Pupils gain no quarter in Saints’ slick slaughter
Campbeltown Pupils U15s 1 Oban Saints U15s 5
YOUNG Oban Saints crossed Argyll and gave Campbeltown Pupils Youths a lesson in possession play.
The all-weather pitch home derby, on Wednesday of last week, left legions of fans bitterly disappointed with the Oban team running out deserved winners.
Oban took the game to the hosts from the start.
Some good possession football created a few chances which were missed, before, midway through the half and after some neat passes, the Oban winger was allowed to dribble into the box unchallenged and put the away team in front.
The home team had a couple of chances with a Souden header from a corner going wide and, with their best move of the half, Lang was denied only by the keeper’s legs.
At half time it was still all to play for and the Pupils team started better and scored the equaliser.
Good passing between Colville and MacBrayne saw him play in Lang on the left, who fired home a left foot shot into the far corner.
Just as it looked like the home team were right back in the game they found themselves behind almost from kick-off.
The Oban forward was played in and held off the Pupils defender to fire Oban back in front from the edge of the box.
The home team’s heads went down after this and the away team continued to dominate. It was no surprise when they scored again when the Oban midfielder dribbled past three players and shot home into the net.
The score line was added to with a header from a corner at the far post for Oban’s fourth and in the last minute a free kick from the edge of the box was clinically put into the top corner for the goal of the match.
Oban gained a comfortable win and have a great chance to win the league at the expense of the Campbeltown team who must now rely on results elsewhere with five games left to play.
Campbeltown Pupils U15s 3 Drumchapel U15s 0
IN COMPLETE contrast to the game against Oban Saints four days earlier, Pupils performed perfectly to grab three points.
Drumchapel came hunting for the points to take them level with the Campbeltown side but it was the home team whose good performance won the day.
Playing with the strong wind behind them, the Pupils dominated the first half as Drumchapel struggled to get out of their home half.
Only some poor finishing and some good saves kept the score down as Lang, Colville, Souden and Brown all missed good chances.
A MacBrayne corner was headered into the roof of the net by Litster who showed the forwards how it should be done. The young team continued to press forward and a great move saw Lang chopped down on the edge of the box.
Despite MacBrayne running in to fire home the loose ball, the whistle had already gone but MacBrayne was not to be denied, as he rifled home the freekick into the far corner.
The Pupils team really needed more goals with the wind advantage and Lamont duly obliged as the ball was cleared to the edge of the box and he volleyed a great shot, with his left foot, in off the post to make it 3-0 at half time.
Playing into the wind the Pupils continued to dominate despite the conditions and had a few early chances which should have made sure of the result but they couldn’t convert.
The home team defended well when they had to and restricted the away side to a couple of long range shots and free kicks which the Pupils keeper saved well.
They continued to have chances but couldn’t add to their tally and the match finished 3-0 to the Pupils team to keep their slight hopes alive in the league.