Saturday 15th October 2022
Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League
Division Three
Oban Saints GG 3 - 1 North East Thistle
Oban High School
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick-off 11.30am
Referee Mr Scott Bell
Heavy rain forced the postponement of Oban Saints scheduled Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Divison encounter with high flying Lesmahagow last Saturday therefore all eyes turned to the all-weather surface at Oban High School where a hat-trick from man of the match James Ford gave Oban Saints GG their first Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League points of the season. The welcome victory lifts the Oban Saints second string above opponents North East Thistle into tenth place in the Division Three table.
Manager Robbie Johnstone and Assistant Murdo MacKenzie named youngsters Oran Bryce, Lewis Campbell and Garry McIvor in an otherwise experienced starting line-up which ran out deserved winners against the league new boys from Springburn who also blended youth with experience.
Saints GG lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Alex Carson, Garry McIvor and Lewis Campbell. Across the five man midfield were Craig Livingstone, Alan Buchanan, Captain Martin Bonar, Keith Millar and Oran Bryce with James Rord partnering Ollie Sharp up front. On the substitutes bench were Angel Animashaun, Adam Gilmovich, Matthew Pollock and Murdo MacKenzie.
The match got off to the perfect start for the D&K Lafferty Contractors sponsored home side when James Ford opened the scoring in the second minute. Referee Scott Bell timed Ford's low right foot shot from the edge of the box after good work on the left by Oran Bryce at one minute and thirty seven seconds.
As Saints maintained a good early pace North East Thistle keeper Jordan Moodie got a vital touch to deny James Ford a second goal from the corner of the six yard box after latching onto an eighth minute Craig Livingstone cross from the right.
The visitors restored parity in the twelfth minute when Saints failed to clear a corner kick from the right. Despite Martin Bonar winning the initial header the ball continued to bounce around the Saints box and when Keith Millar's attempted overhead kick clearance landed at the feet of Marc Shaw the Jags Skipper slammed the ball into the top corner from eighteen yards giving Saints keeper Craig Maitland no chance.
Saints continued to take the game to the visitors but struggled find a way past the Thistle defence. Keith Millar, who produced a typically dynamic performance in central midfield alongside Martin Bonar and Alan Buchanan, saw a twenty fifth minute shot saved by Jordan Moodie who also safely gathered an Oran Bryce effort sixty seconds later.
The heavy rain, which had fallen steadily all morning, finally abated after half an hour to the relief of the hardy band of supporters who had braved the elements to cheer on their favourites.
Oran Bryce was linking well with James Ford on the left and almost found the net in the thirty fifth minute with a dipping effort which deceived the Jags keeper and landed on top of the crossbar.
Further efforts from Martin Bonar, Oran Bryce, James Ford and Ollie Sharp failed to seriously test Jordan Moodie before Saints were rewarded for their first half endeavours on the stroke of half-time. Martin Bonar's driving run at the heart of the Jags defence was ended unceremoniously twenty four yards from goal giving Referee Scott Bell, who handled proceedings well, an easy decision to award the free-kick. James Ford and Keith Millar both hovered over the ball but it was Ford who finally accepted the responsibility and curled a delightful finish into the top corner leaving Jordan Moodie rooted to the spot.
A rare moment of indecision in the Saints back three left keeper Craig Maitland exposed two minutes after the restart. Maitland, making his first competitive appearance for eight years, was left one on one with the Jags centre forward and made a brave save just inside his eighteen yard box taking an accidental stray boot in the face in the process.
An ankle injury ended Saints Skipper Martin Bonar's involvement after fifty minutes with young Matty Pollock entering the fray as his replacement.
The Saints back line of Alex Carson, Garry McIvor and Lewis Campbell quickly regained their composure and a perfectly weighted fifty sixth minute ball from McIvor sent Ollie Sharp racing in behind the Jags defence. Sharp hurdled a sliding challenge from keeper Moodie and picked out Craig Livingstone with a cutback from the bye-line. Moodie got back to his goal line in time to watch Livingstone's left foot effort curl wide of his right hand post.
A shirt pull from Lewis Campbell earned the young Saints defender the game's first yellow card. Meanwhile on the touchline Campbell senior, Saints legend Colin "Shuggie" Campbell, had Club Secretary David Buchanan searching the archives in an attempt to verify his dubious claim that he had never received a caution in his Saints career.
The match was played in a good spirit however Referee Bell evened up the bookings count with a sixty eighth minute yellow card for dissent for Jags midfielder Craig Byrne.
James Ford completed his hat-trick in the seventy third minute with a crisply struck right foot shot from the corner of the eighteen yard box which zipped across Jordan Moodie and into the bottom corner.
With the clock ticking down Saints Gaffer Robbie Johnstone gave late run outs to Angel Animashaun and Adam Gilmovitch with Oran Bryce and Alex Carson making way.
Saints had one final chance to add to the scoring in the final minute when Ollie Sharp was inches away from connecting with James Ford's low cross along the six yard line before Mr Bell blew the final whistle.
Both Saints teams are on the road on league business this coming Saturday. The Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League side face Antonine at William Street, Duntocher while the Central Scottish Amateur Football League side will be just a few hundred yards up the hill at Glenhead Park for a Premier Division encounter with Drumchapel Amateurs.
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