Saturday 2nd October 2022
Scottish Amateur Cup
Second Round
Bervie Caledonian 1 - 3 Oban Saints
Boath Park
Brae Road
Gourdon
Aberdeenshire
DD10 0LX
Kick-off 2pm
Referee Mr Kevin Higgins
Oban Saints continued their Scottish Amateur Cup campaign last Saturday afternoon with a trip to the picturesque Aberdeenshire fishing village of Gourdon for a second round encounter with Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Division One North league leaders Bervie Caledonian.
After a goalless first half Saints got their noses in front two minutes after the restart from a Cammy Hill header but couldn't finish off the determined home side who came right back into contention with an excellent strike from Owen Ferguson. A replay in Oban remained a distinct possibility until two late opportunistic strikes from Rory Dowd eventually secured Saints place in the third round draw.
Injuries and work commitments forced Manager Ross Maitland to make a number of changes to the travelling party which had journeyed to Ayrshire in the West of Scotland Cup two weeks earlier. Out went Lewis Cameron, Cammy Clark and Jack Wright with James Conington coming in to bolster the squad. Joining the Gaffer on the touchline were Coach Iain Jackson, Secretary David Buchanan and former Club Captain Graeme "Dunny" Niven now exiled in Aberdeen.
Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of James Conington, Myles McAuley, Ben Forbes and Captain Scott Maitland. Across the five man midfield were Rory Dowd, Matty Kelly, Daniel MacCuish, Gavin Forgrieve and Cammy Hill with Kyle Cooper the lone striker. On the substitutes bench were Ross Campbell, Connor Moore and Fraser MacFarlane.
Hosts Bervie Caledonian had the benefit of the Boath Park slope and the westerly wind in the first half and carved out the first decent opening in the fourteenth minute. A long ball from central defender David Glass was chased to the bye-line by Frazer Cerretti whose cutback from the left was blazed over by Owen Ferguson.
Saints first opportunity came from a nineteenth minute free-kick after Rory Dowd had been felled twenty six yards from goal. Dowd tried to find the postage stamp corner with the dead ball but sent his effort wide of the junction of post and bar.
Dowd was off target again five minutes later collecting a James Conington throw-in from the right before firing a low shot inches wide of Finlay Strachan's left hand post.
Bervie left fullback Rohan Terrell became the first entry in Referee Kevin Higgins' notebook for a late and heavy challenge on Cammy Hill. The home defence dealt well with Gavin Forgrieve's free-kick into the box just as they continued to do with a succession of Forgrieve corner kicks from both flanks.
Despite having the majority of possession Saints were unable to test Finlay Strachan in the Bervie goal and had to remain alert at the back as the hosts looked to hit on the counter-attack. Ben Forbes made a well timed interception to deny Cameron Gibson a thirty first minute sight of goal before Gibson got the better of James Conington and Graham Douglas to tee up Frazer Cerretti for a shot which slipped wide of the unguarded net.
Cerretti joined Rohan Terrell in the Referee's notebook unceremoniously brining to an end a rampaging run on the left from Saints Skipper Scott Maitland.
In the dying stages of the first half Bervie keeper Finlay Strachan made a brave save at the feet of Kyle Cooper picking up a leg injury in the process which would prove to have a significant bearing on the eventual outcome.
On the stroke of half-time Matty Kelly blazed a shot from twenty two yards over the crossbar after good work on the right from James Conington, Rory Dowd and Kyle Cooper sending the sides in level at the interval.
Less than two of the second forty five minutes had expired when Kyle Cooper forced a corner kick on the Saints left. Calum Slavin got his head to Gavin Forgrieve's delivery but only succeeded in sending the ball in Cammy Hill's direction whose downward header, despite the efforts of Cameron Gibson and Finlay Strachan, managed to find the back of the net.
Now playing with the wind and slope advantage Saints set about increasing their lead and had the ball in the net when Matty Kelly found the unmarked Cammy Hill for a well taken finish past Finlay Strachan however Referee Higgins, who handled proceedings well, ruled the effort out for offside. Strachan's efforts in trying to reach the shot from Hill finally ended his involvement with his place between the posts being taken by substitute Cameron Spink.
Stand-in goalkeeper Spink kept his side in the game making decent saves to deny Kyle Cooper and Daniel MacCuish paving the way for what seemed an unlikely equaliser. The Saints defence failed to deal with a throw-in from the left and allowed Owen Ferguson the time and space to measure a perfectly executed curling finish past Graham Douglas.
Saints Manager Ross Maitland rang the changes with Cammy Hill and Ben Forbes making way for Connor Moore and Fraser MacFarlane however the tie remained in the balance with Saints unable to apply the killer touch in front of goal.
With just nine of the regulation ninety minutes remaining Saints policy of putting crosses on top of the stand-in keeper eventually bore fruit. Spink, who until then hadn't put a glove wrong. spilled a Gavin Forgrieve corner kick at the feet of Rory Dowd who gleefully tucked the ball away from three yards.
Hosts Bervie were in no mood to give up the fight and Myles McAuley, Daniel MacCuish and James Conington all won important headers from David Glass free-kicks sent into the Saints box.
Ross Campbell came on to bolster the defence with Connor Moore replacing the withdrawn Kyle Cooper as the lone striker.
In the second of the six additional minutes allowed by Referee Higgins substitutes Campbell and MacFarlane combined well to gain vital ground on the right with MacFarlane drawing a foul from David Glass. MacFarlane elected to test Cameron Spink with a bouncing effort which the unfortunate Spink failed to hold leaving the on-rushing Rory Dowd with another simple tap-in to complete his brace and make the tie safe for Saints.
Saints are on the road again this coming Saturday when they travel to Dumbarton on league business to face reigning Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division Champions St Patrick's Former Pupils.
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