Saturday 11th February 2023
Central Scottish Amateur Football League
Cinema Cup
Second Round
Bannockburn 6 - 3 Oban Saints
St. Modan's High School
Royal Stuart Way
Stirling
FK7 7WS
Kick-off 2.00pm
Referee Mr G Robinson
A hat-trick from Donald Campbell in his first start for almost eighteen months was a mere consolation for an Oban Saints side decimated by injuries as the credits rolled on their Central Scottish Amateur Football League Cinema Cup campaign at St Modan's High School, Stirling last Saturday afternoon. Veteran striker Campbell will have taken more pleasure from completing the full ninety minutes against a very good Bannockburn side than from tightening his grip on the club's all time leading goal scorer title and without his added experience on the pitch Saints may well have suffered a much heavier reverse than the eventual 6 - 3 final score line.
A lack of available numbers left Oban Saints Manager Ross Maitland with a threadbare squad for the trip to Stirling which included himself and goal keeping coach David Dunlop listed as substitutes. Injuries, holidays, work and other commitments left Saints facing an almost impossible task however full credit must go to the group who made the trip and gave their all against their in-form hosts.
Saints lined up with Ally Lamont making his debut in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, James Conington, Ryan Barclay and Captain Scott Maitland. Rory Dowd and Ross Campbell occupied the holding midfield roles with Lewis Cameron tucked in behind a front three of James Ford, Donald Campbell and Cammy Hill. Ross Maitland and David Dunlop joined Cammy Clark on the substitutes bench.
Captain Scott Maitland won the toss of Referee Robinson's coin and elected to play with the strong wind in the first half which was just three minutes old when Saints opened the scoring. Donald Campbell harried Kenneth Feaks into an under-hit back pass as the Bannockburn Skipper tried to mop up a Rory Dowd ball looking for Campbell. The veteran Saints striker pounced on the slip and slotted the ball past the stranded Bannockburn keeper to give his side a dream start.
Saints unfortunately could only hold the lead for two minutes and were punished for not clearing their lines quickly enough with striker Bannockburn striker Dylan McGowan ruthlessly punishing the indecision with a low strike across Ally Lamont and into the bottom corner.
The hosts looked dangerous every time they came forward and debutant keeper Lamont had to be in top form to deny Declan Wood and Stuart Henderson with an excellent double save in the tenth minute.
Donald Campbell was in on goal again in the twelfth minute but this time couldn't squeeze his shot past Adam Young in the Bannockburn goal.
It was Lamont to the rescue for Saints again saving from left fullback Colin Brannan and fellow former Fallin man Stuart Henderson before Lewis Cameron eased the pressure on his defence by winning a corner kick on the right which James Conington headed over the crossbar from nine yards range.
Saints came agonisingly close to regaining the lead in the twentieth minute from good work on the left by Cammy Hill. The big striker unselfishly squared the ball along the six yard line however young Ross Campbell at full stretch directed the ball wide of target with James Ford coming in at the back post for what would have been a tap-in.
The hosts took full advantage of this let-off and raced straight up the park from Adam Young's goal kick with Mark Fox heading Dylan McGowan's cross from the right high into the net.
Donald Campbell drew Saints level in the twenty fifth minute in similar circumstances to his opening goal. James Ford gave Campbell a ball to chase in the inside left channel but with central defenders Kenneth Feaks and Allister Burns looking favourites to usher the ball back to keeper Adam Young Campbell nipped in to find the bottom corner.
Parity however lasted just sixty seconds and Dylan McGowan again punished indecision in the Saints defence to restore the Bannockburn lead.
The hosts doubled their advantage on the half hour mark when Colin Brannan and Declan Wood combined to good effect on the left. Brannan slipped in Wood who sent a cutback past the advancing Ally Lamont leaving Mark Fox an open goal to hit from six yards.
Lamont saved well again from Declan Wood before, at the other end, a vital block from Allister Burns diverted a goal bound Rory Dowd shot wide for a corner kick.
Saints made a promising start to the second half with Lewis Cameron harrying substitute Gavin Hamilton into conceding a corner kick straight from the restart. Cameron's delivery from the left was punched away by Adam Young under pressure from Rory Dowd however Saints regained possession and were awarded a free-kick when Hamilton slid in late on Lewis Cameron twenty five yards from goal on the Saints left.
The Bannockburn defensive wall did it's job standing firm to block Cameron's effort with the dead ball but Saints pressed well again and James Ford's cutback from the right tee'd up Lewis Cameron on the corner of the eighteen yard box for a shot narrowly wide of the postage stamp corner.
The home side weathered the early second half Saints pressure and had the ball in the net twice in as many minutes however Referee Robinson, who handled proceedings well, correctly ruled out the efforts from Alistair Brown and Mark Fox for offside.
There was no suggestion of offside in the fifty sixth minute when Saints good early second half work was undone. Ryan Barclay did well to hold off Mark Fox and usher the ball back to Ally Lamont who was a little too ambitious with his chipped pass out to the left for James Conington which was easily intercepted by substitute Stephen Donaghy who steered the ball into the unguarded net for Bannockburn's fifth goal.
Injury cut short Ruaridh Horne's involvement on the hour mark with Cammy Clark coming on as his replacement in a straight swap at right fullback.
Saints remained undeterred by this latest setback and tested Adam Young with a tantalising Scott Maitland cross from the left which the Bannockburn keeper had to claw away before recovering well to save a Lewis Cameron effort from the corner of the eighteen yard box low to his left.
Saints cut the deficit in the seventy eighth minute when Donald Campbell slid in to poke a James Ford cutback from the right beyond Adam Young to complete his hat-trick.
Any faint hopes that Saints may have harboured of forcing a penalty shoot-out were ended five minutes later when Declan Wood rounded off a swift counter-attack on the left with a crisp left foot finish across Ally Lamont and into the far corner of the net.
Saints were spared any further misery when substitute Ryan Millar put two presentable late chances wide of target before Referee Robinson brought proceedings to an end confirming the hosts place in the draw for the quarter finals.
This coming Saturday Saints will look to avenge last August's heavy league defeat to Wishaw High School Former Pupils when they welcome the F.P's to Oban in the return Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division match.
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