Late goal puts Saints celebrations on hold
Scottish Cup - 6th Round
Oban Saints and Wishaw High School Former Pupils will have to do it all again at Glencruitten this Saturday to decide who will progress to the quarter finals of the Scottish Amateur Cup after last Saturday’s entertaining sixth round encounter at Wishaw Sports Centre failed to produce a winner.
Goals in each half from Scottish Amateur Football Association Select teammates Scott Maitland and Lee Hadden cancelled each other out, with a draw being a fair reflection of the match.
Injuries to Myles McAuley, Kerr Newbigging and Matt Rippon left Saints short in the middle of the park, forcing manager Willie Gemmell to call up Martin Bonar to the first team squad.
Saints kicked off playing into the strong wind on the large all-weather surface at Wishaw Sports Centre and immediately won a free-kick when Craig MacEwan was fouled 30 yards out. Willie Gemmell’s flighted ball to the back post looking for
MacEwan was headed behind by Wishaw central defender Ryan McManus, however, referee Donald McCallum inexplicably awarded a goal kick.
Wishaw danger man Lee Hadden took just two minutes to demonstrate the threat he would pose throughout the game when he charged down a Willie Gemmell free-kick midway inside the Saints half. Hadden raced past Gemmell onto the loose ball and fizzed a low shot from the left edge of the 18-yard box across Graham Douglas and narrowly wide of the far post.
Sustained
John Neill swung over a dangerous sixth minute cross which Brian Ross headed into the arms of Graham Douglas as the home side began a period of sustained pressure. Neil looked for the head of Ross again two minutes later with a delivery from the left which Dene Cassells read well to head clear.
A Dene Cassells trip on Lee Hadden gave Wishaw a 12th minute dead ball opportunity 32 yards out which David Rae sent well over the Saints crossbar.
The Oban side eventually managed to get forward with Craig MacEwan and James Ford combing to force a corner kick on the left. Lewis Cameron’s delivery was glanced on by Craig MacEwan at the near post and helped back into the danger area by Willie Gemmell before being scrambled out for a throw-in on the right.
Steven MacLeod came to the rescue in the 18th minute, sticking out his right leg to block a goal bound effort from Jamie Moir after Graham Douglas had sliced a hurried clearance out for a throw-in on the Wishaw right.
MacLeod’s central defensive partner Dene Cassells was next to make a telling intervention, stretching his legs to keep pace with a driving Lee Hadden run and take the ball off the toes of the speedy Wishaw wide man.
The home side came within inches of opening the scoring when the impressive Ewan Leonard raced away from Willie Gemmell inside the centre circle and powered forward crashing a fierce left foot strike past Graham Douglas and off the crossbar. Fortune favoured Saints again when Jamie Moir’s attempted bicycle kick failed to connect with the rebound.
Wishaw keeper Sandy Thomson’s prodigious kicking turned defence into attack from a rare Lewis Cameron foray into the home penalty area. The Wishaw number one launched the ball almost to the edge of Saints box from where Jamie Moir teed up John Neill for a snap shot well wide of target.
Against the run of play, Saints broke the deadlock in the 35th minute. James Ford’s driving run had the home defence backpedalling and his perfectly weighted pass sent Scott Maitland through one-on-one with the keeper. Thomson stood up well but was unable to prevent Maitland from skipping through and, from an acute angle, slotted the ball into the unguarded net to give Saints an unlikely lead.
Another long Sandy Thomson clearance was taken down by Brian Ross who saw his shot on the turn charged down by Matty Kelly, illegally in the opinion of referee McCallum who showed Kelly the game’s first yellow card.
Blair Kidd’s resulting 38th minute free-kick came back off the Saints wall with Willie Gemmell blocking Jamie Moir’s effort on the rebound and John Neill slicing the loose ball well off target.
The Saints goal continued to lead a charmed life when Jamie Moir’s cross from the right picked out Brian Ross at the back post whose scuffed shot was clawed behind
by Graham Douglas for a corner kick which the Saints defence cleared before referee McCallum blew for half-time.
The interval benefited Saints who took the field refreshed and ready to exert more of an influence on proceedings. After the home defence had scrambled clear a 46th minute corner kick, skipper Liam Smith made a telling challenge to take the ball away from Lewis Cameron in a threatening position 60 seconds later.
Grateful arms
Smith was well beaten in the air in the 56th minute when Willie Gemmell leapt high to meet a Lewis Cameron corner kick from the left with his downward header dropping into the grateful arms of Sandy Thomson.
Gemmell found the arms of Thomson again five minutes later with a 25 yard free-kick after Craig MacEwan had been felled by Blair Kidd.
Ross Maitland made way for David Beaton whose pace posed an immediate threat racing onto a Craig MacEwan ball up the right wing and firing over a low cross which James Ford hooked wide of target at the back post.
The hosts also made a change handing a debut to new signing Joshua Payne who replaced Cameron Ballantyne. The former Arthurlie man’s first involvement was to latch onto another long Sandy Thomson clearance and lift the ball over the advancing Graham Douglas but wide of the far post.
Saints leading goal scorer Craig MacEwan was inches away from increasing his tally for the season when he glanced a 71st minute Lewis Cameron corner kick from the left across the face of goal and just wide of the far post.
Wishaw keeper Sandy Thomson kept his side in the game with a crucial save to deny David Beaton when the pacy winger was set up by Lewis Cameron in the 76th minute. Cammy Hill replaced the influential James Ford before the resulting corner kick could be taken and nodded Lewis Cameron’s delivery from the left just over the crossbar.
Lewis Cameron passed up a good opportunity to make the tie safe in the 78th minute, lashing a left foot volley over the junction of post and bar after good work on the right by Ruaridh Horne and David Beaton.
Sandy Thomson earned himself a yellow card for dissent before Jamie Moir made way for Luke Dickson in the hosts final change of the afternoon.
Saints were disappointed when referee McCallum awarded a soft 82nd minute free-kick against Willie Gemmell who was judged to have fouled Brian Ross in making what appeared to be a good clearing header. Disappointment turned to anger when Mr McCallum, ignoring the Saints protests, allowed Wishaw to take a quick free-kick which was eventually bundled over the line by Lee Hadden despite the valiant efforts of Graham Douglas and Steven MacLeod.
The man in the middle rubbed salt into the Saints wound by issuing yellow cards to Dene Cassells, Craig MacEwan and Steven MacLeod for their protests.
Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing minutes with substitute Luke Dickson coming close for the hosts and skipper Liam Smith getting a vital touch to deny opposite number Dene Cassells inside the Wishaw six-yard box.
In the final act of an entertaining encounter, Willie Gemmell hooked a difficult chance from a 93rd minute Lewis Cameron corner kick wide of target before referee McCallum brought proceedings to a close.
Saturday’s replay will take place at Glencruitten with a 2pm kick-off with referee Donald MacCallum in charge.