League Curtain Raiser

Saturday 5th August 2023

Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association

Premiership

Bannockburn 2 - 1 Oban Saints

Ladywell Park

Bruce Street

Bannockburn

FK7 8LF

Kick-off 2.00pm

Referee Mr Kevin O'Neill

Oban Saints raised the curtain on the inaugural season of the newly formed Scottish Amateur Football Association Premiership with a difficult trip last Saturday to Ladywell Park to face Bannockburn. The highly decorated hosts finished a close third behind last season's Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division winners St Patrick's FP and are among the favourites to be crowned champions of the new league set-up.

Goals from Darren Walker and Robbie Todd looked to have sent Bannockburn on their way to a comfortable win however Saints showed great resilience to stay in the match which was rewarded with a successfully converted penalty kick by James Ford. Indeed Saints may even have snatched a point had Referee Kevin O'Neill not missed a clear clip of Cammy Hill's heels as the big striker jinked into the Bannockburn box.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back three of Steven MacLeod, Ben Forbes and Captain Scott Maitland. Across the five man midfield were Rory Dowd, Daniel Beaton, Gavin Forgrieve, Paul McFatridge and James Ford with Martin Bonar and Connor Moore up front. On the substitutes bench were Cammy Clark, Cammy Hill, Craig Livingstone and new signing Aaron Moore.

The hosts came racing out of the traps and immediately the Saints wing-backs Rory Dowd and James Ford knew they would be in for a busy afternoon dealing with the pace and trickery of Bannockburn wide men Darren Walker and Andrew Mochan.

Walker picked out striker David Scott for an improvised back heel which looped over the Saints crossbar after three minutes before Ben Forbes made a flying block to cut out Mochan's dangerous cross from the left two minutes later. Martin Bonar, who produced a solid performance in an unfamiliar attacking role, made a firm connection to head clear the resulting corner kick.

Saints made their first meaningful foray into Bannockburn territory in the seventh minute and were unlucky to see Referee Kevin O'Neill give the benefit of an extremely tight offside decision against Paul McFatridge as the big midfielder raced into the home box on the end of a measured through ball from Gavin Forgrieve.

Ben Forbes made another important block to cut out Ryan Millar's ninth minute cross from the left with Andrew Mochan finding the head of Scott Taylor from the resulting corner kick. Fortunately for Saints the unmarked Taylor couldn't direct his effort on target.

The early pressure from the hosts paid off after ten minutes when Scott Taylor held off the close attentions of Martin Bonar to make a strong run on the left and deliver a perfect left foot cross to the far post. Bannockburn right winger Darren Walker rose unchallenged to meet Walker's cross with a textbook downward header which bounced high into the postage stamp corner beyond the reach of Saints keeper Graham Douglas.

Bannockburn looked to increase their advantage and Saints were indebted to veteran defender Steven MacLeod who stretched to make himself a big enough target to block David Scott's effort from another Andrew Mochan corner-kick. The danger however didn't end there and Graham Douglas had to get down smartly to save from Ryan Millar on the rebound.

Douglas was by far the busier of the two keepers saving again from Millar before getting down well to his left to deny Darren Walker cutting in from the right to meet an excellent diagonal ball from Andrew Mochan.

At the other end Saints finally brought Mark Gordon into the action when the Bannockburn net-minder needed two attempts to gather a twenty eighth minute dipping effort from Rory Dowd.

This signalled an improved spell from Saints who came close with a good turn and thumping left foot shot from Connor Moore which cleared the crossbar by a matter of inches before a glancing Rory Dowd header from a Gavin Forgrieve corner-kick flew across the face of goal and agonisingly wide of Gordon's left hand post.

Graham Douglas made another important intervention in the thirty-ninth minute when he stretched to his right to claw a Scott Taylor header from an Andrew Mochan corner-kick off his goal-line.

As the half drew to an end James Ford saw a free-kick from the left saved by Mark Gordon before, on the stroke of half-time, Bannockburn wide men Walker and Mochan combined well again with Mochan climbing well to head a Walker cross from the right back across goal and inches wide of the far post.

Before the restart Saints Gaffer Ross Maitland withdrew young midfielder Daniel Beaton who impressed on his competitive debut and replaced him with another debutant Aaron Moore recently signed from Lochgilphead Red Star.

Moore tried to mark his debut with an audacious lob after winning the ball well inside his own half however his effort fell well short of troubling Mark Gordon.

A further change followed in the fifty-ninth minute when Martin Bonar came off worse in a clash of heads with Robbie Todd. Bonar, who had won more than his fair share of headers, failed to shrug off the knock and was replaced by Cammy Hill.

The eagerly contested affair was well handled by Referee Kevin O'Neill who, despite some meaty challenges, remained in control administering just four cautions, two for each side.

Substitute Hill made an instant impact and his driving run on the left took him into the Bannockburn box where he had his heels clipped by 'Burn Skipper Kenneth Feaks however Mr O'Neill remained unmoved.

The hosts took full advantage of this let-off when Andrew Mochan's seventieth minute run from deep beat Saints appeals for an offside decision and picked out Robbie Todd with his cutback from the right who placed his right foot finish from the edge of the box wide of Graham Douglas' despairing right hand and into the bottom corner.

Both sides used all of their available options from the bench with Saints replacing Connor Moore and Rory Dowd with Cammy Clark and Craig Livingstone.

Graham Douglas reprised his first half heroics and, as the hosts looked set to make the points secure. kept his side in the game narrowing the angle to block Ryan Millar's seventy-fifth minute effort with his left shin.

Saints dug deep and received a well deserved lifeline when Cammy Hill was sent tumbling in the Bannockburn box with three of the regulation ninety minutes remaining. James Ford kept a cool head comfortably beating Mark Gordon from twelve yards.

Despite there being close to four additional minutes allowed by Referee O'Neill Saints failed to seriously test the home defence again and Bannockburn ran out winners by the odd goal in three.

Saints are back in league action on Wednesday evening when they host Lochgilphead Red Star in an eagerly anticipated Argyll Derby which kicks off at 7pm. This is followed by another massive test on Saturday 12th August when last season's Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division runners up Lesmahagow visit Glencruitten.