Saints players impress in international squad
Scottish AFA Select 4
Whitburn Juniors 0
Friendly match
With the season now well under way Scottish Amateur international manager Colin MacLeod and his coaching team have begun their longerterm preparations towards this season’s international fixtures in May of next year.
Colin organised two training sessions for November: Sunday 3 November and Sunday 24 November. The Scottish Amateur FA Select followed up the first session with a friendly match against Whitburn Juniors on Tuesday November 5 at Dalziel Park, Motherwell.
The management team will arrange a second friendly for either Monday 25 November or Tuesday 26 November. Both the opposition and venue for this match have still to be confirmed.
Oban Saints duo Scott Maitland and Lewis Cameron featured in the SAFA Select team who recorded a convincing win in their friendly match against Whitburn Juniors last Tuesday.
The Select opened the scoring on 16 minutes. John
Robertson started the move with a ball wide to Ciaran McElroy. McElroy curled a precise cross to the back post. Lewis Cameron rose unchallenged to direct a precision header back across goal and into the top corner to make it 1-0.
Daniel Finnigan extended the lead after 25 minutes. Finnigan reached the ball ahead of the advancing keeper.
He took the ball wide and calmly angled a shot into the unguarded net from 16 yards for 2-0.
The third goal came on the stroke of half-time. Scott Maitland broke down the left and fired a cross into the box. A Whitburn defender miscued his attempted clearance and sliced the ball into his own net, with the keeper helpless. Colin MacLeod introduced all six of his substitutes at the break.
Select keeper Greg McGuinness saved low to his left after 55 minutes as Whitburn looked for an early way back into the game.
The Select regained their momentum and continued to threaten from the wide areas, with Ciaran McElroy looking particularly dangerous down the left.
Despite several close efforts, it took until the 85th minute before the Select sealed their win with the final goal of the match.
The impressive John Robertson sent Michael Osborne clear on goal with a slide-rule pass. His club team-mate finished with
aplomb, confidently drilling home from 14 yards to make the final score 4-0.
Scottish Amateur FA Select: Scott Urquhart (St Josephs); Tyler Fulton (Eastfield), Joe Coleman (St Patrick’s FP), Liam Taggart (Eastfield), Scott Maitland (Oban Saints); Lewis Cameron (Oban Saints), Jason Cassidy (Giffnock North), John Robertson (Sandys); Daniel Finnigan (St Patricks FP), Ryan Hynes (Drumchapel United PYM), Ciaran McElroy (St Patrick’s FP)
Substitutes: Greg McGuinness (Eastfield), Gary McCulloch (Eastfield), Bradley Grieve (Bowhill Rovers), Mark Hansen (Eastfield), Ryan Weir (Bannockburn), Michael Osborne (Sandys).
Referee: Sean Murdoch.