Saturday 21st August 2021

Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League

President's League Cup Section One

Oban Saints GG 3 - 0 Calderglen

Oban Community Sports Field (3G)

Soroba Road

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4JB

Kick Off 2pm
Referee Mr Martin Rae

Covid-19 restrictions forced the cancellation of Oban Saints scheduled Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division clash with reigning Champions St Patrick's FP leaving Oban Saints GG to take centre stage at Oban High School last Saturday afternoon.

The Saints second string lost their opening Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League President's League Cup group section match against Division One side Rhu GGP the previous Saturday and were looking to bounce back against Lochwinnoch based Calderglen also of the top division. Goals from Thomas McCrindle, Donald Campbell and Rory Dowd gave Saints their first Group Section One points but more importantly put valuable minutes in the tank for a number of players in need of game time.

Manager Donald Black had only seven of the previous week's squad available for selection and was forced to make significant changes hampering his preparations for when the serious business of the Division 3A league campaign gets underway in September.

Saints lined up with Murdo MacKenzie in goal behind a back three of Steven MacLeod, Alex Craik and Thomas Maitland. Across the midfield were Craig Livingstone, Cammy Clark, Gavin Forgrieve, Rory Dowd and Captain Kenneth Black with Fraser MacFarlane and Donald Campbell up front. On the sparsely populated substitutes bench were Cammy Hill and Ruaridh Munro.

Oban Saints GG starting lineup:-

Used substitutes:-

Ruaridh Munro

Cammy Hill

The visitors kicked off attacking the Glencruitten end in heavy rain which continued to fall for the entire ninety minutes and forced the first corner kick of the match inside sixty seconds. The Saints defence with Steven MacLeod and Alex Craik providing the experience to Thomas McCrindle's youth coped comfortably with the early threat and would remain firmly in control for the most part.

It took Saints until the tenth minute to register the first serious attempt on goal generated principally by the endeavour of Craig Livingstone on the right. The flying wing back made a strong run on the right and fizzed over a cross fractionally too high for Fraser MacFarlane in the middle. Donald Campbell's excellent first touch brought the ball under control at the back post but his shot back across goal from a tight angle slipped wide of target.

Livingstone found himself on the end of an excellent delivery from the left from Kenneth Black but despite his good run to provide the target for the Skipper's cross Livingstone glanced his header wide of Colin Robertson's left hand post.

Matthew Nisbet's twenty second minute interception gained possession for Calderglen midway inside the Saints half as the home side tried to play their way out from the back. Nisbett raced into the box on the left and sent a low cross towards the back post where Alex Craik was on hand to snuff out the danger.

A smart turn from Fraser MacFarlane twenty two yards out and left of centre earned Saints a free-kick when Gary Gillies hauled down the Saints striker. MacFarlane took the free-kick himself with the slippery conditions conspiring against Calderglen keeper Colin Robertson as he allowed MacFarlane's effort to squirm from his grasp. Donald Campbell was following in on his strike partner's effort but was beaten to the loose ball by Robertson who reacted well to claw the ball away from Campbell.

MacFarlane was felled again after thirty four minutes with the challenge from Nicky Parsons earning the Calderglen winger a yellow card from Referee Martin Rae. Further punishment followed for the visitors when Donald Campbell's glancing header helped Cammy Clark's free-kick across the face of goal where Thomas McCrindle was on hand to prod the ball home from close range.

The visitors lost the services of Martin Freeburn to injury with Kevin Crawford getting the nod to replace the crocked striker.

Saints retained the upper hand going into the closing stages of the first half and Kenneth Black's driving run on the left forced a corner kick in the forty fifth minute. Gavin Forgrieve, who saw a lot of the ball in central midfield, sent over an inviting delivery however Donald Campbell was denied the opportunity the get his head on it by the arms of Logan Macdonald whose indiscretion didn't escape the attention of Referee Martin Rae who immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Donald Campbell duly despatched the spot kick past Colin Robertson to give Saints a two goal advantage going into the half-time interval.

The second half was only seven minutes old when the home side added a third thanks in the most part to the trickery of Fraser MacFarlane on the left. MacFarlane got to the bye-line and cut back for Rory Dowd who slotted home from close range for what would prove to be the final goal of the afternoon.

Also ending there was Dowd's involvement in proceedings with his place in midfield being taken by Ruaridh Munro. The visitors also made a change sending on Aaron Davis to replace Donald Barber.

Donald Campbell was upended by Fraser Wilson on the hour mark but the four man Calderglen wall did it's job well to block Campbell's twenty two yard free-kick.

Campbell, Kenneth Black and Ruaridh Munro linked up well after sixty five minutes setting up a shooting opportunity on the edge of the box which the Saints Skipper lifted left footed just over the Calderglen crossbar.

The clearly struggling Cammy Clark limped to the touchline in the sixty eighth minute prompting Manager Donald Black to ready substitute Cammy Hill. Referee Rae ushered on Hill at the next break in play before flashing the yellow card in Clark's direction for leaving the field of play without permission.

Calderglen keeper Colin Robertson made an acrobatic save to push away a curling Fraser MacFarlane effort before Donald Campbell twice narrowly failed to hit the target with Robertson beaten.

The visitors rallied well for the closing stages but found the Saints defence in no mood to surrender their highly prized clean sheet.

Murdo MacKenzie came well off his line to concede an eighty fourth minute corner kick and was relieved to see Kevin Crawford's free header from Logan Macdonald's corner kick fly wide of his right hand post.

Cammy Hill played in Kenneth Black in the eighty fifth minute with the Skipper firing into the side netting after a good overlapping run on the left.

More pressure from the visitors who kept up their pursuit of a consolation goal forced a corner kick on the left but Kevin Crawford's in-swinger couldn't clear the front post from where Steven MacLeod headed firmly away.

A neat turn inside the Saints box from Aaron Davis gave the second half substitute an eighty eighth minute sight of goal forcing Murdo MacKenzie to make a flying save high to his left to push the ball behind for a corner kick which the Saints defence cleared comfortably.

Referee Rae, who got all the key decisions correct, brought proceedings to a close after three added minutes