Saturday 4th March 2023
Central Scottish Amateur Football League
Premier Division
Oban Saints 2 - 3 Lesmahagow
Glencruitten 2
Mossfield Avenue
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4EH
Kick-off 1.00pm
Referee Mr Pat O'Donnell
Oban Saints numbers crisis reached breaking point for last Saturday's Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division encounter with Lesmahagow. With no central defenders available for the visit of the league leaders Manager Ross Maitland had to entice veterans Dene Cassells and Steven MacLeod out of retirement and the pair's experience was invaluable against the free-scoring Lesmahagow attack.
It was a busy afternoon for the Saints defence which coped well for the most part with the considerable threat of the Gow strike force however the visitors ruthlessly punished individual errors to race into a three goal lead after sixty two minutes.
Well taken goals from David Beaton and Connor Howe gave the home side a glimmer of hope of snatching an unlikely point from a flat performance however Lesmahagow successfully saw out a nervy final few minutes to secure a thoroughly deserved victory cementing their place at the summit of the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division table.
Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod, Dene Cassells and Captain Scott Maitland. Occupying the holding midfield roles were Gavin Forgrieve and Cammy Clark with Rory Dowd tucked in behind a front three of David Beaton, James Conington and Kyle Cooper. On the substitutes bench were Ross Campbell, Ben Forbes, Connor Howe, Fraser MacFarlane and goalkeeper Shaun Lockhart.
Saints returned to Glencruitten for the first time in four months and the grass surface was in excellent condition for the one o'clock kick off played in pleasant sunshine.
Lesmahagow striker Gordon Dick gave an early indication of the threat he would pose with an excellent turn inside the Saints box in the third minute. A promising Saints move on the left involving Scott Maitland, Kyle Cooper and Rory Dowd had broken down when Dowd's cutback from the byeline was intercepted by Darren Smith who launched a swift counterattack with Aaron Bulloch racing away on the Gow left. Bulloch picked out Dick with his back to goal but weight of numbers snuffed out the chance for the big striker after his skillful turn away from Dene Cassells.
There was a loud appeal for a penalty kick when Gow Skipper Darren Smith barged into Kyle Cooper in the eleventh minute however Referee Pat O'Donnell, who handled proceedings well, was unmoved much to Saints frustration.
The deadlock was broken in the nineteenth minute when Saints failed to deal with an Aaron Bulloch corner kick from the left. Connor Jamieson's near post flick-on was met with a thumping header from Darren Smith which Graham Douglas acrobatically clawed out from underneath his crossbar only for Ryan Innes to react quickest and fire the loose ball into the bottom corner.
Saints responded with a Kyle Cooper header from a Rory Dowd left wing cutback which Lesmahagow goalkeeper Nathan Wharton held well high to his right. The distinctly under the weather Wharton was called into action again in the twenty eighth minute when Rory Dowd beat him in the air to knock down a Gavin Forgrieve free-kick from just inside the Gow half on the right. Wharton however was quickly up on his feet and positioned himself well to save James Conington's attempt to direct the bouncing ball on target.
The improved spell continued for Saints with a neat interchange of passes on the edge of the Gow box before Skipper Scott Maitland fired over the bar from eighteen yards.
At the other end a near post flick-on almost undone the Saints defence again this time from a long throw from Josh Payne. Ryan Innes helped on Payne's throw-in from the right however Gordon Dick was off target with his effort on the half volley.
Saints lost the services of Cammy Clark in the forty fifth minute with Connor Howe getting the nod from the bench. James Conington dropped back into midfield to fill the void created by Clark's departure while Howe replaced Conington up front.
Insult was added to injury when, in the time added on for treatment to Clark', Gordon Dick pounced on a communication breakdown between Graham Douglas and Dene Cassells. The Saints keeper was left stranded outside of his penalty area allowing the big striker to square to Ryan Innes in front of the empty net for a simple tap-in.
The near post corner routine almost paid dividends again for the visitors in the fifty seventh minute however, fortunately for Saints Ryan Innes bulleted his header over the crossbar.
Lesmahagow had the luxury of keeping goal machine Graham Gracie on the substitutes bench until the fifty eighth minute and, when given his chance, the big striker didn't disappoint taking only four minutes to register what would ultimately prove to be the decisive goal. Steven MacLeod, who along with fellow veteran Dene Cassells rolled back the years with a typically solid display in central defence, made his only error of the day missing his kick for what looked likely to be a routine clearance. Gracie was on hand to run onto the loose ball and slot it low past Graham Douglas who was stranded well off his goal line.
Kyle Cooper's return from injury had been a welcome boost for beleaguered Boss Ross Maitland however the Gaffer decided that sixty five minutes was enough for the young striker and replaced him with Fraser MacFarlane.
Saints pulled a goal back in the sixty eighth minute to give themselves an unlikely toe-hold in the game. James Conington won a headed knock-down in the centre circle with Connor Howe picking up the loose ball. Howe laid the ball off to Gavin Forgrieve who sent a perfectly weighted pass through the inside left channel for David Beaton to chase. Beaton raced away from second half substitute Ross Burns and crashed a thumping left foot finish high into the net beating Nathan Wharton at his near post.
There was still plenty of defending for Saints to do and more representative of Steven MacLeod's overall performance was his excellent seventy first minute block to deny substitute Ross Burns from a Josh Payne corner kick on the Gow right.
Ross Maitland made his final change with seven minutes of the ninety remaining sending on Ross Campbell to replace James Conington in central midfield.
Despite being second best for the majority of the afternoon Saints gave themselves a chance of snatching an point in the eighty ninth minute. David Beaton put James Gibbons under pressure as they contested a high ball clipped up by Ross Campbell. Gibbons got the touch but could only help the ball onto Ruaridh Horne who picked out Connor Howe twenty five yards out. Howe spotted Nathan Wharton off his goal line and curled a delightful finish high into the net to set up a grandstand finish.
Lesmahagow had to endure three nervous minutes of stoppage time added by Referee O'Donnell however Saints were unable to test Wharton again and the visitors held on for a deserved victory.
Saints are on the road this coming Saturday with a trip to Eastgate to face Gartcosh United in the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division.
Comments