Five star Saints ease through to last 16 of Scottish Cup
Oban Saints 5 Renfrew Town 1
Scottish Cup – 5th Round
Oban Saints eased through to the sixth round of the Scottish Amateur Cup with a convincing 5-1 victory over Renfrew Town of the Glasgow and District Saturday Morning League at Oban Community Pitch last Saturday afternoon.
Strikes from Craig MacEwan, Willie Gemmell and Dene Cassells, added to a brace from Lewis Cameron, saw Saints comfortably through to the last 16 of the Scottish Amateur Football Association’s blue ribband competition.
Headaches
Holidays, injuries and suspension left co-manager Willie Gemmell with a number of selection headaches, but he was at least able to share the agony with other half Donald Campbell, who was home from his sojourns in Warwickshire for a short weekend break.
Heavy rain forced a switch of venue from the grass pitch at Glencruitten to the all-weather surface at Oban High School where Saints kicked off with the stiff breeze at their backs attacking the Dalintart end.
Making a rare starting appearance, the evergreen Ross Maitland smacked the Renfrew Town crossbar in the second minute after cutting in from his wide left berth and unleashing a fierce right-foot shot which left goalkeeper Ross Dougall rooted firmly to the spot.
Lewis Cameron, Craig MacEwan and Willie Gemmell all had efforts off target before Renfrew striker Chris Burke repeated the feat with a wayward overhead kick which failed to trouble Jamie Strachan.
Making his home debut standing in for the suspended Graham Douglas, recent signing Strachan made a routine 20th minute save from a speculative Adam Williams shot after Chris Burke had flicked-on a Ross Dougall clearance.
As the first half wore on Saints began ramping up the pressure on the Renfrew goal and eventually made the breakthrough in the 25th minute. Ross Maitland’s perfectly weighted through ball sent Matty Kelly into the box where his cutback from the left was sent back across the keeper by leading goal scorer Craig MacEwan and into the net via the inside of the post.
Saints came close to doubling their advantage straight from the restart when Kelly popped up in the box again, this time on the right, but saw his decent effort blocked by Stuart Connelly.
Renfrew keeper Ross Dougall made the first of a number of good saves getting down well to his left to push a 36th minute Lewis Cameron shot behind for a corner kick. Cameron’s delivery was met on the six-yard line by Willie Gemmell, who was frustrated to see his goal-bound header blocked inadvertently by David Beaton with Gemmell hooking a difficult chance on the rebound wide of target.
Ross Dougall acrobatically tipped a 39th-minute Craig MacEwan lob over his crossbar with Dene Cassells glancing the outside of Dougall’s right hand post with a rightfoot shot after retrieving Lewis Cameron’s deep corner kick from the right.
Saints deservedly doubled their advantage in the 40th minute when Lewis Cameron wriggled clear in the heavily congested Renfrew box to tuck a low left-foot finish beyond Ross Dougall.
The visitors were almost handed a lifeline on the stroke of half-time when Dene Cassells and Jamie Strachan got their wires crossed and the skipper’s pass back rolled past the big keeper and, to gasps of relief from the large crowd who had braved the elements, inches wide of the post.
Saints started the second half brightly and Ross Maitland forced Ross Dougall into an early save after racing through the inside right channel on the end of a Craig MacEwan through ball.
Dougall was in action again two minutes later plucking a looping Craig MacEwan header from a Ruaridh Horne right wing cross out of the air.
Dougall produced another excellent save to deny Craig MacEwan in the 50th minute after MacEwan had kept alive a partially-cleared Willie Gemmell free-kick and jinked into the Renfrew box on the Saints right. From the resulting corner kick Matty Kelly shot inches wide of Dougall’s left hand post.
Notebook
Second half substitute Steven Mitchell became the second Renfrew player to find his way into referee Gerry Reid’s notebook when he was penalised for handball
Saints inch ever closer to the holy grail of a Hampden Park Scottish Amateur Cup final appearance
on the corner of the Renfrew box in the 53rd minute. Lewis Cameron’s delivery from the Saints left was met by a firm downward header from Willie Gemmell which bounced over the despairing grasp of Ross Dougall for Saints’ third goal.
Unstoppable
Three minutes later the bookings tally increased to three when Martin Donald’s late challenge on Willie Gemmell was punished with a free-kick and a yellow card. Gemmell rolled his free-kick short to Lewis Cameron 30 yards out, who thundered an unstoppable drive into the net off the underside of the crossbar for the goal of the day.
James Ford replaced David Beaton, who had put in another energetic performance wide on the right, for the closing half hour.
Experience made way for youth when Ross Maitland was replaced by Aaron McKay in Saints’ second change of the afternoon.
James Ford robbed Stuart Connelly on the edge of the Renfrew box and slipped in
Craig MacEwan, who successfully wrong-footed Ross Dougall but sent his clipped right-foot effort inches wide of the keeper’s right hand post.
Saints introduced Gavin Forgrieve in place of Matty Kelly in the 70th minute and the youngster was quickly involved in a good move on the right with Willie Gemmell and Ruaridh Horne, which set up Lewis Cameron for a hat-trick chance which he unfortunately lifted over the crossbar.
Further changes followed with Matt Rippon and Fraser MacFarlane replacing Willie Gemmell and Ruaridh Horne.
Good save
Ross Dougall’s busy afternoon continued with another good save, this time dropping smartly to his right to stop a Fraser MacFarlane shot from the edge of the box.
The visitor’s perseverance was rewarded in the 89th minute when Scott Maitland was dispossessed midway inside the Renfrew half and a swift counter attack was rounded off with a crisp left-foot William Johnstone strike for a deserved consolation goal.
The scoring didn’t end there as James Ford had his dancing feet whipped away from him in the Renfrew box in the 91st minute. Skipper Dene Cassells strode up confidently to smash his second successful penalty kick of the season into the bottom corner giving Ross Dougall no chance.
Referee Reid, who had a good game, brought proceedings to an end shortly after the restart inching Saints ever closer to the holy grail of a Hampden Park
Scottish Amateur Cup final appearance.
Last 16
Teams through to the last 16 so far are: Tollcross Thistle, Sandys, Merpro, Lauriston Thistle, East Kilbride YM, Menzieshill, Fintry and Oban Saints. Four games were called off due to the weather and four other games require replays.
Saints return to league action on Saturday with a trip to Dalziel Park, Motherwell to face Cambusnethan Talbot. Kick-off is 1pm.