Saints Open Home Account With A Convincing Win

Saturday 31st August 2024

Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association

Premiership

Oban Saints 10 - 2 Port Glasgow OBU

Glencruitten 2

Mossfield Avenue

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4EH

Kick-off 2.00pm

Referee Mr Jimmy Litster

Almost six months after their last home league fixture Oban Saints made their first home appearance of the 2024-25 Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership campaign at Glencruitten last Saturday afternoon.

Visitors Port Glasgow OBU had a few regulars unavailable for the trip to Oban and the D&K Lafferty and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored home side took full advantage with a convincing victory to maintain their promising start to the new season.

Manager Ross Maitland had a strong squad to choose from and handed first competitive home starts to Aidan Jackson and youngsters Alec McInroy and Rhys Millar both of whom marked the occasion by finding the net.

Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back four of Craig Livingstone, Aidan Jackson, Ben Forbes and Captain Scott Maitland. Ruaridh Horne, Alec McInroy and Aaron McKay were in midfield while, up front, David Beaton lead the line flanked by Connor Moore and Rhys Millar. On the substitutes bench were Ryan Barclay, Oran Bryce, Keiran Griffin, Keiron Lopez, Fraser MacFarlane, Paul McFatridge and Matty Pollock.

Attacking the railway line end in the first half Saints started brightly with the pacy front three of David Beaton, Connor Moore and Rhys Millar giving Ruaridh Horne, Aaron McKay and Alex McInroy good options to hit from midfield.

After just ninety seconds Ruaridh Horne and overlapping fullback Craig Livingstone combined on the right for David Beaton to lift just over the crossbar from the corner of the eighteen-yard box.

Youngster Alec McInroy impressed coming off the bench against Glenvale Carlton and was handed a starting role in central midfield for his competitive home debut. McInroy marked the occasion by opening the scoring in the seventh minute with a well-timed run to the edge of the Port Glasgow box to meet Connor Moore's cutback from the right.

Also making his first competitive start was Rhys Millar who joined McInroy on the score sheet with an unerring twelfth minute finish into the postage stamp corner after turning inside Port Glasgow right fullback Calum Wilmington.

The visitors made their first foray into Saints territory in the fourteenth minute winning a corner kick on the right which Ben Forbes climbed well to head away from the danger area.

Last season's top goal scorer Connor Moore got in on the scoring act in the seventeenth minute after linking well with David Beaton on the right. Moore raced forward before cutting onto his left foot and slotting past Port keeper Mark Turner for Saints' third.

Saints were looking threatening every time they came forward and Millar added a fourth two minutes later after Mark Turner could only parry a Connor Moore shot from the left. Millar showed good anticipation to reach the loose ball and, like a sprinter dipping for the finishing line, stooped to head the ball into the empty net.

The Port Glasgow rear guard were struggling to match the pace of the Saints front three but Louis Crawford did well to match Rhys Millar stride for stride in the nineteenth minute. Unfortunately for the Port fullback his attempted back pass soared over the head of the advancing keeper and nestled in the unguarded net.

Fortunes were reversed at the other end just before the half-time interval when Hayden Potter pounced on a heavy first touch from Saints keeper Craig Maitland. Adam Johnston's free-kick took a deflection off the Saints wall and was looking likely to result in a corner kick until Maitland's intervention broke unkindly away from him presenting Potter with an open goal to put the visitors on the score sheet.

Saints Manager Ross Maitland had a lot of options at his disposal from the bench but opted to make just one change at the interval sending on Paul McFatridge to replace Ruaridh Horne and the big midfielder was unlucky not to make an instant impact heading a forty-eighth minute Scott Maitland free-kick just wide of Mark Turner's left hand post.

Further changes followed five minutes into the second-half with Ryan Barclay and Keiran Griffin replacing Ben Forbes and Alex McInroy.

Paul McFatridge passed up another opportunity to mark his return with a goal firing a good chance wide from a fifty-fourth minute Rhys Millar cutback.

The chances kept coming for Saints and Port Skipper Mark Turner made an excellent save to deny David Beaton in the fifty-seventh minute from a Connor Moore through ball. Moore was the architect again in the sixty-second minute digging out a cross from the right which Rhys Millar at the back post headed onto the top of the crossbar.

Millar however wasn't to be denied his hat-trick for long and, sixty seconds later, raced through the inside left channel and slotted calmly passed Mark Turner for Saints' sixth goal.

Man of the Match Rhys Millar made way in the sixty-sixth minute for Keiron Lopez but not before setting up David Beaton for a shot with drew another fine save from Mark Turner.

Full credit to OBU who pushed forward whenever possible and were rewarded for their endeavours when Referee Jimmy Litster, who handled proceedings well, pointed to the penalty spot for a Ryan Barclay challenge on Louis Crawford. Hayden Potter made no mistake from twelve yards sending Craig Maitland in the wrong direction in the process.

Any feint hopes of an unlikely comeback for the visitors were extinguished straight from the restart when David Beaton was sent through the inside right channel to finally get the better of Mark Turner and restore Saints' five-goal cushion.

This signalled the start of another purple patch for Saints who added a further two goals in quick succession. Keiron Lopez netted his first Saints goal in the seventy-fifth minute which was followed ninety seconds later by a richly deserved strike from Aaron McKay who was in inspirational form in central midfield.

McKay was given a breather by Gaffer Ross Maitland who replaced him with Oran Bryce who instantly picked out Craig Livingstone's run into the box on the right however Livingstone failed to reproduce his goalscoring form of the previous outing against Glenvale Carlton and sent his finish well wide of target.

Connor Moore was denied a chance to add to his tally when taken out by a late challenge from OBU substitute Ryan McWilliams however the speedy striker had the final say completing the scoring and his brace with a composed eighty-seventh minute finish .

This coming Saturday is Scottish Amateur Cup first round day and Saints travel to face Clydebank of the Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League.