Saturday 17th February 2024
Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association
Premiership
Arthurlie Amateurs 3 - 0 Oban Saints
Cowan Park 3G
Aurs Road
Barrhead
Glasgow
G78 2RN
Kick-off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Michael Kerr
Following the previous week's postponement of their McIntyre and McAvoy cup tie with Port Glasgow OBU, Oban Saints returned to action last Saturday afternoon with a Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership encounter with Arthurlie.
It was a much-changed Saints side containing just five of the starting eleven from the league win against Bannockburn three weeks earlier which made the trip to a rain soaked Cowan Park in Barrhead. New signings Gregor Brown, Keiran Caskie, Stuart McLean and Kyle Selfridge gave a much-needed boost to the travelling party, and all are welcome additions to the club.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back four of Craig Livingstone, Paul McFatridge, Kyle Selfridge and Fraser MacFarlane. Keiron Lopez, Captain Aaron McKay and David Beaton formed the midfield engine room with Connor Moore, Stuart McLean and Oran Bryce up front. On the substitutes bench were Gregor Brown and Keiran Caskie.
The soaking wet conditions would prove to be a big test for the respective goalkeepers and as early as the third minute Craig Maitland elected to parry a Michael Connelly free-kick from the corner of the Saints eighteen-yard box. The rebound fell to Declan Walsh who fired a shot high over the crossbar.
Saints had new signing from Campbeltown Pupils, Stuart McLean, spearheading the attack and Keiron Lopez and Oran Bryce both narrowly failed to find the former Lochgilphead Red Star man with crosses as Saints looked to test the home defence.
Arthurlie Skipper Michael Connelly combined on the left in the sixteenth minute with Sean Ross who cut inside onto his right foot for a shot from twenty-two yards which Craig Maitland did well to hold.
Referee Michael Kerr, who handled proceedings well, gave the benefit of a tight twenty-seventh minute offside call to the home side when Connor Moore raced through on the end of long ball from Kyle Selfridge another of Saints Lochgilphead based new signings.
The home side were enjoying the majority of the first-half possession without seriously troubling Saints previously untried back four of Craig Livingstone, Paul McFatridge, Kyle Selfridge and Fraser MacFarlane. Off target efforts from Peter Haggarty and Craig McCready preceded the clearest opening of the first half when Craig Maitland failed to hold a Jamie Cochran shot and Haggarty sent the rebound over the crossbar from six yards.
Saints' midfield trio of David Beaton, Keiron Lopez and Skipper Aaron McKay battled hard but struggled to find the creative spark necessary to unlock the Arthurlie defence. On the stroke of half-time Beaton at last found the key and threaded a well-weighted pass through the inside left channel for Connor Moore who lifted the ball over the advancing Arthurlie keeper and narrowly over the crossbar.
Saints' best chance of the match came four minutes into the second half with the weather again playing a massive part. Oran Bryce lifted a cross from the left to the six-yard line where Arthurlie keeper Iain Hainey dropped the slippery ball at the feet of Stuart McLean who teed-up Craig Livingstone for a sliced effort wide of target.
The deadlock was finally broken in the fifty-fifth minute when Craig McCready and Peter Haggarty combined to send second-half substitute Lewis Garner into the Saints eighteen yard box to beat Craig Maitland low down at his near post.
Taking the Saints' managerial reins in place of the unavailable Ross Maitland was Assistant Manager Iain Jackson who gave second-half debuts to new signings Ryan Caskie and Gregor Brown who replaced Oran Bryce and Stuart McLean respectively.
David Beaton twice sent shots from distance over the Arthurlie crossbar however the pressure on the Saints goal was building and the home side deservedly doubled their lead in the sixty-ninth minute when Declan Walsh's shot from twenty-two yards beat Craig Maitland low to his left.
The home side passed up a number of set-piece opportunities to extend their advantage still further with Jamie Cochran becoming increasingly frustrated at his team-mates' inability to capitalise on his pin-point deliveries from the corner flag.
Cochran eventually showed how it should be done stealing in at the back post to knock home Peter Haggarty's eighty-first minute left-wing cross for Arthurlie's third and final goal.
Taking no chances with the slippery ball Craig Maitland pushed Craig McCready's eighty-sixth minute free-kick over his crossbar with Declan Walsh smacking Maitland's right-hand upright from Jamie Cochran's corner-kick and Lewis Garner sending the rebound over the crossbar.
In the final minute of the ninety Craig Maitland denied Lewis Garner his brace throwing up a strong left hand to push Garner's late effort behind for one last corner-kick which Saints successfully defended.
This coming Saturday Saints welcome title chasing Castlemilk OBC to Glencruitten for the penultimate home fixture of the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership season.
Team Captains Aaron McKay and Michael Connelly with Referee Michael Kerr
Craig Livingstone and Lewis Garner
Craig Maitland pushes over Craig McCready's free-kick
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