Honours Even In Argyll Derby

Wednesday 9th August 2023

Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association

Premiership

Oban Saints 3 - 3 Lochgilphead Red Star

Glencruitten 2

Mossfield Avenue

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4EH

Kick-off 7.00pm

Referee Mr Pat O'Donnell

Oban Saints and closest neighbours Lochgilphead Red Star met at Glencruitten last Wednesday night in the first Argyll Derby of the newly formed Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership. Both sides were looking to bounce back from opening day defeats and the large crowd, which endured the dual misery of rain and midges, were entertained to a high scoring draw.

Making his competitive home debut for Saints Paul McFatridge cancelled out Stuart MacLean's opening goal with James Ford and Rory Dowd twice putting Saints ahead before MacLean completed his brace with a late equaliser to earn Red Star a share of the points.

Saints Manager Ross Maitland had the rare luxury of a nineteen man squad at his disposal for this eagerly anticipated clash while Red Star Caretaker Manager Angus Lewis also had good options with a five man strong substitutes bench supporting a strong starting eleven.

Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Steven MacLeod, Ben Forbes and Captain Scott Maitland. Across the five man midfield were David Beaton, Aaron Moore, Gavin Forgrieve, Paul McFatridge and Connor Moore with James Ford and Cammy Hill up front. On the heavily populated substitutes bench were Daniel Beaton, Oran Bryce, Ross Campbell, Cammy Clark, Rory Dowd, Craig Livingstone, Fraser MacFarlane and Drew Murray.

Making the starting eleven for Red Star were Leon Murphy, Kyle Danson, Andrew Weir, Kyle Selfridge, Joseph Harper, Captain Lee MacLean, Keiran Caskie, Ruaridh Green, Gregor Brown, Robert Docherty and Stuart MacLean. The youthful supporting cast were Ryan Caskie, Ian Munro, Ewan Litster, Aidan MacVicar and Lewis Campbell.

Red Star were certainly fired up for the fight and started quickly however it was Saints who had the better of the early chances. Young Red Star keeper Leon Murphy made saves from David Beaton, Connor Moore and James Ford enroute to a man-of-the-match performance before the visitors opened the scoring with their first shot on target. Speedy front man Stuart MacLean cut in from the left in the twenty-first minute and fired a low shot from twenty five yards into the bottom corner beyond the reach of Craig Maitland making his competitive home debut in the Saints goal.

Joining Maitland in making their competitive home debuts were central midfielders Paul McFatridge and Aaron Moore and all three look set to play important roles for the club in the season ahead.

McFatridge marked his debut with the equalising goal just two minutes after Red Star's opener. Gavin Forgrieve picked out McFatridge's run into the Red Star box with the big midfielder controlling the ball on his chest and holding off the challenge of Andrew Weir to drill the ball past Leon Murphy's left hand and into the bottom corner.

Saints pressed for a second goal before the interval with Ben Forbes and Aaron Moore both having efforts off target before Leon Murphy produced a fine save leaping to his right to hold a Paul McFatridge header from a Gavin Forgrieve free-kick.

Veteran Saints defender Steven MacLeod picked up a slight thigh strain and was withdrawn as a precaution for the start of the second half with his place on the right of the back three being taken by Cammy Clark.

Saints were back on the attack straight from the restart with Aaron Moore having a header from a Gavin Forgrieve corner kick scrambled off the goal-line before Leon Murphy made a sensational fingertip save to deny James Ford.

It was Murphy to the rescue again in the fifty-fourth minute when Cammy Hill sent Paul McFatridge into the box for a cutback to Gavin Forgrieve who was left incredulous as Murphy threw himself to his right to push away his effort from seven yards.

Saints finally got their noses in front when Cammy Hill's driving sixty fourth minute run into the Red Star box was brought to end by a push from Kyle Danson which saw Referee Pat O'Donnell point to the penalty spot. James Ford won the battle of wits with Murphy sending the young keeper in the wrong direction in the process. The Red Star man however came out on top five minutes later with another excellent stop to deny Ford a second goal of the evening.

The visitors made a rare foray into Saints territory in the seventy-second minute when Saints skipper Scott Maitland had to stretch to intercept a Stuart MacLean cross from the right at the expense of a corner kick. Having dealt with the initial danger Saints went to sleep at the delivery from the corner flag and allowed Gregor Brown a free header which he placed past the helpless Craig Maitland to level the scoring.

With ten minutes remaining Saints regained the lead through substitute Rory Dowd who picked up the loose ball from a Scott Maitland run on the left and curled into the net from eighteen yards.

Saints had a number of chances to make the points safe but couldn't find a way past Leon Murphy and were punished for their profligacy in the eighty-eighth minute from another set-piece. Red Star skipper Lee MacLean's free-kick from twenty eight yards came back off the Saints crossbar and the Saints defence were slow to react allowing Stuart MacLean two attempts to beat Craig Maitland from close range and grab an unlikely equaliser.

There was enough time left on Mr O'Donnell's watch for a winner and Saints thought they had grabbed it when Cammy Hill beat Leon Murphy and Kyle Danson to Drew Murray's cross to the back post only for the big striker's header back across goal to fall the wrong side of the far post.