Back-to-Back League Wins
- Winning In The Rain
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Saturday 15th August 2026
Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association
Premiership
Oban Saints 3 - 0 Clydeside Athletic
Glencruitten 2
Mossfield Avenue
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4EH
Kick-off 1.00pm
Referee Mr Donald McCallum
Following the previous week's opening day victory on the road against Bishopton, Oban Saints took their home Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership bow last Saturday at the increasingly unfamiliar surroundings of Glencruitten 2. Saints' only other appearance at their traditional home venue this calendar year was the McAvoy and McIntyre Trophy encounter with Nethercraigs in May with the soggy West coast weather conditions elevating the all-weather surface at Oban High School to the preferred venue.
With all that rest, the grass surface at Glencruitten was in excellent condition for the visit of Clydeside Athletic and a credit to the Argyll & Bute Council grounds staff who have put in many hours of hard work to get the park in top condition for the season ahead.
Saints' Manager Steven MacLeod recalled James Conington and Will Graham to replace the unavailable Connor Beattie and Kyle Cooper in an otherwise unchanged squad from seven days earlier.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Matty Pollock, Captain Scott Maitland and Craig Livingstone. The central midfield three of David Beaton, Matthew Kelly and James Conington were flanked by wingbacks Ruari MacLeod and Lewis Campbell with Rhys Millar and Connor Moore forming the strike partnership up front. Adding experience to otherwise youthful substitutes bench of Donald Campbell, Innes Fraser, Archie Lewis and Kuba Ryszka was the returning Will Graham.
Attacking the railway line end in the first half, Saints came racing out of the blocks and were inches away from making it a perfect start when Ruari MacLeod picked out David Beaton's near post run with a low cross from the right which Beaton flicked just wide of Clydeside keeper Ross Stewart's left-hand post.
After surviving that early scare the visitors settled and, despite Saints enjoying the majority of possession, remained relatively untroubled at back in the early exchanges.
Clydeside Athletic ventured forward in the fourteenth minute with John McBrearty trying his luck from distance with a left foot shot which flew high over Craig Maitland's crossbar. From Maitland's restart, Saints found the key to unlock the Clydeside defence working the ball up the left touchline to Lewis Campbell for a driving run into the opposition's eighteen-yard box.
Campbell's initial effort was parried by Ross Stewart back out to the Saint's wide man who chested the ball down and took it skilfully away from the desperate lunges of Stewart and defender Josh Shannon to fire Saints in front.
Clydeside's left fullback came a long way forward to combine well with the left winger in the eighteenth minute, but Craig Maitland was able to comfortably pluck the cross from the byline out of the air at his near post.
Impressing in an unaccustomed central midfield role, James Conington sent Connor Moore through in the twenty-second minute however young Clydeside defender Josh Shannon did well to force the Saints' striker wide. Moore was however able to find strike partner Rhys Millar from wide on the left only for Referee Donald McCallum, who handled proceedings well, to give the visitors the benefit of a tight offside decision.
Craig Maitland stretched well to safely hold a twenty-fourth minute Aidan Munro long throw-in from the Clydeside right and quickly launched a Saints' counterattack. Lewis Campbell and Connor Moore linked on the left from where Moore picked out Rhys Millar who, this time, timed his back post run perfectly to cushion home from inside the six-yard box.
Aidan Munro found his way into Referee McCallum's notebook for a late challenge on David Beaton however it was Munro who came off worst from the tackle and had to leave the field of play for treatment.
The rejuvenating powers of the magic sponge propelled Munro forward immediately on his return for a twenty-five yard effort which dipped inches over the Saints' crossbar.
Connor Moore provided another cross from the left in the thirty-fifth minute with Clydeside keeper Ross Stewart producing a double save to deny David Beaton and Rhys Millar.
Millar was through on goal seven minutes later after Scott Maitland won a header in the centre circle with James Conington first to the loose ball and threading an inviting pass through for Millar to run onto. Ross Stewart however got his angles right and stretched up a strong right hand to block and eventually smother Millar's attempted dink.
Saints' Skipper Maitland pushed forward from the back three to feed Connor Moore in a central position in the forty-third minute. Moore did well to turn away from Clydeside Skipper Robert Jenner, but his shot lacked the power to seriously test Ross Stewart.
On the stroke of half-time Maitland was involved at the other end making a timely interception to block a Ryan Taylor shot behind for a corner-kick. Craig Livingstone climbed well to head Aidan Munro's delivery from the corner flag out to the edge of the eighteen-yard box from where Daryl Naismith drew an excellent save from Craig Maitland low to his right to ensure Saints reached the interval with their two-goal lead still intact.
The Saints' lead was further put to the test in the second half where the visitors wrestled control in the middle of the park. Substitute James McCrindle got in behind Craig Livingstone from a throw-in on the right and fired a shot across Craig Maitland which the Saints' number parried at full stretch with Matty Pollock on hand to clear the danger.
Clearly disappointed with the start to the second period, Saints' Gaffer Steven MacLeod made a triple change in the fifty-fourth minute replacing Lewis Campbell, Matty Kelly and Ruari MacLeod with Donald Campbell, Will Graham and Kuba Ryszka.
The changes gave Saints the desired shot in the arm but clear-cut chances continued to elude both sides with defences on top for the most part.
A sixtieth minute foul on Connor Moore gave David Beaton the chance to put the ball into the danger area which he duly did finding the head of Matty Pollock for a header which unfortunately had the sting taken out of it by a deflection which afforded Ross Stewart a comfortable catch.
Kuba Ryszka had a shot deflected for a corner kick before turning away from Robert Jenner and testing Ross Stewart with an effort from twenty-two yards which the Clydeside number one held at the second attempt.
Scott Maitland and defensive colleagues Matty Pollock and Craig Livingstone remained solid at the back with Maitland mopping up well to launch a seventy-first minute counterattack on the right from where Connor Moore found Kuba Ryska for another shot parried by Ross Stewart. There was good distance on the keeper's parry which James Conington was able to for Donald Campbell to set up David Beaton for a curling effort over the crossbar.
Conington was the target for a seventy-fourth minute Scott Maitland free kick with Clydeside defender Scott Bannachan winning the initial duel before a Rhys Millar cross from the right eventually found Conington for a header which looped over the crossbar.
Two minutes later Kuba Ryszka made the points safe for the home side timing his run well to reach a perfectly weighted through ball from Will Graham. With Clydeside Skipper Robert Jenner closing in, young Ryszka kept his composure to slot low past Ross Stewart's left hand from eighteen yards.
With ten minutes remaining the visitor's task was made all the more difficult when they lost the services of Aidan Munro to a second yellow card for another late challenge on David Beaton.
Further Saints' changes followed with Innes Fraser replacing Rhys Millar at right wingback and Archie Lewis making his first competitive home appearance with Craig Livingstone making way.
There were no further significant incidents in the closing stages and Referee McCallum's final whistle sent the large crowd who had endured some heavy rain showers during the entertaining encounter home happy.
This coming Saturday 22nd August the D&K Lafferty Contractors, The View and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints travel to Wishaw to face Netherton Community in the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership.
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