Saturday 11th December 2021

Central Scottish Amateur Football League

Premier Division

Oban Saints 2 - 1 Gartcosh United

Oban Community Sports Field

Soroba Road

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4JB

Kick Off 1.00pm
Referee Mr Tony McCann

Oban Saints final home fixture of 2021 brought their long awaited first home Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division win of the season. Last Saturday morning's heavy rain forced a switch of venue from Glencruitten to Oban High School and with it a much needed change of fortune.

Matty Kelly gave Saints a deserved first half lead but the home side were pegged back after just two second half minutes after an excellent turn and shot from former Celtic and Scotland striker Craig Beattie.

This has been an all too familiar story in Saints debut season in the top division in Scottish amateur football however, spurred on by the large and unusually vocal home support, the D&K Lafferty and MKM Building Supplies sponsored side dug in and bagged the three points when Dene Cassells headed home an eighty fifth minute Gavin Forgrieve free-kick.

Work commitments kept Manager Willie Gemmell away from the touchline so Coaches Ross Maitland and Peter MacCallum and Secretary David Buchanan took charge of team affairs. Ruaridh Horne made a welcome return from injury but Scott Maitland, Lewis Cameron, Kyle Cooper and Thomas McCrindle were all unavailable so Alex Craik and Lewis Buchanan were drafted in to join Ross Maitland and Louie MacFarlane on the substitutes bench.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back three of Steven MacLeod, Dene Cassells and Ruaridh Horne. Across the five man midfield were David Beaton, Myles McAuley, Matty Kelly, Gavin Forgrieve and Cammy Hill with Daniel MacCuish and Craig MacEwan up front.

Oban Saints starting line-up:-

Used substitutes:-

Alex Craik

Unused substitutes:-

Lewis Buchanan

Ross Maitland

Louie MacFarlane

Gartcosh kicked off in torrential rain attacking the school end and were immediately on the front foot forcing Ruaridh Horne to make a good block to divert a Ross Fisher shot behind for a corner kick. The delivery from Scott Starrs on the right found Craig Beattie but the big central defender couldn't direct his header on target.

Beattie was called into action in his own eighteen yard box twice in quick succession making vital interceptions to prevent Cammy Hill from picking out firstly Craig MacEwan and then Matty Kelly after driving runs on the left.

Jordan Murphy's long throw-ins were to prove a major weapon in the Gartcosh arsenal and his ninth minute throw from the right was headed out from the penalty spot by Dene Cassells but only as far as Ross Fisher on the eighteen yard line whose shot fizzed just wide of Graham Douglas' right hand post.

David Beaton's pace on the right took him into the Gartcosh box on the end of an eighteenth minute Craig MacEwan lay-off from Matty Kelly's through ball. With a cut-back to MacEwan also an option Beaton elected to shoot from a tight angle and rattled Andrew Barlow's near post with a thumping effort.

Five minutes later Craig MacEwan's jinking run took him behind the Gartcosh back line and into the box but with only young keeper Barlow left to beat the Skipper tried to find David Beaton with a miscued effort across the face of goal allowing Jordan Murphy to get back and clear the danger.

Saints were knocking hard on the Gartcosh door and a twenty seventh move involving Matty Kelly, Gavin Forgrieve and Craig MacEwan saw the Skipper's shot from sixteen yards well saved by Andrew Barlow.

Referee Tony McCann produced the first yellow card of the afternoon for Philip Dolan's late challenge on Steven MacLeod after a good covering challenge from the veteran Saints defender as Dolan threatened to break through.

The deadlock was broken in the thirty third minute when Saints broke with pace after repelling another Jordan Murphy long throw. Dene Cassells won the header which was picked up on the edge of the box by Matty Kelly who sent Cammy Hill off on a run up the left. Hill's perfectly weighted pass into Kelly's path was met with crisp finish into the bottom corner past Barlow's left hand.

Saints tried to pick their way through the Gartcosh rear guard again on the stroke of half-time with David Beaton, Daniel MacCuish, Cammy Hill, Matty Kelly and Craig MacEwan all involved before Beaton's shot was blocked by the considerable frame of Craig Beattie.

The good first half work was undone after just two second half minutes when cheaply conceded possession was clinically punished by the visitors. David Beaton's clearing header from Jordan Murphy's throw-in was picked up by Daniel MacCuish on the Saints right but his flick intended for Matty Kelly was easily read and intercepted by Murphy whose raking ball to the far post found the still up in attack Craig Beattie. Despite now operating as a central defender Beattie has lost none of his striking prowess and after taking the ball down expertly and turning away from Ruaridh Horne he slammed an unstoppable shot past Graham Douglas to level the scoring.

The early second half momentum was with the visitors and Philip Dolan and Dylan Kerr both drew good saves from Saints number one Graham Douglas.

At the other end a perfectly timed sliding challenge from Jordan Murphy denied David Beaton a strike on goal from a swift counter attack on the right.

Ruaridh Horne's first start of the season came to an end after sixty five minutes when he was replaced in the back three by veteran Alex Craik.

Referee McCann, who handled proceedings well, went to his top pocket again twice in the space of as many minutes dishing out yellow cards to Bradley Renfrew for dissent and second half substitute Jordon Wood for a late challenge on Cammy Hill.

Saints were left appealing in vain for a seventy fourth minute handball decision which didn't come. Jordon Wood didn't wait about to debate the decision and raced through on the Gartcosh right beating Graham Douglas to his left and, fortunately for the static Saints defence, smacking his shot off the left hand upright.

After the early second half set-back Saints had fought their way back into a finely balanced affair and Gavin Forgrieve's right foot shot from the left edge of the Gartcosh eighteen yard box curled inches wide of the postage stamp corner.

Jordan Murphy's seventy ninth minute mistimed challenge on Craig MacEwan earned the Gartcosh left fullback his side's fourth caution.

Gavin Forgrieve joined the Gartcosh contingent in Mr McCann's notebook for his reaction to Callum Galloway's late challenge. Forgrieve, who put in a good midfield shift alongside Myles McAuley and Matty Kelly dusted himself down to take the eighty fifth minute free-kick from sixteen yards inside the visitor's half. Forgrieve's delivery was met perfectly by the head of Dene Cassells whose run dissected Gartcosh central defensive pairing of Stewart Diamond and Craig Beattie to guide the ball past Andrew Barlow and into the unguarded net.

The Cosh threw everything they had into the search for a second equaliser in the remaining five minutes plus the additional four allowed by Mr McCann but the Saints rear-guard with experienced trio Dene Cassells, Alex Craik and Steven MacLeod at it's heart stood firm to secure a morale boosting victory.

Saints are on their travels this coming Saturday with a trip to North Lanarkshire to face Uddingston Anvil in the fourth round of the West of Scotland Amateur Cup.