wide man evaded the attentions of Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland but couldn't beat the advancing Graham Douglas whose block came back off Macadam and bounced well wide of goal.

Kyle Cooper had the ball in the net again on the twenty minute mark side footing home a Ross Maitland cut-back from the right. However Referee Pat O'Donnell, who handled proceedings well, correctly ruled that Maitland's jinking run had carried the ball over the byeline in the build-up.

In the Warriors' midfield Jack Donaldson continued to look for runners and picked out Nicholas Brown on the left in the twenty second minute. Steven MacLeod did well to force Brown wide with Graham Douglas showing safe hands to cut out Brown's left foot cross at his front post.

Rolling substitutions were the order of the day and Saints Gaffer Willie Gemmell made his first change on the half hour mark replacing Steven MacLeod with Alex Craik in a straight swap in central defence.

Kyle Cooper was acquitting himself well in the lone striker role and came within inches of doubling his tally when he failed narrowly to connect with Skipper Scott Maitland's thirty second minute left wing cross. Stenny keeper Allan Pacitti immediately launched a counter-attack and another Jack Donaldson defence splitting pass wasn't capitalised on with Aarron Macalpine curling wide of target from sixteen yards.

The goalkeepers remained untroubled through to the interval with Lewis Cameron and Cammy Hill for Saints and Tylar Adamson for Stenny all having efforts off target.

Saints made a positive start to the second half with Cammy Hill and Ross Maitland combining well again on the right. Maitland's lay off to Hill sent the fullback along the eighteen yard line before firing off a low left foot shot wide of Allan Pacitti's left hand post.

Lewis Cameron was sent sprawling in the visitor's box in the fifty fifth minute however Mr O'Donnell saw no infringement and Saints were left disappointed for a second time when Kyle Cooper fired the loose ball across the face of goal and wide of Pacitti's right hand post.

Ross Maitland sent Kyle Cooper into the Stenny box sixty seconds later but with Cooper ready to pull the trigger Daniel McInnes got back with a perfectly timed sliding challenge to put the back behind for a corner kick. That proved to be Maitland's last involvement of a productive afternoon as he and Rory Dowd made way for Donald Campbell and Steven MacLeod. From Lewis Cameron's corner kick Alex Craik's shot on the turn was blocked by a wall of Stenny defenders in no mood to concede again.

Cammy Hill continued to grow into his new role as a rampaging right-back and made a sixty third minute driving run into the Warriors' box. Hill was able to pick out Lewis Cameron at the back post but the Saints talisman had his effort parried by Allan Pacitti before Daniel McInnes turned the ball behind. Lewis Cameron found the head of Dene Cassells from the corner flag but the big central defender was unable to cap another solid defensive performance with a goal and sent his header over the crossbar.

Martin Bonar replaced Gavin Forgrieve as Myles McAuley's central midfield partner in the sixty seventh minute. McAuley and Bonar were both involved in a patient Saints build-up which saw McAuley lift the ball into the eighteen yard box for a Donald Campbell volley on the turn which cleared the crossbar by a matter of inches.

Campbell still needs a little more game time to get his renowned eye for goal back in and he sent another effort over the crossbar when found in the Stenny box by Martin Bonar.

Saints Gaffer Willie Gemmell made his final change with ten minutes remaining sending on Fraser MacFarlane to replace Lewis Cameron.

With time running out Stenny launched a long free-kick deep into the Saints box looking for the head of Daniel McInnes but Martin Bonar got there first with a vital touch to send the ball behind for a corner kick. The Warriors' delivery from the left was well intercepted at the front post by Scott Maitland preserving Saints highly prized clean sheet.

Saints kept pressing for a second goal and only an excellent finger tip save from Allan Pacitti prevented Kyle Cooper from completing his brace and kept Saints winning margin to a single goal.

Saints Gaffer Willie Gemmell will be pleased with another impressive performance against top class Caledonian Amateur Football League opposition and in particular with a second consecutive clean sheet.

The preseason schedule concludes this coming Saturday with a visit from fellow Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division side Steins Thistle. The two time East of Scotland Amateur Cup winners will give Saints another stiff test and provide a glimpse of the quality of opposition which lies in wait when the new league season kicks off on Saturday 14th August.