Saturday 4th February 2023
Central Scottish Amateur Football League
Premier Division
Oban Saints 1 - 0 Drumchapel Amateurs
Oban Community Sports Field 3G
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick-off 1.00pm
Referee Mr Michael Kerr
Oban Saints gained three valuable Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division points with a narrow victory over Drumchapel Amateurs at a wet and windy Oban High School last Saturday.
Cup commitments had kept Saints out of league action since mid November last year but it was a welcome return as Cammy Hill's solitary strike made it three league wins on the bounce after a difficult start to the league campaign.
Already with Ryan Barclay, Kyle Cooper and Gavin Forgrieve having joined the lengthening list of absentees Manager Ross Maitland was dealt a further blow when Ben Forbes pulled up during the warm-up. The mysterious tight calf which has seen the big central defender unable to complete the previous four games was not risked on this occasion giving Cammy Hill an instant promotion to the starting line-up. The lack of numbers forced the Gaffer to pull on his boots for a place on the substitutes bench where he was joined by Fraser MacFarlane and fellow evergreens Donald Campbell and David Dunlop.
Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Myles McAuley, James Conington and Captain Scott Maitland. Rory Dowd and Ross Campbell occupied the holding midfield roles with Cammy Hill tucked in behind a front three of James Ford, David Beaton and Lewis Cameron.
Drumchapel kicked off attacking the Dalintart end but it was Saints who were first to threaten when James Ford got the better of Jonathan Devlin in the second minute cutting in from the right for a shot which was blocked by the legs of Paul McAlear. The loose ball broke for Lewis Cameron who took aim for the bottom corner but saw his effort stopped by the outstretched right leg of Drum keeper Jordan Butler.
There was an early injury blow for the visitors when Aaron Graham collapsed in agony with a serious looking hamstring injury ending his involvement in proceedings after just three minutes. Sean Keegan got the nod from the seven man Drumchapel bench as his replacement and everybody at Oban Saints wishes Graham a speedy recovery.
Saints continued their lively start with James Ford, Lewis Cameron and David Beaton combining to set up Cammy Hill for a sixth minute shot which Jordan Butler did well to hold.
Ford's personal duel with Drum left fullback Jonathan Devlin was a feature of the first half and when Ford beat Devlin to hit the bye-line in the eighth minute Ford's cutback found Lewis Cameron for a shot from the edge of the box which cleared the crossbar by a matter on inches.
Jamie Gallagher, a recent Drum signing from their now sadly defunct neighbours Goldenhill, was keeping Saints central defenders Myles McAuley and James Conington on their toes and McAuley was on hand to clear the danger after Graham Douglas could only parry a thirteenth minute effort from Drum striker.
Dangerman Gallagher was through again sixty seconds later but again couldn't beat Douglas in the Saints goal as his defenders appealed in vain for an offside decision from Referee Michael Kerr.
Ross Campbell made a good run to the edge of the Drum box in support of James Ford who successfully picked out Campbell who lifted a good opportunity over Jordan Butler's crossbar.
Saints continued to take the game to the visitors and keeper Butler showed safe hands to gather a sliced Ruaridh Horne right wing cross under his crossbar.
Skipper Scott Maitland joined the attack on the Saints left in the twenty second minute and found James Ford who saw his left foot shot blocked behind for a corner kick by Greig Morrison. Lewis Cameron's delivery from the left was met solidly by Rory Dowd who was unlucky to see his header come crashing back off the near post.
James Ford switched back to the right to resume his battle with Jonathan Devlin who made an important partial block which sent Ford's twenty fifth minute effort spinning towards goal only for Jordan Butler to throw up a strong right hand and make an excellent save at the expense of a corner kick.
Saints continued to create the better of the chances but couldn't find a way past Butler with Ruaridh Horne, James Ford and Rory Dowd all having shots blocked by the determined Drumchapel defence.
In the final minute of the first half Ruaridh Horne rattled the crossbar with a thumping left foot effort leaving Saints disappointed not to have taken some advantage from a good first forty five.
The half-time interval seemed to benefit the visitors more as a tighter second half ensued. Referee Kerr gave what looked to be an extremely tight fifty eighth minute offside call against James Ford which the visitors almost immediately exploited. Central defender Paul McAlear found Skipper Paul McConachie with a long free-kick from ten yards inside his own half. From the left hand corner of the Saints box McConachie fired a low shot across Graham Douglas and a inches wide of the far post.
Scott Maitland, Cammy Hill and James Ford combined well on the left in the sixty fourth minute to find Lewis Cameron on the eighteen yard line. Cameron successfully held off the attentions of Paul McConachie and David Forbes to fire a shot towards the postage stamp corner which Jordan Butler acrobatically fingertipped onto to top of his crossbar and behind for a corner kick.
Rory Dowd, who put in an energetic performance alongside Ross Campbell in central midfield, burst through in the sixty fifth minute to beat the Drumchapel offside trap but shot tamely at Jordan Butler.
With twenty minutes remaining Fraser MacFarlane was sent on to replace Ruaridh Horne in a straight swap at right fullback.
A rare lapse in concentration from Rory Dowd gifted a seventy third minute opportunity to Jamie Gallagher and Dowd's head was in his hands until Graham Douglas produced an excellent save to deny the Drum centre forward and spare Dowd's blushes.
Paul McAlear's inspired performance at the heart of the Drum defence continued with a perfectly timed sliding tackle to halt a driving seventy sixth minute James Ford run just short of the eighteen yard box.
Saints Gaffer Ross Maitland made his final change with twelve minutes remaining swapping the youth of Ross Campbell for the experience of Donald Campbell.
The deadlock was finally broken with just eight minutes remaining thanks to a defence splitting pass from Lewis Cameron and a well timed run from Cammy Hill. Hill raced forward on the left and skipped past Jordan Butler who had come well out of box in an attempt to intercept Cameron's pass. Hill continued into the box and squeezed his shot over the line ahead of Andrew Mulrine's challenge and tantalisingly out of reach of Paul McAlear's attempted goal line clearance.
Saints thought they had doubled their advantage sixty seconds after the restart when David Beaton wriggled free to fire of a right foot shot which Butler anticipated well throwing himself full length to his left to palm the ball behind.
Drumchapel gave it their all in an attempt to snatch an equaliser but couldn't breach the Saints defence which was well marshalled by Myles McAuley and held out comfortably to secure all three points.
Saints return to Central Scottish Amateur Football League Cinema Cup action this coming Saturday with a trip to St Modan's High School in Stirling where their only remaining hopes of clinching silverware face a thorough examination from Premier Division title chasers Bannockburn.
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