Winning Start To The New Year

Saturday 13th January 2024

Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association

Premiership

Oban Saints 2 - 1 Harestanes

Oban Community Sports Field 3G

Soroba Road

Oban

Argyll

PA34 4JB

Kick-off 2.00pm

Referee Mr Ross Stirling

Oban Saints' festive fixture break came to an end at Oban High School last Saturday afternoon when four time Scottish Amateur Cup winners Harestanes were the first feet over the door. Both sides were understandably rusty following their extended period of inactivity however they still managed to produce an entertaining spectacle for the large crowd.

An error apiece in an evenly contested affair had the scores level going into the last ten minutes before James Muir and Connor Moore combined for Moore to slot home what proved to be the winning goal sending the home crowd home happy.

It may be a new year but the same old selection headaches continue for Saints Manager Ross Maitland whose options were again restricted by work, holidays, injuries and suspension. On a more positive note Marc Maccallum and Aaron Moore made welcome returns with the latter taking the Captain's armband in the absence of injured Skipper Scott Maitland.

Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Craig Livingstone, Steven MacLeod, Marc Maccallum and Drew Murray. Gavin Forgrieve, James Conington and David Beaton formed the midfield engine room with James Muir, Connor Moore and Captain Aaron Moore up front. On the substitutes bench were Martin Bonar, Oran Bryce, Keiron Lopez and goalkeeper Craig Maitland.

Attacking the Glencruitten Drive end in the first half Saints had a first minute opportunity to put the ball into the danger area when Connor Moore was brought down thirty yards from goal by Kevin Welsh. Gavin Forgrieve's free-kick looking for Aaron Moore was however met by the head of Aidan McDonald and hooked clear by James Forrest.

Saints youngsters James Muir and Conner Moore were posing an early threat in the wide areas and Muir's driving fourth minute run on the left was halted by a well-timed challenge by Aidan McDonald. The up in support Drew Murray was first to the loose ball but his left foot cross on the run was plucked cleanly out of the air by Hares keeper Martin Storey. The visitors launched an immediate counter-attack up the left where Saints keeper Graham Douglas made his first meaningful contribution of the afternoon getting down well to his left to hold Christopher Owen's low shot across the face of goal.

Storey was called into action again after twelve minutes when he raced to the edge of his box to deny Connor Moore who wanted far too long to convert his chance allowing the big Hares number one to make a vital block.

Graham Douglas kept the score-line level with a flying save to his right to push a fifteenth-minute James Forrest free-kick behind for a corner-kick which the Saints defence successfully dealt with.

Having come closest to opening the scoring the visitors kicked-on and dominated the remainder of the first half without seriously troubling the Saints back four of Craig Livingstone, Steven MacLeod, Marc Maccallum and Drew Murray until the dying stages.

With just two of the first forty-five minutes remaining Aidan McDonald was allowed to run untracked into the Saints box to meet James Forrest's cutback from the bye-line. The Hares right fullback met the ball cleanly but was denied by the outstretched left boot of Graham Douglas. From the resulting corner kick the Saints keeper was in the thick of the action again when his attempt to reach the delivery from James Forrest was impeded before the ball nestled in the net from the head of Martin Brogan. Fortunately for Saints, Referee Ross Stirling, who handled proceedings well, was perfectly positioned to spot the infringement and disallow the "goal".

Saints Gaffer Ross Maitland was forced into a half-time change when Steven MacLeod, who had struggled manfully through the first half with a back injury, was unable to continue. Keiron Lopez got the nod from the bench to join Gavin Forgrieve and David Beaton in midfield with James Conington dropping back into central defence.

Still searching for his first goal for the club, Aaron Moore, came close to opening his account with a curling forty-seventh minute right foot effort which drifted just wide of the postage stamp corner.

Having started the second half brightly Saints gifted the lead to the visitors with a rare blunder from the normally assured Graham Douglas. The Saints defence failed to deal with a fifty-first minute long ball up to central striker Aidan Etherson who found the up in support midfielder Jamie Neeson. The Saints number one looked to have Neeson's shot from twenty-five yards well covered but somehow, much to his embarrassment, let the ball go through his hands and into the net.

In keeping with the new year theme of reconciliation the teams really should have joined in a rendition of Auld Lang Syne when three minutes later Martin Brogan's back pass evaded keeper Martin Storey and had enough pace to find the back of the Harestanes net.

Following this exchange of gifts both teams were then forced to work for their chances as the respective defences regained their composure. Aidan Etherson blasted just wide of Graham Douglas' right hand post in the fifty-sixth minute before Aaron Moore gave Saints Coach and High School Janitor Peter MacCallum an extra job on Monday morning to retrieve a ball from the games hall roof.

Hares keeper Martin Storey did well to cut out a sixty-fifth minute low cross from Craig Livingstone with opposite number Graham Douglas getting in on the act safely gathering efforts from Alan Inch, Saul Lindsay and James Forrest.

At the other end Connor Moore and Gavin Forgrieve both failed to hit the target from the edge of the box before Moore finally drew a save from the Hares keeper in the eightieth minute. Having finally located the opposition goal Saints took the lead in the eighty-first minute when James Muir threaded a perfectly weighted pass for Connor Moore to run onto and slot the ball past Martin Storey.

Sixty seconds later Keiron Lopez and Gavin Forgrieve combined well to set up Connor Moore for another effort on goal which drew a good save from Storey.

The visitors stepped up their pursuit of an equaliser and were given considerable encouragement by the six additional minutes awarded by Referee Stirling. The Saints defence, well marshalled by the experienced Marc Maccallum, however remained resolute and saw out the match to claim a slightly flattering but nonetheless welcome three points.

Saints face a massive test this coming Saturday when they travel to Barlia to face title challengers Castlemilk OBC in the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership.