The postponement of last Saturday's scheduled West of Scotland Amateur Cup fourth round tie against cup holders Shortlees ushered in the slightly premature arrival of the Christmas and New Year break and ensures Oban Saints will begin 2023 still battling in three cup competitions and the top league in Scottish amateur football.
Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division
Having secured a second term in the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division for the club he served with distinction as player and Manager Willie Gemmell handed the reigns to Assistant Manager Ross Maitland to take full charge for the new campaign. The new Gaffer appointed club stalwarts Alex Craik, David Dunlop and Iain Jackson to his backroom team with the trio bringing a wealth of experience to the coaching setup.
Departing Manager Gemmell was accompanied by key players Dene Cassells, Craig MacEwan and Steven MacLeod leaving massive gaps for the new management team to fill which would see the club struggle in the early weeks of the season.
A baptism of fire awaited where Saints would face four of the favourites for the league title in quick succession. First up were three time Scottish Amateur Cup winners Bannockburn who left Glencruitten comfortable winners by four goals to one. Long term injury victim David Beaton returned and drew Saints level cancelling out Kenneth Knox's opener however three further second half strikes saw the visitors depart with all three points. To add to Manager Ross Maitland's problems David Beaton and Lewis Cameron both sustained injuries with the former facing yet another lengthy spell on the side lines.
It was a very much down to the bare bones Saints that travelled to Wishaw with Ross Maitland and Alex Craik having to pull on their boots and Daniel Cassells answering an SOS call to look out his long since retired goalkeeping gloves. Despite a second half Kyle Cooper strike the makeshift Saints were no match for high flying hosts Wishaw High School Former Pupils who notched six times in an emphatic display.
New signings Ryan Barclay and Shaun Lockhart made their debuts in the trip to Dumbarton to face reigning Champions St Patrick's Former Pupils as Saints struggles to name a settled side continued. Both youngsters acquitted themselves well however individual mistakes were ruthlessly exploited by the hosts who showed no mercy scoring four times rendering Connor Moore's first league goal of the season a mere consolation.
Extremely heavy underfoot conditions at Glenhead Park, Duntocher made life difficult for both sides when Saints travelled to face Drumchapel Amateurs in their fourth league outing of the season. Saints slipped to another Premier Division defeat as the hosts coped best with the testing playing conditions leaving Saints to rue a string of missed chances which should have seen them take something from the game. Goals from Aaron Graham and Marc McCran had the Drum deservedly ahead at the interval however a much improved second half performance saw Kyle Cooper pull one back for Saints before the hosts punished missed Saints opportunities with a late sucker punch from former St Joseph's F.P. man Graham which made the points safe for the hosts.
Saints got points on the board at the fifth time of asking when Gartcosh United visited Glencruitten at the end October. The deadlock was broken in the thirty fifth minute when Myles McAuley slipped and collided with Bradley Renfrew just inside the Saints box. Graham Douglas read Nico Petrucci's intentions well and got down well to his left but the former Eastfield man's penalty kick had too much power and nestled in the bottom corner. Immediately from the restart Referee Dougie Gunning evened up the penalty count with another straightforward decision when Jack Trainer sent Lewis Cameron sprawling in the Gartcosh box. As Mr Gunning added Trainer's name to that of Myles McAuley in his notebook Cameron dusted himself down and beat his former Scottish Amateur international team-mate Stuart Wilson from the spot to level the scoring. As the clock ticked into the eighty ninth minute Lewis Cameron, Kyle Cooper and James Ford combined well on the left to finally open up the Gartcosh defence for Cammy Hill to race through one-on-one with Stuart Wilson. The big striker held his nerve to skip round the keeper and roll the ball into the unguarded net ahead of a last-ditch tackle from Dean Morgan.
An anxious wait for Referee John McNab to arrive saw the kick-off for Oban Saints final league fixture of 2022 delayed by thirty minutes. The ever-obliging Mr McNab had stepped in at short notice to replace injured whistler Martin Rae and officiate at the 12.45 kick-off Oban Saints versus Vale of Leven Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League Division Three encounter a short drive away at Oban High School giving Saints and visitors Harestanes an unwelcome extended warmup. The delay sent the end of the match well into the late afternoon gloom and light was fading fast when Rory Dowd's ninety third minute strike finally rounded off the scoring. A brace from Kyle Cooper had Saints ahead at the interval and a disciplined second half performance repelled a spirited fightback from the three time Scottish Amateur Cup winners before Dowd struck at the death to double Saints points tally ahead of the Christmas and New Year shut down.
West of Scotland Amateur Cup
Oban Saints first port of call in this season's West of Scotland Cup campaign was Struthers Park, Kilmarnock for a first round encounter with Ayrshire Amateur Football Association Division Two promotion hopefuls Bellfield Amateurs. New signing Ross Campbell made his debut from the substitutes bench as strikes from Lewis Cameron, Rory Dowd and Connor Moore, along with a brace from Kyle Cooper saw Saints comfortably through.
Saints home faithful were denied a second round home tie when scheduled opponents Blantyre RGM reluctantly called time on their Central Scottish Amateur Football League membership and folded after eleven eventful years.
The third round took Saints to the Stepford Football Centre in Easterhouse where Uddingston based opponents Tannochside United play their home fixtures. A first ever goal for the club from Ryan Barclay and a successfully converted Rory Dowd penalty kick gave Saints the perfect start inside the first ten minutes against the impressive Strathclyde Saturday Morning Amateur Football League Premier Division outfit however the hosts came roaring back to level the scoring before the half hour. Both sides gave it their all in the second half with goalkeepers Shaun Lockhart and Russell Stewart making vital saves en-route to what seemed an inevitable penalty shoot-out before Rory Dowd headed Gavin Forgrieve's free-kick beyond Russell Stewart and into the top corner for a sensational last gasp winner.
Scottish Amateur Cup
Saints opened their Scottish Amateur Cup campaign with a trip to Paisley to face St Peter's of the Strathclyde Saturday Morning Amateur Football League Championship. Saints Manager Ross Maitland gave new signing Ben Forbes his debut in central defence where the former Lochgilphead Red Star man slotted in well alongside Myles McAuley. Goals either side of the interval from Kyle Cooper gave Saints a hard fought victory paving the way for a lengthy second round road trip to Aberdeenshire.
Boath Park in the picturesque fishing village of Gourdon was the venue for Saints second round tie against Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Division One (North) high fliers 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.
It was another away draw for Manager Ross Maitland and his men this time to Clyde Valley High School, Overtown to face Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers of the Caledonian League Premier Division. Two first half strikes from Cammy Hill twice had Saints ahead only for Lee Miller to bag a brace of equalisers for the hosts sending the combatants in level at the break. Hill completed his hat-trick with twenty minutes left on the clock and this time there was no way back for the battling Wishaw men with Rory Dowd and Kyle Cooper banging in two late goals to eventually make the tie safe for Saints.
Saints were on their travels yet again in round four venturing deep in the Capital City for an encounter with Meadowbank. The hosts were undefeated in all competitions and serious contenders for the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Football Association Premier Division title therefore another stiff test was anticipated. Strikes from Cammy Hill and Matty Kelly sandwiched a successfully converted penalty kick from Meadowbank top goal scorer Paul Martin on the top quality 4G surface at Meadowbank Sports Centre as Saints looked set to see off a late rally from the hosts. With Saints defending doggedly tiring minds and limbs finally gave Meadowbank substitute Martin Cairney an opening which he gratefully accepted to send the fourth round tie to a replay with almost the last kick of the game.
A home tie against Cupar Hearts awaited the winners of the replay which had to be switched to Oban High School after the grass surface at Glencruitten failed a pitch inspection. A large crowd had braved the freezing temperatures at Oban High School and they didn't have long to wait for a reason to warm the palms of their hands. Just two minutes and thirty seconds were on the clock when Cammy Hill gave Saints the lead and opened the floodgates for what was to be a convincing home win. Two further strikes before the half hour mark saw the rangy striker complete his hat-trick with young Meadowbank keeper Peter Jarvie pulling off an excellent save to deny the big man a fourth on the stroke of half-time. Saints number one Graham Douglas snatched away a potential lifeline for the visitors with a penalty save from Brad Hainey, a let-off which Saints fully exploited scoring three further goals to wrap up an emphatic victory. Matty Kelly notched his second goal in two games while teenage striker Kyle Cooper bagged strikes nine and ten of the season to draw him level with Cammy Hill at the top of the goal scoring charts.
Everybody at Oban Saints Amateur Football Club would like to thank sponsors D&K Lafferty Contractors, MKM Building Supplies and Aulay's Bar for their continued support and to wish the club's faithful supporters a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Opmerkingen