Saints have to do that little bit extra
2-2 after 90 minutes – Saints win in extra time
OBAN Saints secured their place in the fifth round of the West of Scotland Amateur Cup last Saturday with a gutsy extra-time win over Red Star at Lochend Sports Centre in Glasgow’s eastern suburbs. After twice coming from behind, and playing for almost an hour with 10 men, a beautifully struck dipping shot from Willie Gemmell finally saw off the challenge of a very useful Red Star side.
Manager Alex Craik’s selection woes continued when Craig MacEwan’s cracked rib, sustained in the Scottish Amateur Cup replay victory over Falkirk Community, ruled him out along with Donald Campbell, Marc MacCallum and Ross Maitland. On the plus side, Ally McKerracher and David McPhee returned from extended spells on the sidelines to bolster the squad numbers.
In charge of proceedings was Glasgow-based Willie McCulley whom Saints last encountered in a Scottish Amateur Cup fourth round tie against the now-folded Postal United. However, this was to be no case of old familiar faces as only skipper for the day Willie Gemmell remained from Saints starting eleven on that particular afternoon less than two years ago.
Willie Gemmell won the toss of Mr McCulley’s coin and chose to take advantage of the bright low sun by switching ends for the first half. The move, however, didn’t go quite according to plan as Saints conceded from Red Star’s first attack with just 90 seconds on the watch. A quick counterattack on the right wing led by Kevin Fraser turned the Saints back four with Sam Donald tapping in Fraser’s low cross at the back post to give the home side an early advantage.
Saints recovered from this early setback to create their first decent opening in the fourth minute with Steven MacLeod and Paul Carmichael linking up to force a throw-in on the right. The two combined again for Carmichael to swing in a deep cross which Scott Maitland controlled, picking out Ally McKerracher who laid the ball off to Myles McAuley for a shot from 20 yards which flew narrowly wide of keeper David Hosie’s right-hand post.
Saints restored parity from Hosie’s goal-kick when Matthew Kelly’s run up the right wing was halted unfairly by John Crawley. Kelly’s low free-kick picked out Ally McKerracher in the middle nine yards out. With his back to goal McKerracher turned away from the assembled throng and clipped a clever left-foot finish into the bottom corner past the unsighted David Hosie.
This should have been the signal for Saints to kick on but it was the home side who seized the initiative against a very much out-of-sorts Saints.
From a hotly disputed seventh-minute John Crawley corner on the right, Steven MacLeod cleared an Allan Cairns header off the goal-line before danger man Cairns got the better of young Saints leftback Craig MacMillan to fire a low shot across Graham Douglas but wide of the far post.
Calamity struck the Saints defence in the 12th minute when a misplaced Willie Gemmell back-pass put keeper Graham Douglas under pressure gifting an opportunity to John Crawley. Douglas stopped but couldn’t hold Crawley’s effort which squirmed loose to Sam Donald who gratefully accepted his second tap-in of the afternoon.
Matthew Kelly latched onto a Paul Carmichael flick-on in the 19th minute with the big striker quickly on his toes to get on the end of Kelly’s cutback from the right. Disappointingly, Carmichael’s shot from 18 yards cleared the crossbar by some distance.
Scott Maitland and Craig MacMillan swapped places after 20 minutes with the Saints youngster introducing himself to the midfield battle with a late tackle on Paul Shaw which earned him the game’s first yellow card.
Saints continued to struggle in the middle of the park and created little of note for the strikers. On the rare occasions when Saints did get forward Red Star keeper David Hosie, who shipped nine goals with Millbeg Villa in the Scottish Amateur Cup at Glencruitten two years ago, was happy to see efforts from Ally McKerracher and Paul Carmichael slip wide of the target.
Calamity wasn’t restricted to the Saints defence when referee McCulley blew for half-time after just 41-and-a-half minutes. To his credit, the jovial whistler quickly realised his mistake and brought the players back on to play out the remainder of the allotted 45 minutes plus an additional two minutes of stoppage time.
Manager Alex Craik opted for a tactical reshuffle for the second half, switching to a 3-52 formation to match that of the home side. The change necessitated a sixth appearance of the season for the overworked gaffer with young Craig MacMillan making way.
Attacking threat
The change of formation gave Saints more of an attacking threat with Scott Maitland desperately unlucky to see a 49th-minute goal-bound shot from 18 yards blocked on the penalty spot by Ally McKerracher.
Getting free on the right wing in the 53rd minute, McKerracher frustratingly sent his near post cross too close to the Red Star keeper with Paul Carmichael closing in.
At the other end, Graham Douglas had to come quickly off his line to save at the feet of substitute Craig Stewart, who had come on to replace the injured Allan Cairns. The loose ball found its way across to John Crawley on the left who blazed over from the corner of the 18-yard box.
Saints responded with a Keith Millar left-foot shot from 17 yards which David Hosie, unable to hold the veteran Saints man’s effort, was relieved to see Michael McKenna turn behind for a corner kick.
Millar was in the thick of the action again in the 57th minute, acrobatically volleying a Paul Carmichael flick-on from a Willie Gemmell throw over the crossbar.
Craig Campbell was next to attempt an acrobatic finish, hooking a Matthew Kelly corner kick over from eight yards after Myles McAuley’s driving run and shot had been blocked behind.
Ally McKerrcher made space again on the right and sent a tempting ball across the face of goal which Scott Maitland, racing in at the back post, could only turn into the side netting.
The momentum was building for Saints and they were left incredulous in the 64th minute when referee McCulley turned down a loud penalty appeal when John Crawley appeared to ‘save’ a Keith Millar shot inside his own six-yard box.
There was no reprieve for the Red Star defence 60 seconds later when Mr McCulley pointed to the spot after Ally McKerracher was tripped cutting into the box from the right. McKerracher’s rash reaction to the foul sparked a melee which Mr McCulley quickly put the lid on by flashing a red card in McKerracher’s direction and issuing a yellow to Red Star skipper Gary McLean.
To compound the blow of losing McKerracher, Willie Gemmell had his spot kick saved by David Hosie diving to his right.
While Saints were reeling from this double setback, Red Star passed up a gilt-edged chance to extend their lead when substitute Ross Lambie lost his footing on the 18-yard line after Sam Donald had sent him clean through on the counter-attack.
In a bold move to get back into the match Saints pushed Craig Campbell up front to partner Paul Carmichael leaving just the gaffer and Steven MacLeod at the back.
Mr McCulley dismissed another loud Saints penalty appeal with 15 minutes remaining when David McGaoghey appeared to wrestle Paul Carmichael to the ground on the corner of the six-yard box.
Saints risky man-for-man policy at the back was exposed in the 77th minute when Sam Donald again picked out Ross Lambie in the middle but Graham Douglas saved the day with a smart stop to deny the Red Star substitute.
Scott Maitland’s run from the left of midfield across the Red Star defence presented a shooting opportunity to Matthew Kelly who tested the handling of David Hosie from 25 yards.
Kelly followed this up in the 80th minute with a run of his own which John Crawley unceremoniously ended 28 yards from goal.
Having previously been denied from 12 yards, Willie Gemmell found this distance more to his liking and drew Saints level, curling the ball around the Red Star wall and inside David Hosie’s left-hand post leaving him clutching at fresh air.
Before the restart the clearly struggling Steven MacLeod limped off to be replaced by David McPhee, who, with parity again restored, was joined alongside the gaffer by Willie Gemmell.
Saints received another let-off with two minutes of the 90 left to play when a long throw from the right found its way across to the unmarked John Crawley, who sent a left-foot shot flying inches over the crossbar.
Injury struck again for Saints in the dying seconds when Keith Millar’s tightening hamstring forced him off, to be replaced by Andy Moore.
The first period of extra-time got off to a dream start for Saints who took the lead for the first time in the match after just one minute. Paul Carmichael won a throw-in on the right which Myles McAuley took, aiming for Carmichael’s head on the corner of the six-yard box.
Cameron Stevenson knocked the ball to the edge of the box where Andy Moore played it back out to McAuley on the right. McAuley picked out Willie Gemmell on the edge of the D who beat Andrew Hosie all ends up with a dipping effort into the top corner.
Saints at last had something to cling to and coped well in the ensuing 14 or so minutes, with Graham Douglas making comfortable saves from Jamie Campbell and Craig Stewart as the home side loaded the box for set-pieces before Mr McCulley brought the first half to a close.
Despite briefly threatening in the opening minute when David Hosie had to come a long way off his line to intercept Scott Maitland’s through ball for Paul Carmichael, it was very much a case of attack against defence in the final 15-minute period. The 10-man Saints side defended manfully again, restricting six times Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League Premier Division Champions Red Star to set-piece opportunities which on the whole were repelled comfortably.
When the chances did fall Red Star’s way, Saints were grateful beneficiaries of wayward finishes from Ross Lambie and John Crawley which enabled the visitors to hold on and dig out a heroic victory.
Although the performance fell a long way short of the standard required to mount a serious assault for honours this season, Saints gaffer Alex Craik will be quietly pleased with the dogged determination of his charges not to accept defeat against a useful Red Star side, particularly when reduced to 10 men for almost an hour.
It’s Red Star opposition once again for Saints this Saturday when they face Lochgilphead Red Star at Glencruitten in the second round of the Scottish Amateur Football League Jimmy Marshall Trophy.
Kick-off is 2pm with referee Jimmy Litster in charge.