Saturday 9th July 2022
Preseason Friendly
Oban Saints 1 - 3 Lochgilphead Red Star
Oban Community Sports Field 3G
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick Off 1.00pm
Referee Mr Pat O'Donnell
Oban Saints kicked off their schedule of preseason fixtures last Saturday when they welcomed old rivals Lochgilphead Red Star to Oban High School. Building match sharpness was the main objective for both sides but there was still plenty of good football in evidence to keep the large local support entertained on a sunny July afternoon.
New Saints Gaffer Ross Maitland was on holiday therefore coaches Iain Jackson and Alex Craik took charge of team affairs, a position very familiar to the former first team Managers.
Holidays and work commitments restricted team selection options however one major plus point was the return of veteran defender Steven MacLeod who had flirted with retirement at the end of last season. Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod, Myles McAuley and Captain Scott Maitland. Holding the midfield were James Conington and Cammy Clark with Preston Macintyre, Gavin Forgrieve and Connor Moore supporting central striker Rory Dowd. On the substitutes bench were Aidan Campbell and Aidan MacDonald.
Lochgilphead Red Star Manager Colin Weir also had selection problems and, with none of his regular goalkeepers available, ha had to call on the services of Oban Saints GG stalwart Murdo MacKenzie to take the number one jersey. Weir also took the opportunity of having a closer look at youngsters Ryan Harding and Che Campbell.
Red Star lined up with Murdo MacKenzie in goal behind a back four of Ryan Harding, Coll McCallum, Kyle Selfridge and Craig Aitken. Across the five man midfield were Jack Mitchell, Captain Aaron Moore, Lee MacLean, Keiran Caskie and Che Campbell. Ploughing a lone furrow up front was Ciaran McPhie.
Red Star kicked off attacking the school end in the first half but it was clear from the outset that their strategy was to sit in and hit on the counter-attack.
Good work on the left from Skipper Scott Maitland and Connor Moore set up an early opening for Rory Dowd and only a terrific block from Coll McCallum prevented Dowd from opening the scoring.
An excellent tenth minute overlapping run from Ruaridh Horne tee'd up Dowd once again however the young midfielder, who had been deployed at centre forward, couldn't get the purchase required on Horne's bouncing cross and Murdo MacKenzie was able to make a comfortable save at his near post.
In what would prove to be the afternoon's recurring theme Red Star survived the Saints attack and struck on the counter-attack to devastating effect. Craig Aitken and Che Campbell worked the ball up the left for Ciaran McPhie who held off the attentions of Steven MacLeod before firing low past Graham Douglas from twenty two yards to open the scoring.
Connor Moore and Rory Dowd both came close before Ciaran McPhie repeated his earlier trick with another unerringly accurate finish into the same bottom corner this time from eighteen yards.
Rolling substitutions were the order of the day and Aidan Campbell and Aidan MacDonald replaced Ruaridh Horne and Cammy Clark for the closing stages of the first half which saw Preston Macintyre and Gavin Forgrieve both have decent efforts with narrowly failed to test Murdo MacKenzie in the Red Star goal.
The second half was just four minutes old when McPhie kept up his 100% goals to shots ratio. Red Star Skipper Aaron Moore linked with Lee MacLean in midfield with MacLean sending a perfectly weighted diagonal ball into the stride of McPhie coming in from the right who yet again found the bottom corner with ease to complete his hat-trick.
Saints continued to dominate possession but lacked the sharpness in and around the box to properly open up the hard working Red Star defence. Chances came and went for Connor Moore, James Conington, Ruaridh Horne and Aidan MacDonald before Rory Dowd finally found the accuracy of finish to beat Murdo MacKenzie and register a deserved consolation for the home side.
Referee Pat O'Donnell, who handled proceedings with the minimum of fuss, sounded his final whistle after two added minutes confirming local bragging rights for Red Star until the two sides meet again in Lochgilphead on Saturday 6th August one week ahead of the return to competitive action.
Due to a cancellation Oban Saints GG will provide the opposition this coming Saturday for the Central Scottish Amateur Football League side as both strings of the club continue the build up to their respective new seasons.
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