Scottish Cup duty for Saints
After last weekend’s enforced lay-off Oban Saints return to action this Saturday afternoon with a home Scottish Amateur Cup second round tie against Perthshire Amateur Football Association Division One outfit Vale of Earn.
Following a first round bye for Saints and a committee decision home win for Vale of Earn after Forfar West End’s failure to travel to fulfill their first round obligations this will be the first action of this season’s competition for both sides.
Saturday’s visitors to Glencruitten are based at Crieff ’s picturesque Market Park and are members of the Perthshire Amateur Football Association where they currently occupy ninth place in the 12-team division one.
A frustrating fixture schedule has limited Vale of Earn to just two league games so far where they followed up an opening day defeat to last season’s runners-up St Johns with a thumping 9-0 victory over Kettins.
Those first three points on the board will give Vale a major confidence boost ahead of their next league fixture where they entertain early pace setters Bridge of Earn, whose six wins from six includes a home victory over perennial champions Letham.
The early marker put down by Bridge of Earn bodes well for Perthshire’s Division One title race where Vale of Earn will join St Johns and Bridge of Earn in a bid to bring to an end Letham’s run of six successive league titles.
As well as trying to improve upon last season’s fourth placed league finish Vale of Earn will be looking to add more silverware to an already impressive trophy cabinet which currently plays host to the West District Cup, which Vale have won in five of the past nine seasons, and the Consolation Cup won in a nail biting final against Alyth on the last day of the 2018-19 season.
It has been a case of so far so good for the Crieff men on the cup front where a resounding 9-0 home victory over Division Two Vale of Atholl sent them safely through to the second round of the Ashleigh Cup. In the North of Tay regional cup Vale await the outcome of the first round tie between Craigie and Dunkeld and Birnam before learning their opponents for a home second round tie.
Cup Fever
Saints will be aiming to produce a far better performance than their last outing in front of the Glencruitten faithful when cup fever returns to Oban this Saturday. The disappointing West of Scotland Cup first round exit at the hands of Inverclyde endured by the loyal home support
is the only black mark on an otherwise perfect start to the season for Saints.
Seven straight league victories has seen Saints open up an eight-point gap on nearest challengers Blantyre RGM at the top of the Central Scottish Amateur Football League Division 1B and a continuation of that league form will be required if they are to progress against a very useful Vale of Earn side.
Unlike almost every other cup competition in amateur football the Scottish Amateur Cup still includes replays therefore a re-match will follow at Market Park, Crieff in seven days’ time if the two sides cannot be separated after 90 minutes.
In charge of proceedings is last season’s West of Scotland Amateur Cup Final referee