Three Points On The Road

Saturday 9th September 2023

Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association

Premiership

Harestanes 1 - 3 Oban Saints

Merkland Recreation Centre

Merkland Place

Kirkintilloch

G66 3SN

Kick-off 2.00pm

Referee Mr Kevin McDermid

Oban Saints picked up their first away victory of the season at the notoriously difficult venue of Merkland, Kirkintilloch last Saturday afternoon. Hosts Harestanes may not currently be the force they once were however the three time Scottish Amateur Cup winners remain one of the biggest names in Scottish amateur football and are a notable scalp for the resurgent Saints.

Goals either side of the interval from the in-form James Ford sent Saints on their way to victory with Craig Livingstone netting his first for the club before Jamie Neeson pulled one back for the hosts in the dying minutes.

Gaffer Ross Maitland's options continue to be hampered by injuries and work commitments however he was still able to name a fifteen man squad in which only Graham Douglas, James Conington and Ross Campbell survived from Saints last visit to Kirkintilloch in February.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Craig Livingstone, Captain Marc Maccallum, James Conington and Drew Murray. Aaron Moore, Paul McFatridge and Gavin Forgrieve formed a midfield triumvirate with Connor Moore, James Ford and Daniel Beaton up front. On the substitutes bench were Oran Bryce, Ross Campbell, Cammy Hill and Aaron McKay.

The grass surface at Merkland was in excellent condition and stood up well to what was it's first fixture following some intense summer maintenance work. Graham Douglas was the first of the keepers to be tested and coped well with early set-pieces from the hosts right winger James Forrest.

Saints brought Harestanes number one Mathew Stewart into the action in the twelfth minute when he narrowed the angle well to block a James Ford shot at close range. Two minutes later Stewart had an anxious watch when Connor Moore was inches wide of target with a bending effort with the outside of his left foot.

Normally deployed in midfield Daniel Beaton's eye for a goal saw him pushed forward into the front three alongside Connor Moore and James Ford and when Beaton came to the edge of the Harestanes box to meet a Gavin Forgrieve corner kick Hares skipper Kevin Cawley made an important block to deflect the deflect the youngsters shot wide of Mathew Stewart's right hand post.

The hosts lost the services of striker Ian McDowell to a shoulder injury after twenty three minutes with his place being taken by Jordan McDonald.

Connor Moore continued to make a nuisance of himself and, when Craig Livingstone's twenty-fifth minute throw-in from the right was headed back across the face of his own goal by Hares central defender Kevin Welsh, Moore was on hand for a back-header which looped just over Mathew Stewart's crossbar.

Jordan McDonald announced his arrival with a thirty-second minute run and shot from the right which flew across goal and wide of the far post. From Graham Douglas' goal-kick Aaron Moore sent James Ford racing through the inside right channel for a composed finish past Mathew Stewart to opening the scoring.

Having already provided one assist Aaron Moore's near post flick from a fortieth minute Craig Livingstone throw-in deserved far better than to have no takers in a Saints shirt.

Saints ended the first half on the front foot with Drew Murray getting forward for a left wing cross deflected for a corner kick on the right. Gavin Forgrieve's delivery from the corner flag was met with a thumping Paul McFatridge downward header which bounced agonisingly wide of Mathew Stewart's left hand post.

The second half was only in it's third minute when a mistimed challenge earned Paul McFatridge a caution from Referee Kevin McDermid which would come back to haunt the combative midfielder shortly after. From the resulting free-kick Aaron Moore's clearance launched a Saints counter-attack which saw Moore join the attack and meet Connor Moore's lay-off with a shot which flew over the Harestanes crossbar.

In the fifty-fourth minute Paul McFatridge's earlier indiscretion proved extremely costly when another injudicious challenge had Mr McDermid reaching for a second yellow and the inevitable red card. Saints Gaffer Ross Maitland immediately reinforced his midfield with the addition of Aaron McKay sacrificing Daniel Beaton in the process.

Despite their numerical disadvantage Saints maintained to upper hand and the hosts had fullback Aidan McDonald to thank for a well timed sliding interception to deny James Ford in the sixty-third minute. Saints however kept up the pressure and were rewarded with a delightful curling finish into the postage stamp corner from James Ford to give the ten men some breathing space.

As the match moved into the final quarter the home side began to see more of the ball however the Saints back four of Craig Livingstone, Drew Murray, James Conington and inspirational skipper Marc Maccallum remained solid and kept goalkeeper Graham Douglas well protected.

Saints continued to threaten on the counter-attack with Gavin Forgrieve shooting over before Aaron McKay put the ball in the net only to have his effort ruled out for offside.

Graham Douglas got down well at his near post to safely gather a seventy-second minute Paul McAuley free-kick before a moment of madness from the Harestanes substitute evened up the numbers. McAuley's swipe at Marc Maccallum barely made contact with the Saints skipper but there was enough intent for Mr McDermid to produce a red card.

Cammy Hill replaced Connor Moore in attack for the closing fifteen minutes and the big striker combined with Aaron McKay and James Ford to force a corner kick on the left with ten minutes remaining. Referee McDermid was involved in a lengthy debate with the home touchline before the action restarted with Craig Livingstone making a near post run to head Gavin Forgrieve's pin-point delivery across Mathew Stewart and into the top corner for his first goal in a Saints shirt.

Gavin Forgrieve and James Ford made way for Ross Campbell and Oran Bryce for the closing stages as Saints looked to see out match. Harestanes however had other ideas and an eighty-sixth minute counter from Jamie Neeson gave the hosts hope a late comeback.

Saints should have put the destination of the points beyond any doubt in the eighty-ninth minute however Ross Campbell's failure to open his goal-scoring account when one-on-one with Mathew Stewart made no difference to the final outcome with Saints deservedly claiming all three points.

This coming Saturday Saints begin their West of Scotland Amateur Cup campaign with a home tie against Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League Division One high fliers Calderglen. Experienced Referee Ross Holms takes charge of the 2pm kick-off at Glencruitten where penalty kicks will decide the winner if the sides cannot be separated after ninety minutes.