Saints lose out in seven-goal thriller ‘We’ve played 23 games so far this season and haven’t been able to name the same starting11 twice which is not ideal at this level of the game’
Inverclyde Oban Saints
SAFL Premier Division
4 3 A MIXTURE of charitable defending and profligate finishing consigned Oban Saints to a fifth defeat of a dismal league campaign at Battery Park, Greenock last Saturday. Hardly ideal preparation for the impending biggest fixture of the season so far.
Thankfully, due to the postponement of Saturday’s seventh round tie between potential opponents Sandys and Goldenhill, Saints will have at least one more opportunity to get their act together before their Scottish Amateur Cup quarter final tie now scheduled for March 31.
With Paul Carmichael, Keith Millar, Jamie Graham and Marc Maccallum unavailable for various reasons manager Alex Craik was forced into yet another squad reshuffle including a first competitive start for seventeen-year-old Ruaridh Horne.
Graham Douglas lined-up in goal behind a back four of Ruaridh Horne, Steven MacLeod, Alex Craik and Scott Maitland. Willie Gemmell anchored a midfield diamond flanked by Matthew Kelly and Kerr Newbigging with Captain Donald Campbell at its point.
Up front were Shaun MacIver and leading goal scorer Craig MacEwan. On the bench were James Ford, Craig MacMillan and veteran Peter MacCallum.
Riding high on a three-match winning run, hosts Inverclyde kicked off on a bitter cold afternoon with a biting easterly wind blowing across the park, bringing occasional flurries of snow.
Seventeen-year-old Ruaridh Horne, making his starting debut at right fullback, threaded a defence splitting seventh-minute pass through to Craig MacEwan. Unfortunately, after racing away from the ’Clyde back four, leading goalscorer MacEwan overran the ball allowing ’keeper Mark Monk to come out and collect. Horne pressed forward again 60 seconds later to get on the end of a Willie Gemmell pass but the youngster’s cross from the right looking for the head of Shaun MacIver was too close to keeper Monk.
Saints paid a heavy price for a stray pass out from the back when Darren McGregor pounced on the loose ball and played Stewart Morrison in for a ninth minute opener. The big centre forward raced in behind the static Saints defence to slam the ball past the hopelessly exposed Graham Douglas.
Shaun MacIver spurned a glorious opportunity to bring Saints level in the 14th minute. Matthew Kelly was felled by ’Clyde skipper Greg Wilson in the centre circle with Willie Gemmell sending his free-kick up to Craig MacEwan on the 18-yard line. MacEwan spun away from Craig Ellis and, from the bye-line, picked out the unmarked MacIver in the middle who placed his downward header agonisingly the wrong side of Mark Monk’s left hand post.
MacIver shaved the same post again two minutes later with a low shot from 18 yards after Donald Campbell held up a Willie Gemmell pass to create the space for the young striker.
When Saints eventually managed to hit the target they found Inverclyde ’keeper Mark Monk equal to the task. On his favoured left foot Shaun MacIver tested Monk low to his left but the big ’keeper got down well to turn the ball behind. MacIver’s in-swinging corner from the right found no takers in white but Kerr Newbigging was able to keep the pressure on and found MacIver who won a free-kick from James Buchanan’s tackle from behind. Willie Gemmell’s clever ball to Donald Campbell almost caught out the ’Clyde defence but Tom McKitrick reacted in time to usher the ball back to his goalkeeper.
Having enjoyed a good spell since falling behind, Saints were caught out for a second time on the half-hour mark. From a quick counter attack on the right Michael McKitrick sent a low ball across the face of goal where Stewart Morrison’s nose for goal had taken him to double his tally with a simple tap-in from close range.
A swashbuckling 34th minute run took Scott Maitland in behind the home defence but his cutback from the left was cut out by ’keeper Monk at the feet of Donald Campbell.
Sixty seconds later the Saints skipper pressurised Monk into a hurried clearance which fell invitingly for Craig MacEwan who, from 24 yards, clipped a disappointing effort in the grateful arms of the big ’keeper.
MacEwan made amends in the 38th minute finding the net from close range after the home defence failed to clear a Saints corner kick from the left won by Donald Campbell. Willie Gemmell’s quickly taken corner to Scott Maitland was played back to Gemmell, who put the ball into the danger area. James Buchanan’s attempted clearing header fell nicely into the path of Craig MacEwan who lifted the ball over Mark Monk’s despairing dive to bring Saints back into the match.
Another good Scott Maitland run and cross from the left flashed across the face of the ’Clyde goal in the 43rd minute with, frustratingly, no Saints player on the end of it. Donald Campbell drew a good save from Mark Monk with a crisp shot from 22 yards before referee Robert Doolan blew the half-time whistle.
Saints began the second half in positive fashion with a good overlapping run from Scott Maitland found by Craig MacEwan. Maitland’s run took him into the box where Mark Monk narrowed the angle well to make an excellent save at his near post.
An excellent sliding interception by Steven MacLeod launched a Saints counter-attack in the 52nd minute where Fraser Gunn got a vital touch to deny Donald Campbell at the expense of a corner kick. The Saints skipper played the corner on the left short to Scott Maitland, who curled a rightfoot shot wide of target.
From Mark Monk’s goal kick Saints quickly returned the ball to the Inverclyde penalty area where Donald Campbell evaded the attentions of Tom McKitrick and Fraser Gunn but couldn’t find the power to seriously test Monk who held the Saints skipper’s shot comfortably.
The big Inverclyde keeper made an excellent double save in the 57th minute to deny Saints what would have been a deserved equaliser. Donald Campbell and Matthew Kelly combined to send Craig MacEwan in behind the ’Clyde defence. Monk stood up well at his near post to parry MacEwan’s left foot shot and somehow managed to throw out a long left leg blocking MacEwan’s follow up effort.
Monk added insult to injury finding Neil McCole with his goal kick who played the ball in behind a square Saints defence for Stewart Morrison. The big striker raced through the inside left channel and was once again clinical with his finish across Graham Douglas to seal his hat-trick.
Saints responded immediately to this latest set back with a delightful curling Donald Campbell finish into the postage stamp corner after good work by Shaun MacIver and Craig MacEwan.
Campbell had the chance to level things at the end of another cutting Saints attack in the 59th minute. Racing through on goal the skipper passed up the chance to shoot instead electing to try and play in Craig MacEwan who, unfortunately, had strayed into an offside position.
Saints manager Alex Craik made his only change with half an hour left to play replacing Ruaridh Horne, who gave a good account of himself on his first start in the hurly-burly of senior amateur football, with another dubutant James Ford, younger brother of Saints legend Sean.
The change in personnel also brought a change to a 3-4-3 formation with Matthew Kelly dropping back to join Steven MacLeod and the Gaffer in defence.
Saints were still adjusting to their new shape when they were picked off for the fourth and final time. Another misplaced pass was seized upon in midfield by Greg Wilson, who worked the ball out to the right for Michael McKitrick to swing over a deep cross. McKitrick’s delivery caught out Matthew Kelly at the back post with Craig Ellis taking a leaf out of the Stewart Morrison clinical finishing book to ghost in behind and head the ball past Graham Douglas.
Referee Doolan denied Saints a chance to get straight back into the match once again when he ignored a blatant trip on Donald Campbell in the Inverclyde box in the 63rd minute.
Saints kept probing for openings but without the accuracy of passing necessary to open up the home defence which had regained some degree of composure after a shaky start to the second half.
An Iain Beattie foul on Craig MacEwan 29 yards from goal gave Willie Gemmell an opportunity with the dead ball. However, despite getting the ball up and over the wall, Gemmell failed to trouble Mark Monk who made a comfortable catch to his left.
Mr Doolan infuriated the Saints players in the 82nd minute when he dismissed loud appeals for a penalty kick for a handball decision against Inverclyde right fullback Iain Beattie.
Donald Campbell came within the width of the crossbar of replicating his earlier perfect finish into the postage stamp corner. The Saints skipper gathered in a Willie Gemmell throw-in from the left and swivelled away from Fraser Gunn before curling a right foot shot off the crossbar with Mark Monk well beaten.
Having failed to find the net with the dead ball, Willie Gemmell had more success from open play in the 87th minute.
Pushing forward to join the attack, Gemmell collected a Donald Campbell lay off in the penalty box and steered a right foot shot from 15 yards past Monk’s left hand to give Saints some late hope.
Saints forced one final chance during the time added on for stoppages, however, Craig MacEwan’s shot from the edge of the box through the massed home defence was deflected inches wide of Mark Monk’s right hand post.
Manager Alex Craik was bitterly disappointed at the result. He said: ‘We played some great football but gave away bad goals. On the other hand we created plenty of chances but we failed to take them.
‘We have our Scottish Cup quarter final scheduled for March 31 so hopefully we can get a full squad of players available. We’ve played 23 games so far this season and haven’t been able to name the same squad twice which isn’t ideal.’
While they wait on the outcome of the Sandys v Goldenhill Scottish Amateur Cup encounter, second from bottom Saints will continue their league campaign on Saturday with a home match against bottom club Hillington. The game will be played at Glencruitten with a 2pm kick-off.