Saturday 14th May 2022

Central Scottish Amateur Football League

Premier Division

Oban Saints 0 - 1 Drumchapel Amateurs

Oban Community Sports Field

Soroba Road

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4JB

Kick Off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Tony McCann

Oban Saints welcomed title contenders Drumchapel Amateurs to Oban High School last Saturday afternoon for a Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division clash with three more valuable league points up for grabs.

Despite competing well against the league leaders the home side ultimately succumbed to a second half headed goal from veteran midfielder and legendary disc jockey David Forbes which sent Drumchapel three points clear at the top of table and leaves Saints still perilously close to the relegation places.

Work commitments kept Manager Willie Gemmell away from the touchline therefore Coaches Ross Maitland and Peter MacCallum and Secretary David Buchanan once again took charge of team affairs. The familiar story of injuries, suspensions, work and family commitments hampered the Management team's options and necessitated call-up's for Kenneth Black, Ollie Sharp and David Smith to bolster the squad numbers.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Jack Wright, Alex Craik, Thomas McCrindle and Scott Maitland. Holding the midfield were Gavin Forgrieve and Daniel MacCuish with James Ford, Matty Kelly and Captain Craig MacEwan behind central striker Kyle Cooper. On the substitutes bench were Kenneth Black, Cammy Clark, David Dunlop, Ollie Sharp and David Smith.

Oban Saints starting line-up:-

Used substitutes:-

Cammy Clark

Ollie Sharp

Unused substitutes:-

Kenneth Black

David Dunlop

David Smith

Making his final appearance before retirement Saints Skipper Craig MacEwan got the action underway attacking the Glencruitten end and had a hand in setting up the first opportunity of the afternoon in the second minute. Linking up well on the left with Matty Kelly and Kyle Cooper, MacEwan picked out James Ford on the edge of the box for a low right foot shot which grazed the outside of Drumchapel keeper Stephen Mather's right hand post.

Mather made an excellent double save four minutes later to deny James Ford and Matty Kelly. Kelly cut in well from the left and found Ford for a shot from twelve yards which Mather did well to stop. The big keeper couldn't hold Ford's shot but recovered quickly to smother Kelly's effort on the rebound.

Teenage striker Kyle Cooper was inches away from connecting with Scott Maitland's eighth minute cross from the left as the bright start continued for the home side.

Visitors Drumchapel have shown remarkable resilience to recover from last month's devastating defeat to Tollcross Thistle in the much delayed 2020 Scottish Amateur Cup Final and they slowly began to gain the upper hand in the vital midfield battle.

Saints right fullback Jack Wright did well to head a twentieth minute Alan Kelly right wing cross behind for a corner kick and repeated the feat to head away Kelly's delivery from the corner flag.

Dead ball expert Kelly's deep twenty third minute corner kick from the right picked out Kerr Hunter at the back post however, under pressure from Daniel MacCuish, the big striker couldn't direct his header on target.

Stephen Mather positioned himself well to reach up and catch Gavin Forgrieve's attempted lob from the edge of the box before launching a counter attack which saw Jamie Ross curl a delightful left foot effort beyond the reach of Graham Douglas and onto the crossbar.

The visitors had the ball in the net in the thirty third minute however Referee Tony McCann, who handled proceedings well, correctly ruled that David Forbes had strayed offside to head home a Jamie Ross cross from the left.

Central defender Paul McConachie joined the attack in the thirty sixth minute and delivered a dangerous cross come shot from the right which Graham Douglas could only palm across the face of goal with Jack Wright fortunately on hand to mop up the danger.

Douglas' handling was assured in claiming a flicked on throw-in from the right before launching a counter-attack which saw Kyle Cooper send a cutback from the right fractionally behind the supporting run of Matty Kelly.

Not the tallest on the park by some distance veteran Drumchapel midfielder David Forbes still posed the greatest aerial threat with his fortieth minute header from an Alan Kelly corner kick from the right flying inches wide of target.

The Kelly and Forbes combination produced the only goal of the game in the fifty fourth minute when Forbes' header from Kelly's free-kick was parried by Graham Douglas but only back into the path of Forbes who poked home from close range.

Saints responded with a deep cross from Craig MacEwan which Scott Maitland did well to reach with a diving back post header which was well held by Stephen Mather followed by a Gavin Forgrieve shot from twenty five yards which flew just wide of the postage stamp corner.

Daniel MacCuish's sixty seventh minute trip on Alan Kelly gave Kelly another dead-ball opportunity which he gratefully accepted with a curling effort which had Graham Douglas at full stretch to push behind for a corner kick. Kelly went short from the corner flag accepting a return pass before jinking into the box and lofting a cross for David Forbes whose header was parried by Graham Douglas before being thumped clear by Gavin Forgrieve.

Injury cut short Thomas McCrindle's afternoon with Cammy Clark joining the action as his seventy seventh minute replacement. In Saints only other change Ollie Sharp's recent impressive performances for the club's second string were rewarded with a first team debut at the expense of James Ford.

Kyle Cooper's strong running on the right forced an eighty seventh minute corner kick on the right from where Craig MacEwan's downward header was taken off the toes of Ollie Sharp by Sean Keegan.

That was as close as Saints would come to breaching the Drumchapel defence who remained relatively untroubled during the five additional minutes allowed by Mr McCann confirming a narrow but fully deserved victory for the visitors.

Saints face another massive test this coming Saturday when they travel to Kirkintilloch to face second placed Harestanes who are in a four way fight for the Premier Division title with Drumchapel, Lesmahagow and St Patrick's F.P.