Last Saturday at Cowan Park, Barrhead, Oban Saints booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Cup with a 3-1 victory over Premier Division 2B leaders Arkleston Barrhead.
The journey to Barrhead was made in heavy rain on flooded roads but safe in the knowledge that the fixture was scheduled for the new 3G facility at Cowan Park. To the relief of all concerned, no Ark was required and the rain cleared in time for kick-off. The match was played in bright sunshine but with a strong wind blowing across the park towards the touchline where the Saints contingent had assembled.
Manager Alex Craik made several changes from the line-up which had defeated Drumchapel Colts on Saints’ previous outing, the most notable being a first competitive appearance of the season for goalkeeper Graham ‘Sugar’ Douglas. Matthew Kelly was restored to the right back slot, with David McArthur moving infield to partner skipper Marc Maccallum.
Scott Maitland completed the back four, occupying his regular left back position. After missing his first game of the season against Drumchapel Colts, Paul Kerr returned to the midfield alongside Willie Gemmell and Brian Mackay.
Up front, Donald Campbell led the line flanked by Ross Maitland and Craig MacEwan. The gaffer named himself on a strong bench with Martin Bonar, Jamie Graham and Dean Smith for company.
Saints kicked off with the advantage of the slight slope and were quickly into their stride, dominating the opening 10 minutes.
In the fifth minute, Willie Gemmell split Arky defenders John McDade and David Fulton with an excellent pass for Donald Campbell to run onto. Unfortunately for Donald, Arky keeper Andrew Duncan read the danger with the former Airdrieonians netminder coming quickly off his line to smother the ball at Donald’s feet.
Willie Gemmell then decided to try his luck from distance, bringing a fine save from
Duncan low down to his left after a lay off from Donald Campbell.
Such was the ferocity of Willie’s shot that the keeper was unable to hold it and Craig MacEwan pounced on the loose ball which he sent just over the junction of post and bar from the corner of the six-yard box.
The home side created the first of several presentable chances in the 13th minute, with Kevin Brown making a good run on the left and cutting back for Paul Quinn, who shot wide of Sugar’s right-hand post.
With the home side having come to terms with the Saints’ movement, the visitors took the lead slightly against the run of play just before the half-hour mark.
The goal from Craig MacEwan was virtually identical to his opener against Ferguslie Star at Glencruitten four weeks ago, save that the assist this time came from Marc Maccallum. Just as David McArthur had done previously, Marc Maccallum carried the ball into the opposition half and sent a deep cross into the box looking for the head of Craig MacEwan. Craig timed his leap perfectly to get above John McDade and loop a header over Andrew Duncan into the postage stamp corner.
Saints were almost caught out from the restart when Marc Maccallum and David McArthur were both pulled out of the centre, leaving Kristoffer Cameron a free header from a Brian McWilliams cross from the right which he mercifully sent wide of Sugar’s right-hand post.
Saints doubled their advantage in the 33rd minute from a Ross Maitland corner from the left. Donald Campbell threaded a ball down up the left wing for Ross, who made a jinking run into the box but was beaten by a well-timed tackle from Gavin Holley. Ross sent his corner kick deep to the back post where Donald Campbell pulled the ball down and from 10 yards lashed a shot past Andrew Duncan’s despairing right hand, over the head of Gavin Holley on the goal line and into the top corner of the net.
Saints were well on top at this point and spurned a couple of excellent chances to make the tie safe before the half-time interval.
The hosts pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time in slightly controversial circumstances.
Jamie Henderson appeared to control a bouncing ball with his upper arm. However, there was no disputing the quality of his finish with a rasping drive from 25 yards flying past Graham Douglas and into his top right- hand corner.
The late counter from the hosts was a blow to Saints who really should have had more than a slender one-goal advantage to show for their first-half efforts.
The hosts kicked off the second half which, for almost 30 minutes, had Saints wishing they had made more of their early first-half domination with the crucial fourth goal of the match looking just as likely to come for either side.
In the 53rd minute, Matthew Kelly was fouled just inside the Arky half by Paul Quinn. Donald Campbell took the free-kick quickly, almost playing in Brian Mackay who was thwarted by Andrew Duncan’s quick dash off his line to snuff out the danger.
Arky second-half substitute Michael Brown made an immediate impact on proceedings following a good move on the right wing. Kevin Brown worked the ball along the 18-yard line to namesake Michael, who fired in a powerful shot drawing an excellent save from keeper Douglas who turned the ball around his left-hand post for a corner kick.
After 18 second half minutes, Saints manager Alex Craik rang the changes, replacing Willie Gemmell and Ross Maitland with Jamie Graham and Dean Smith.
Michael Brown tested Graham Douglas again in the 66th minute with a good turn and shot which Sugar held comfortably.
At the other end, Dean Smith looked to make a similarly early impact trying to catch out Andrew Duncan at his near post with a shot which the Arky keeper did well to hold.
The long ball over the top once again brought a moment of
panic for the Saints defence when David McArthur and Jamie Graham lost Kevin Brown with the Arky striker thankfully lofting his first-time effort over the crossbar.
Andrew Duncan brought off another fine save from Brian Mackay before John McDade picked up the first booking of the afternoon for a late challenge on Dean Smith in the 72nd minute, a card which was ultimately to prove costly to for the Arky defender. Donald Campbell lined up the free-kick but sent his effort from 22 yards over the Arky crossbar.
The decisive third goal came Saints’ way in the 72nd minute when a delightful lay-off by Dean Smith from a Donald Campbell pass sent Craig MacEwan in behind the home defence and through on goal. Craig kept his composure to slot the ball past Andrew Duncan and notch his 14th goal of a red-hot scoring streak since the turn of the year.
Matthew Kelly made way for Martin Bonar in the 75th minute with the big utility man taking up the wide right position in the five-man midfield.
Kevin Brown appealed more in hope than expectation for a 76th minute penalty kick but Mr McNab, who had a good game, was not interested. Regrettably, John McDade continued his protests too long for the referee’s liking, receiving a second yellow card and consequently his marching orders.
Two very tight offside calls from Mr McNab denied Dean Smith and Craig MacEwan clear sights of goal, while at the other end a timely block by Marc Maccallum took the sting out of a Michael Brown shot leaving Graham Douglas with a comfortable save.
Brown continued to keep the Saints defence occupied, again latching onto a long ball to race through on goal only to have the ball taken away from him by a perfectly-timed last-ditch sliding challenge from Jamie Graham.
The Arky substitute was convinced he should have had a penalty but the only award he received was a yellow card from Mr McNab.
In the closing minutes, Arky keeper Andrew Duncan denied Craig MacEwan and Dean Smith, first shovelling Craig’s shot onto his own crossbar before throwing out his right leg
to deflect Dean’s effort away from goal.
Referee McNab made it a hat-trick of declined penalty appeals in the 91st minute.
Andrew Duncan appeared to impede Donald Campbell but as Donald managed to maintain his balance long enough to get his shot away the referee turned down what looked like a stone-wall penalty.
There was no more scoring with Saints good value for the 3-1 win.
The reward for their exertions is a home quarter-final tie against Arkleston Barrhead’s Premier Division 2B title rivals Port Glasgow, which will be the Glencruitten faithful’s last chance to see their favourites in cup action on home soil this season.
Manager Alex Craik was happy with the performance He said: ‘We played some good stuff, especially in the first half and should have put the game out of sight before half-time.
‘We lost our way a bit for a while in the second half, but once we got back to passing the ball about we were good value for the win, which sets us up nicely for the crucial Scottish Amateur Cup seventh round game against Letham in Perth on Saturday.’
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