Saints In Seventh Heaven

Saturday 17th August 2024

Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association

Premiership

Glenvale Carlton 1 - 7 Oban Saints

Linwood Sports Centre

Brediland Road

Linwood

Renfrewshire

PA3 3RA

Kick-off 2.47 pm

Referee Mr Kevin O'Neil

Following the cancellation of the previous week's scheduled season opener against Drumchapel Amateurs Colts, Oban Saints got their Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership 2024-25 campaign underway last Saturday with a trip to face Glenvale Carlton. A road traffic collision on the A82 turned Saints' journey into a five hour marathon forcing a lengthy delay to kick-off at Linwood Sports Centre and Saints extend their gratitude to Glenvale Carlton and Referee Kevin O'Neil for their patience and understanding.

The Saints squad had just five survivors from their last fixture of the 2023/24 season and the sixteen man squad named by Manager Ross Maitland contained five players making their competitive debuts for the club.

Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back four of Craig Livingstone, Aidan Jackson, Ben Forbes and Captain Scott Maitland. In the midfield engine room were Ruaridh Horne, Gavin Forgrieve and Daniel Beaton with Connor Moore, David Beaton and James Ford up front. On the substitutes bench were Oran Bryce, Keiran Griffin, Rhys Millar, Alec McInroy and Matty Pollock.

Back at the club after spending last season with West Park United in the West of Scotland League Ruaridh Horne marked his return with an assist for the opening goal after eleven minutes. Horne's left wing cross looking for the head of Connor Moore at the back post was fumbled by Glenvale Carlton goalkeeper Garry Wilson with David Beaton on hand to accept the gift and knock the ball over the goal-line.

Beaton turned provider two minutes later when his cross from the left evaded Darren Livingston's attempted block and fell nicely into the stride of the up in support Craig Livingstone to prod home from the corner of the six-yard box.

Right fullback Livingstone made it an unlikely double from a swift counter-attack after Saints successfully defended a Glenvale Carlton free-kick. Skipper Scott Maitland collected Aidan Jackson's clearing header and launched the ball up the left wing for James Ford to chase. Ford jinked into the box and fired a shot across Garry Wilson who could only parry the ball into the path of Craig Livingstone who gratefully accepted the invitation to equal his goal scoring tally for last season just eighteen minutes into the new season.

The purple patch continued for Saints when Gavin Forgrieve won back possession immediately after the restart and picked out Connor Moore whose run into the box was halted by Anton Fox at the expense of a penalty kick. Designated penalty taker Moore made no mistake from the twelve-yard mark to ease Saints into a four goal lead.

Playing with the wind advantage the home side showed the weren't there just to make up the numbers forcing debutant Aidan Jackson into a hasty clearance from a throw-in on the right. Left winger Ross Skalley returned the ball with interest but found Craig Maitland equal to the task with a good save to his right.

Glenvale Carlton got themselves on the scoresheet in the twenty-seventh minute with the elements playing a major part in the goal. Ben Forbes looked favourite to win a clearing header until the wind took the ball over his head and into the Saints box. Ross Skalley was rewarded for his anticipation in following the ball in with an easy finish past the hopelessly exposed Craig Maitland.

Gavin Forgrieve tried his luck with a twenty-eighth minute shot from eighteen yards which Garry Wilson held well before, at the other end, Craig Maitland made another good stop to deny Ross Skalley.

The Saints midfield triumvirate of Daniel Beaton, Gavin Forgrieve and Ruaridh Horne combined well in the thirty-sixth minute for Forgrieve to slip in Connor Moore for a left foot shot which failed to trouble keeper Garry Wilson.

Daniel Beaton called Wilson into action two minutes later with a shot from the left corner of the eighteen-yard box which Wilson was unable to hold allowing David Beaton to sniff out his second and Saints fifth goal.

Saints kicked-off the second half with wind at their backs and were immediately on the attack. James Ford raced through the inside left channel and into the box for left foot shot which Garry Wilson stood up well to block. David Beaton was first to the loose ball but was denied a third goal by an excellent goal-line clearance from Barry Mills.

After fifty minutes Saints Manager Ross Maitland made his first change of the afternoon replacing two-goal Craig Livingstone with debutant Keiran Griffin.

Saints continued to look the more likely to add to the scoring with Connor Moore fractionally missing out on connecting with a James Ford cross before Ford's place on the left of the front three was taken by another debutant Rhys Millar.

Millar was quickly involved in the action getting on the end of a David Beaton cross at the back post where Barry Mills made a crucial block to send the ball behind for a corner-kick.

Ross Maitland handed out another debut in the sixty-second minute sending on Alec McInroy to replace Daniel Beaton whose return to fitness has given has given the club a massive boost.

David Beaton rounded off an excellent all round man of the match performance with a third goal in the sixty-sixth minute. Gavin Forgrieve sent Connor Moore away on the left whose cutback was met by the onrushing Beaton to seal his hat-trick.

Oran Bryce replaced Connor Moore for the closing twenty minutes and his seventy-first minute cross on the run from the left narrowly failed to pick out fellow substitute Rhys Millar at the back post.

Saints' final change came in the seventy-third minute with Matty Pollock becoming the fifth debutant of the afternoon when he replaced Ben Forbes.

David Beaton had Alec McInroy, Ruaridh Horne and Rhys Millar to aim for at the back post with his seventy-seventh minute free-kick from the left and it was Millar who got the crucial touch heading past Garry Wilson to round off the scoring with a debut goal.

Despite the heavy reverse it was the home side who finished the strongest drawing two saves from Craig Maitland before Ross Skalley rattled the crossbar with a fiercely struck left foot effort which was deserving of a better outcome.

Referee Kevin O'Neil, who handled proceedings well, brought the match to an end with no further scoring giving Saints their first season opening win in five years.

Saints have no fixture this coming Saturday and are currently waiting for Saturday 31st August's fixtures to be listed.