Credits Roll On Saints Cinema Cup Campaign
- Winning In The Rain
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Saturday 10th May 2025
Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association
Cinema Cup
Second Round
Greenock High School Former Pupils 10 - 1 Oban Saints
Battery Park
Eldon Street
Greenock
PA16 7QG
Kick-off 1.00pm
Having benefitted from a first round bye, Oban Saints' brief dalliance with the Scottish Premier Football Association Cinema Cup was ended at the second-round stage by in-form Greenock High School Former Pupils at Battery Park last Saturday afternoon.
A ten-goal masterclass in the Greenock sunshine from the Former Pupils saw Saints slump to their heaviest ever defeat, narrowly eclipsing the 9 - 1 reverse at the hands of Lesmahagow in August 2021.
With none of his coaching staff available, and Club Secretary David Buchanan still not well enough to travel. Manager Ross Maitland cut a lonely figure on the Battery Park touchline and had to rely on his senior players for assistance in cajoling a performance from the predominantly youthful Saints' line-up.
Despite the best efforts of the Gaffer, and a stand-out performance from Skipper Scott Maitland, the young Saints were over-run by a relentless Greenock side who still harbour ambitions of overhauling league leaders Steins Thistle to land the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership trophy.
Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back four of Keiron Lopez, Aidan Jackson, Ben Forbes and Keiran Griffin. Given the holding midfield roles in front of the back four were Aaron McKay and Captain Scott Maitland with Rhys Millar, Donald Campbell and David Beaton ahead of them. Ploughing a lone furrow up front was leading goal scorer Connor Moore. On the substitutes bench were Shaye Black, Oran Bryce, Innes Fraser, Alec McInroy and Matty Pollock.
The home side kicked off attacking the carpark end of the Battery Park 3G but it was Saints who had the first effort on target. Scott Maitland and Aaron McKay combined well in central midfield to send Connor Moore away on the right. Moore cut inside onto his left foot and fired off a shot from seventeen yards which Declan Tinney in the Greenock goal was at full stretch to push behind for a corner kick. Scott Maitland placed his inswinger from the right corner flag on top of Tinney but with no challenge the keeper was able to claw the ball to safety.
Having safely negotiated the first twelve minutes Saints conceded twice in a three-minute spell on both occasions allowing Greenock midfielder Ryan Dickson an untracked run into the Saints box to side-foot past Graham Douglas.
The brace from Dickson was punctuated by the unfortunate departure of Ben Forbes with a twisted ankle. Matty Pollock received the nod from the Gaffer to replace Forbes in central defence alongside Aidan Jackson.
Saints tested Declan Tinney again in the sixteenth minute but David Beaton's effort from twenty-two yards lacked the power to seriously test the Greenock keeper.
The home side stretched their advantage after twenty-one minutes when Ewan McIlkenny and Sean Doherty combined well on the left with Donald Watt meeting former Dunoon Amateurs man McIlkenny's cutback with a crisp finish.
Greenock Skipper Cian MacAuley was allowed to travel a long way unchallenged for a twenty-third minute swerving shot which Graham Douglas was relieved to be able to gather safely at the second attempt.
As ever, Greenock goal machine David Grant was a major handful for the Saints defence and his predatory instinct saw him pounce on a blocked clearance to slot home the home side's fourth goal on the half hour mark.
Grant turned provider two minutes later showing great strength to hold the ball up and lay off to Donald Watt whose shot was too powerful for Graham Douglas who, despite getting both hands to the ball, couldn't keep it out.
Saints registered a third shot on target in the thirty-eighth minute when Keiran Griffin got forward from left fullback but was unable to beat Declan Tinney with his effort.
The hosts completed the first half scoring in the forty-first minute when David Grant got across Aidan Jackson to guide Ewan McIlkenny's cutback from the left in off the post with his left foot.
Saints Manager Ross Maitland made a change sending on Innes Fraser to replace Rhys Millar for the second half which began with Graham Douglas making an excellent save to deny David Grant his hat-trick.
Greenock made a triple substitution after fifty-sixth minutes with Saints relieved to see David Grant among the departures.
Young Donald Campbell, who has started all bar one of Saints' matches since making his debut as a substitute against Stenhousemuir Foundation in February, was withdrawn just after the hour mark to be replaced by Alec McInroy but not before he had forced another save from Greenock keeper Declan Tinney.
Having survived the early scare at the start of the second period Saints steadied themselves and kept the home side in check until the sixty-second minute when a stray pass at the back allowed substitute Ryan Cannon in for an easy finish.
Further changes followed for both sides with Ross Maitland replacing Keiron Lopez and Keiran Griffin with Shaye Black and Oran Bryce.
Ryan Cannon was on the score sheet again for hosts sliding in to knock home after another of Greenock's former Dunoon Amateurs men, Brendan McIlkenny, had done well to hold up a throw-in from the left,
Brendan McIlkenny got in on the goal scoring act in the seventy-fourth minute successfully holding off Shaye Black to fire low past Graham Douglas and put the home side nine to the good.
Greenock Skipper Cian MacAuley seized the opportunity to get forward from his central defensive beat and was sent racing through the inside right channel in the seventy-sixth minute. Graham Douglas did well to block at MacAuley's feet however luck deserted the Saints' keeper when the ball rebounded into MacAuley's path leaving him a simple tap-in to send his side into double figures.
David Beaton curled a seventy-sixth minute free-kick over the Greenock crossbar before Graham Douglas made a good save to deny Ryan Cannon his hat-trick.
Connor Moore already has one hand on Saints' top goal scorer's trophy and he added another goal to his tally cutting in from the right in the eightieth minute to slam a powerful left foot finish into the postage stamp corner.
Graham Douglas ensured there was no more misery for Saints with a fingertip save to push a rasping Brendan McIlkenny shot onto the crossbar.
The D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints thought they had bagged an unlikely second goal when, with four minutes remaining, Aidan Jackson headed home a David Beaton corner kick from the left however the goal was disallowed for a push on goalkeeper Declan Tinney.
This current clutch of Saints youngsters has, out of necessity, been thrown in at the deep end against some of the top sides in Scottish amateur football and they continue to give a good account of themselves despite having to fight several divisions above their weight. There are still two bouts remaining for Ross Maitland and his young charges this season both of which are against title contenders.
Currently, Saints have no fixture this coming Saturday with their next outing scheduled to be the last home Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership fixture of the season when Scottish Amateur Cup finalists FC Pather visit Glencruitten on Saturday 24th May. The date for the final away fixture of the season against Castlemilk Community has still to announced.
