Battling Saints Edge Out Bannockburn

Updated: Jan 30

Saturday 27th January 2024

Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association

Premiership

Oban Saints 3 - 2 Bannockburn

Glencruitten 2

Mossfield Avenue

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4EH

Kick-off 2.00pm

Referee Mr George Robinson

Last Saturday Oban Saints made their first appearance at Glencruitten since early November where the home faithful were treated to a five-goal thriller with James Muir's seventy-seventh minute free-kick eventually edging out visitors Bannockburn.

In a hard-fought encounter Graham Douglas sparked a frantic four-goal eighteen-minute spell either side of the half-time interval with a penalty-kick save creating the platform for Saints to take a two-goal lead only for Bannockburn to hit back immediately with two free headers.

There was a slice of good fortune for Muir's winning goal which deflected off the Bannockburn wall however Saints deserved the rub of the green with a battling performance which will do much to boost morale ahead in the countdown to the end of the season.

Saints Gaffer Ross Maitland had mixed news on the injury front with Steven MacLeod being joined in the treatment room by Drew Murray however there was a major boost with the news that Aaron Moore's hamstring strain was not as bad as initially feared allowing him to continue as stand-in Skipper while Scott Maitland continues his return to fitness.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Craig Livingstone, Fredrik Marthinsen, Paul McFatridge and James Conington. Aaron Moore, Gavin Forgrieve and Aaron McKay formed the midfield engine room with David Beaton, James Muir and Connor Moore up front. On the substitutes bench were Oran Bryce, Keiron Lopez, Scott Maitland and Fraser MacFarlane.

Saints kicked off attacking the railway line end where Bannockburn Skipper Kenneth Feaks made an important block to stop a shot from opposite number Aaron Moore after Gavin Forgrieve had lifted a seventh minute free-kick into the 'Burn eighteen-yard box.

Bannockburn goalkeeper Mark Gordon made a comfortable save two minutes later when James Muir tried his luck from twenty-five yards, but it was very much a midfield battle with neither defence seriously troubled.

The visitors won the first corner kick of the match after nineteen minutes when Fredrik Marthinsen was forced to turn the ball behind. Paul McFatridge won a good header to clear Ben Wilson's delivery from the corner flag launching a Saints counter-attack where Bannockburn fullback Lewis Weir did well to take the ball off Connor Moore's toes as the Saints striker bore down on goal.

Mark Gordon was in action again in the twenty-second minute showing good reactions to save David Beaton's header from a James Muir right wing cross at close range.

Saints' previously untried back four of Craig Livingstone, Fredrik Marthinsen, Paul McFatridge and James Conington continued to keep keeper Graham Douglas well protected with Marthinsen taking up a good covering position to hook clear a dangerous twenty-eighth minute ball along the six-yard line from Ben Wilson.

The match truly came to life in the thirty-fifth minute when Paul McFatridge brought down Ben Wilson on the edge of the Saints eighteen-yard box. The infringement appeared to take place outside the box however Referee George Robinson, who had a good game despite struggling throughout with a calf injury, awarded a penalty kick. Graham Douglas won the battle of wits with Scott Cowan and dropped to his left to smother the Bannockburn strikers attempt from twelve yards.

Saints immediately broke to the other end where a shooting opportunity opened up for Connor Moore. The diminutive striker delayed too long to get his shot away but had the presence of mind to pick out up in support fullback Craig Livingstone who smashed a right-foot shot high into the net to open the scoring.

The visitors looked to strike back from the restart and Graham Douglas was forced into a double save clawing Ben Wilson's shot from the left to the corner of the six-yard box and then safely holding Darren Walker's effort on the rebound.

As the action continued to flow from end-to-end James Muir won a corner-kick on the left which he took himself. Muir's delivery into the six-yard box was scrambled clear however James Conington kept the pressure on swinging over a cross from the left which Mark Gordon did well to gather under pressure from David Beaton.

The frantic period continued after the interval with Saints netting a second goal just ninety seconds after the restart. From a quickly taken throw-in on the right Connor Moore picked out James Muir at the back post who volleyed emphatically past Mark Gordon.

When the action got back underway Saints afforded the freedom of the eighteen-yard box to second-half substitute David Runciman who headed a Ben Wilson cross from the left back across Graham Douglas and into the top corner.

Aaron Moore continued his search for a first Saints goal heading a fifty-first minute James Conington throw-in from the left inches wide of Mark Gordon's right-hand post. Two minutes later it was Aaron McKay with the off-target header when the combative midfielder held off Lewis Weir's challenge to redirect David Beaton's cross from the right over the Bannockburn crossbar.

The visitors drew level in the fifty-third minute with Saints again guilty of leaving bodies unattended in the eighteen-yard box. Darren Walker's long throw-in from the right was flicked on at the front post by Lewis Weir to unmarked substitute Ben Mitchell who guided his header into the same top corner as David Runciman six minutes earlier.

Bannockburn had their tails up now and twice came close to taking the lead. Skipper Kenneth Feaks was allowed to carry the ball a long way out from the back before finding Darren Walker in the inside right channel who, fortunately for Saints, sent his finish into the side netting. Another let-off quickly followed when Ben Wilson intercepted a stray pass as Saints tried to play out from the back and arrowed a low shot wide of Graham Douglas' right-hand post.

The decisive goal came in the seventy-seventh minute when Scott Taylor used an arm to charge down a James Muir shot twenty-three yards from goal. Muir took the resulting free-kick himself which deflected off a head in the Bannockburn wall and looped over Mark Gordon and into the net.

With the three points within their grasp the D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Building Supplies sponsored home side continued to battle hard limiting the experienced Bannockburn side's chances to set pieces.

Not wishing to disrupt his sides rhythm, Saints Gaffer Ross Maitland limited himself to just one change sending on Fraser MacFarlane to replace Connor Moore in the eighty-first minute.

Saints survived one last scare as the clock ticked on to the time added on for stoppages by Mr Robinson. Darren Walker measured a cross from the right to the back post where Craig Livingstone and Fredrik Marthinsen put Scott Cowan under enough pressure for the big striker to miscue his header wide of Graham Douglas' right-hand post.

Saints have no fixture this coming Saturday but will commence their Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association McAvoy and McIntyre Trophy campaign on Saturday 10th February with a trip to Parklea to face old rivals Port Glasgow O.B.U.