Saturday 12th November 2022
Central Scottish Amateur Football League
Premier Division
Oban Saints 3 - 0 Harestanes
Glencruitten 2
Mossfield Avenue
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4EH
Kick-off 2.30pm
Referee Mr John McNab
An anxious wait for Referee John McNab to arrive saw the kick-off for last Saturday's Central Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division tussle between Oban Saints and Harestanes delayed by thirty minutes. The ever-obliging Mr McNab had stepped in at short notice to replace injured whistler Martin Rae and officiate at the 12.45 kick-off Oban Saints versus Vale of Leven Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League Division Three encounter a short drive away at Oban High School giving the Glencruitten combatants an unwelcome extended warmup.
The delay sent the end of the match well into the late afternoon gloom and light was fading fast when Rory Dowd's ninety third minute strike finally rounded off the scoring adding to Kyle Cooper's first half brace to give Saints all three points.
Oban Saints Manager Ross Maitland shuffled his pack following the previous week's Scottish Amateur Cup win away at Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers. Out went the unavailable Cammy Hill with Gavin Forgieve and Fraser MacFarlane coming in and Ross Campbell dropping to the bench.
Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Fraser MacFarlane, Myles McAuley, Ben Forbes and Captain Scott Maitland. Across the four man midfield were Connor Moore, Matty Kelly, Gavin Forgrieve and Lewis Cameron with Rory Dowd tucked in behind central striker Kyle Cooper. Donald Campbell and Ruaridh Horne made welcome returns after long absences to join Ryan Barclay, Ross Campbell, Cammy Clark and James Conington the substitutes bench.
The grass surface at Glencruitten was in remarkably good condition given the recent heavy rainfall as play finally got under way. Two time Scottish Amateur Cup winners Harestanes kicked off with a much changed line-up with Kevin Cawley the only survivor from the side which had plundered five goals without reply when Saints visited Kirkintilloch at the tail end of last season.
Attacking the railway line end in the first half Saints made a bright start with a deflected second minute Lewis Cameron shot sparking a flurry of corner kicks with Hares goalkeeper David McKegney spreading himself well to save a Ben Forbes close range effort as the visitors repelled the early Saints threat.
McKegney was in action again in the fifth minute getting down to his right to hold a Kyle Cooper shot from a Lewis Cameron left wing cutback before Connor Moore saw a goal bound shot deflected wide for a corner kick.
Harestanes dead ball expert Jamie McPhee sent a twelfth minute free-kick from the left into the danger area where Ben Forbes' attempted clearance only managed to find Stuart Anderson who lifted the ball over the bar from six yards.
McPhee changed the angle from the corner flag in the twentieth minute picking out Anderson on the corner of the eighteen yard box for a lofted ball which Matty Kelly intercepted with a powerful header.
Right fullback Fraser MacFarlane joined the attack in the twenty third minute latching on to a Rory Dowd pass for a low shot from twenty yards which McKegney again held well. The former Uddingston Anvil number one immediately launched a Hares counterattack where Jordan McDonald won a corner kick on the left. Jamie McPhee's inswinging delivery was glanced goalward by Aidan Etherson and cleared off the goal line by Lewis Cameron.
Having survived that scare Saints were forced into an early change when Ben Forbes, who had been suffering from a sickness bug all week, was unable to continue. Cammy Clark got the nod from Gaffer Ross Maitland to replace Forbes in central defence.
The deadlock was broken in the thirty fifth minute after Gavin Forgrieve kept his composure under pressure in the centre circle to find Cammy Clark. Clark spotted the run of Kyle Cooper who escaped the close attentions of Harestanes Skipper Anton Byrne to fire off a shot from twenty yards which took a slight deflection on it's way past David McKegney and into the bottom corner.
Saints thought they had doubled their lead in the fortieth minute after good work on the left from Lewis Cameron and Rory Dowd sent Kyle Cooper through. From the corner of the six yard box Cooper bent the ball around McKegney and into the far corner however Referee McNab, who handled proceedings well, ruled the goal out for offside.
Cooper had only a further sixty seconds to wait before bagging his brace when Connor Moore's tenacity on the right saw him race forward and send Cooper into the box to round McKegney and roll the ball into the unguarded net from a tight angle.
Saints almost made the perfect start to the second half which was less than two minutes old when Rory Dowd's turn and pass had Kyle Cooper racing towards goal only for Kevin Cawley's challenge to take the sting out of Cooper's shot which looped into the grateful arms of the Harestanes keeeper.
The visitors offered more of an attacking threat in the second half with Matty Kelly making another vital defensive header beating Kevin Cawley to a Jamie McPhee corner kick and Graham Douglas getting down well to his right to push away a Jamie Neeson shot.
Douglas was in action again in the fifty eighth minute making a clean catch in the slippery conditions holding a twenty five yard effort from Anton Byrne.
Opposite number David McKengney showed remarkable agility five minutes later arching high to his left to fingertip a curling Lewis Cameron shot round his left hand post.
It was end to end stuff as Harestanes continued their search for a route back into the match while Saints looked for a killer third goal. Ian McDowell found the side netting from an acute angle for the visitors before Connor Moore showed Kevin Cawley a clean pair of heels on the way to shaving the outside of David McKegney's left hand post with a thumping left foot shot.
Moore made way for Ross Campbell in the eighty second minute in Saints final change of the afternoon.
The visitors gave their all in the fading light but the Saints back four of Fraser MacFarlane, Myles McAuley, Cammy Clark and Skipper Scott Maitland remained resolute in their protection of Graham Douglas and a highly prized clean sheet.
Saints played out the closing stages deep inside Harestanes territory successfully running down the clock before Rory Dowd struck in the last of the three additional minutes allowed by Referee McNab to send the Glencruitten faithful home happy.
This coming Saturday Saints travel to Glasgow's Stepford Football Centre where they will face Tannochside United of the Strathclyde Saturday Morning Amateur Football League Premier Division for a place in the fourth round of the West of Scotland Amateur Cup.
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