Hard earned draw
Individual errors prove costly for Saints as they face a difficult replay in Crieff
Oban Saints and Vale of Earn shared eight goals in a highly entertaining Scottish Amateur Cup second round tie which ebbed and flowed through 90 incident-packed minutes at Oban Community Pitch last Saturday afternoon.
Despite not witnessing the home win they would have hoped for, the large crowd was well entertained with a similar prospect in store for its counterpart at Market Park, Crieff where the two sides will meet again this coming Saturday.
Saints lined up with the versatile Matt Rippon taking the right back berth alongside regular back four members Steven MacLeod, captain Dene Cassells and Scott Maitland. Matty Kelly returned to join Myles McAuley in the holding midfield roles behind the more advanced triumvirate of David Beaton, Lewis Cameron and Craig MacEwan. Leading the line was co-manager Donald Campbell while Graham Douglas returned after a twomatch absence to claim the number one jersey.
Late call-up
Joining the other half of the management team, Willie Gemmell, on the bench were Daniel Croarkin, Cammy Hill, Aaron McKay and, answering a late call-up, the evergreen Ross Maitland.
Leading the line in just his second start of the season co-manager Donald Campbell earned his side a free-kick in a dangerous position in the fourth minute. Vale of Earn goalkeeper Garry Brock leapt to his left and showed strong hands to push Lewis Cameron’s effort from 24-yards behind for a corner kick.
From the corner Lewis Cameron produced an excellent delivery which Dene Cassells climbed well to meet but couldn’t direct on target.
The action moved swiftly to the other end where a quickly taken long free-kick caught the Saints defence napping allowing Vale central midfielder Euan Carter, who put in an excellent shift for the visitors, a free header which he looped over the head of Graham Douglas and on to the crossbar. A second let-off immediately followed when James Webster sliced the rebound over the crossbar and into the perimeter fencing.
Garry Brock did well again in the 11th minute with a diving punch to take a Lewis Cameron cross off the toes of Donald Campbell after good work on the edge of the box from David Beaton and Matty Kelly.
Brock foiled Campbell again after 17 minutes diving low to his left to hold Campbell’s penalty kick after Scott Maitland’s driving run into the Vale box had been halted unlawfully by David Sinclair.
The Vale goalkeeper was proving to be a tough nut for Campbell to crack as Brock again denied him in the 22nd minute after Craig MacEwan and Lewis Cameron had combined well to send the Saints gaffer through on goal.
Breakthrough
Saints finally made the breakthrough in the 31st minute when Scott Maitland was sent sprawling in the Vale box for a second time.
Matty Rippon took responsibility for the second spot kick and made no mistake sending Garry Brock in the wrong direction in the process.
The visitors drew level five minutes before the interval in opportunistic style, capitalising on a series of indecisive moments in the normally dependable Saints defence.
With Graham Douglas a long way from his penalty
area Saints conceded possession midway inside their own half wide on the left. Even with an open goal to aim at Aaron Dawson did well to find the net with a lob from 35-yards which sailed over the head of the back-pedalling Saints keeper.
On the stroke of half-time it was the visitors who were the beneficiaries of a let-off when Craig MacEwan contrived to sent a clipped effort from eight yards the wrong side of Garry Brock’s left hand post when sent clean through by Donald Campbell.
There was a frank exchange of views during the half-time team talk which unfortunately failed to resolve Saints defensive uncertainties and after nine second-half minutes Peter Reilly pounced on another mistake to clip the ball over Graham Douglas stranded on his 18-yard line and hammer the ball into the empty net to give Vale the lead.
The response to going behind from co-manager Willie Gemmell was to send on young striker Cammy Hill at the expense of defender Matt Rippon.
The change produced instant results when Garry Brock parried away a netbound Hill shot which Scott Maitland returned from the left wing straight onto the head of Craig MacEwan, who bulleted a header into the top corner from 12 yards.
Vale central defender Ross Nixon was fortunate only to see a yellow card for a very heavy late challenge on David Beaton on the half-way line in the 62nd minute. Fortunately there was no lasting damage on Beaton and he showed Darral Cramb a clean pair of heels on the right wing before firing over a perfect delivery on the run which Craig MacEwan cushioned past Garry Brock to regain the lead for Saints.
Final change
The Oban side made their second and final change of the afternoon sending on Ross Maitland to replace Donald Campbell with 17 minutes remaining.
Craig MacEwan was denied a hat-trick by the narrowest of margins when his 77th minute header from a David Beaton right wing cross beat Garry Brock but bounced back off the inside of the post and into the keeper’s grateful arms.
The visitors took full advantage of this slice of luck to draw level in the 80th minute. Once again Saints were complicit, failing miserably to deal with a long throw-in from the left with Darral Cramb rifling the loose ball into the roof of the net from the corner of the six-yard box.
The head of substitute Cammy Hill got Saints back in front with five minutes remaining. Lewis Cameron’s endeavours won a throw-in on the right level with the 18-yard line.
Ross Maitland returned David Beaton’s throw sending the diminutive wide man to the byeline from where he dug out an excellent cross to the back post. Teenage striker Hill leapt salmon-like to beat Garry Brock at his near post with a thumping downward header.
The joy was short lived as the visitors produced yet another equaliser just three minutes later. The jitters in the Saints rearguard showed no sign of improvement and a failed attempt to clear the danger from a James Webster left wing corner fell kindly for Ross Nixon whose hooked effort from three yards was deflected wide of the post by Scott Maitland, illegally in the opinion of referee Holms.
There were few complaints from the Saints players and Ross Nixon wasted no time in placing the ball and dispatching it into the bottom corner way from the despairing dive of Graham Douglas.
In the last of the three additional minutes allowed by Mr Holms, Lewis Cameron was scythed down 26 yards from goal by Euan Carter earning the industrious midfielder a place in the referee’s notebook.
Deputising
Craig MacEwan’s free-kick beat the Vale wall but lacked the power to get the better of Garry Brock, who capped a fine performance deputising for regular net minder Barrie Chiverton by safely holding MacEwan’s effort in the final act of an enthralling cup tie.
With home advantage now lost, Saints will have to redouble their efforts in Saturday’s replay if they are to book a place in the third round.
Taking charge of the 1.30pm kick-off at Market Park, Crieff is Dundee-based whistler Calum Race.
The tie must be played to a finish on the day including a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner if the two sides cannot be separated after 90 minutes.