Cinema Cup Exit For Saints
- Winning In The Rain
- Apr 19
- 5 min read
Saturday 18th April 2026
Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association
Cinema Cup
Quarter Final
Oban Saints 0 - 3 FC Pather
Oban Community Sports Field 3G
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick-off 1.00pm
Referee Mr Kevin McIntyre
Oban Saints nine-game unbeaten run finally came to an end last Saturday 18th April with defeat at the hands of West of Scotland Amateur Cup semi-finalists FC Pather. The Wishaw men capitalised on missed Saints' chances to end the home side's interest in the Scottish Amateur Football Association Cinema Cup with three clinically taken first-half goals to which Saints had no response. Both sides had chances to add to the scoring in the second half however Pather remained comfortable for the most part to ease their way deservedly into another semi-final.
Myles McAuley, Aaron Moore, Keiran Griffin and Louie MacFarlane all dropped out from the previous week's encounter with AFC Chryston and were replaced by the returning Ryan Barclay, Connor Moore, Kenneth Black and Fraser MacFarlane.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Ryan Barclay, Captain Scott Maitland and Matty Pollock. The central midfield three of Aaron McKay, Preston Macintyre and Gavin Forgrieve were flanked by wingbacks David Beaton and Donald Campbell with Rhys Millar and Connor Moore forming the strike partnership up front. On the substitutes were Connor Beattie, Kenneth Black Innes Fraser, Fraser MacFarlane and Kuba Ryska.
Saints kicked off attacking the Glencruitten Drive end and almost made the perfect start. Inside the opening minute, David Beaton got the better of Scottish Amateur international left fullback Jordan Murphy on the Saints' right and picked out Connor Moore in the eighteen-yard box. Moore's lack of faith in his right foot saw him wait until the ball came across him allowing David Taylor to get back and make a timely interception.
Leading goal scorer Moore manufactured another good opening three minutes later; however, after doing well to get away from experienced central defender Garry Fleming, he snatched at the chance and lashed his shot well over the Pather crossbar.
Saints were severely punished for their failure to register on the scoresheet when Pather opened the scoring with their first attack. Jordan Murphy made a good interception on the left and sent Lee Dixon away in behind Ryan Barclay. Rhys Millar made an excellent sliding challenge to concede a sixth minute corner kick from which Saints switched off and allowed Gianluca Deluca a free header into the bottom corner.
The home side continued to battle well against their vastly experienced opponents and threatened again in the eighteenth minute when Scott Maitland won the ball from Gianluca Deluca and picked out Connor Moore with his back to goal. Moore held off Garry Fleming and rolled the ball into the path of David Beaton cutting in from the right for a low shot which could only find the side netting.
Saints came forward again sixty seconds later with Connor Moore, Rhys Millar, Preston Macintyre and David Beaton all involved in setting up Donald Campbell for a shot which was again too hurriedly dispatched and failed to test former Steins Thistle man Thomas Elvin in the Pather goal.
Having passed up several presentable chances Saints were shown exactly how it should be done when the visitors doubled their lead with just their second attempt on goal. Alastair Brown, another of Pather's Scottish Amateur internationalists, got on the end of a move which cut the Saints' defence wide open and tucked a clinical finish beyond the reach of Craig Maitland in the Saints' goal.
There was a loud appeal for a Saints' penalty kick when Connor Moore went down under a challenge from David Taylor however Referee Kevin McIntyre, who handled proceedings well, saw no infringement.
Saints were picked off again in the thirty-third minute when David Paris timed his run perfectly to meet Jordan Murphy's long throw-in from the left and sent a downward header past Craig Maitland's right hand and into the bottom corner.
Saints' Manager Steven MacLeod switched to a 4-5-1 formation for the start of the second half which saw the visitors replace defenders Darren Smith and Garry Fleming with Nathan Fell and Colin Brannan the latter joining Thomas Elvin in making a second visit to Oban this season having previously made the trip with the now sadly folded Steins Thistle back in August.
Elvin made a telling contribution in the fifty-sixth minute extending himself fully to claw away a low David Beaton cross from the right with Ryan Barclay ready to pounce at the back post.
Matty Pollock was on target for Saints when the two sides met in Wishaw on league business in October and came close to repeating that feat in the sixty-first minute when he got on the end of a Gavin Forgrieve free kick to head inches wide of Thomas Elvin's right-hand post.
Pollock was involved at the other end taking out Lee Dixon for a Pather free kick wide on the left and, in the process, ending Dixon's involvement in the proceedings. Aaron McKay headed the delivery from Brian Ross to the edge of the box from where Dixon's replacement, William McMaster, fired wide of target.
With twenty minutes remaining Craig Maitland showed quick reactions to push away a John Harrison header from a Gianluca Deluca right wing cross with Saints breaking quickly into Pather territory where Connor Moore was hauled down on the right by Nathan Fell. Matty Pollock again did well to get his head to Gavin Forgrieve's delivery but unfortunately with an identical result to before.
Preston Macintyre and Connor Moore made way for Connor Beattie and Kuba Ryszka for the closing stages where the visitors continued to look comfortable and good value for their lead.
Craig Maitland saved another John Harrison header in the seventy-sixth minute getting down well to his right to gather safely.
Thomas Elvin kept his clean sheet intact with an outstretched right boot to turn Kuba Ryszka's eighty-second minute shot behind for a corner kick.
As the clock ticked down, Pather tightened their grip on the game with long periods of keep-ball leaving Saints frustrated. Even when the hard-working Saints eventually forced an error from the Pather back line Rhys Millar was unable to punish Thomas Elvin's wayward pass when he mishit an attempted lob wide of target.
The D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints have no fixture this coming Saturday but will resume their Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association McAvoy and McIntyre Trophy campaign on Saturday 2nd May when they host Nethercraigs in the final group stage match with a semi-final place at stake.
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