Depleted Saints Slip To Defeat At The Carrick

Winning In The Rain
Nov 17, 2024
3 min read

Saturday 16th November 2024

Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association

Premiership

AFC Chryston 3 - 0 Oban Saints

The Carrick Park

Carrick Place

Glenboig

ML5 2QS

Kick-off 1.30pm

Referee Mr John McNab

Oban Saints' run of poor form continued at The Carrick Park, Glenboig last Saturday afternoon where the severely depleted Saints slipped to a second league defeat of the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership season. With the number of unavailable players stretching longer than those able to make the trip it was a twelve-man Saints squad which made the journey to face league high-flyers AFC Chryston.

Full credit is due to the largely inexperienced Saints side which put up a brave fight but ultimately was no match for the league's top scorers whose comfortable three-goal victory keeps them in third place in the Premiership table.

Work commitments required Saints' Gaffer Ross Maitland to hand the reins to Assistant Manger Iain Jackson who was ably supported on the touchline by Coach David Dunlop and Secretary David Buchanan,

Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back four of Cammy Clark, Shaye Black, Drew Murray and Captain Scott Maitland. Gavin Forgrieve had Keiran Griffin and Matty Pollock for company in midfield while, up front, David Beaton led the line flanked by Connor Moore and Fraser MacFarlane. The solitary figure on the substitutes bench was Rhys Millar.

Saints kicked off on the well-tended Carrick Park grass surface and made a promising start with off-target efforts from David Beaton and Keiran Griffin sandwiching a shot from Connor Moore which drew a good save from Chryston keeper Aedan Houston.

The home side however soon got into their stride and when Jason Stevenson sent Leo Simpson's quickly taken sixteenth minute free-kick across the face of goal the Saints defence couldn't clear their lines and the ball was scrambled home from cross range.

Chryston fullbacks Ryan Waugh and Jason Stevenson were getting forward at every opportunity and Waugh shot narrowly wide after a well-timed eighteenth minute run from deep left Saints appealing in vain for an offside decision. Two minutes later Stevenson beat Cammy Clark on the Chryston left and lifted the ball over the advancing Craig Maitland. Drew Murray did well to get back and clear the ball off the goal-line however Dylan McLaughlin was on hand to slot home from a tight angle.

Saints tried to get back into the game with a David Beaton shot from a Gavin Forgrieve free-kick well blocked by Chryston Skipper Ronan McLaughlin before Connor Moore forced another good save from Aedan Houston.

The home side were giving the previously untried Saints back four of Cammy Clark, Shaye Black, Drew Murray and Scott Maitland a torrid time and only profligate finishing and some fine saves from Craig Maitland kept the half-time deficit at two.

Cammy Clark survived just eight second-half minutes before injury forced him off to be replaced by Rhys Millar with Fraser MacFarlane dropping back to take the right fullback berth vacated by Clark.

MacFarlane shortly suffered an eye-watering injury himself from which he required a spell on the side lines before making enough of a recovery to re-join the action this time at centre-forward.

Gavin Forgrieve battled hard in midfield assisted by Keiran Griffin and Matty Pollock but his mistimed sixty-first minute challenge on the edge of the Saints' box gave Leo Simpson an opportunity to test Craig Maitland with the dead-ball. The Saints' defensive wall did its job but the ball broke back to Simpson whose second attempt brought an excellent save from Maitland at full stretch low to his right.

Saints were enjoying a decent spell without seriously testing Aedan Houston however a slip at the back saw Drew Murray trip Ronan McLaughlin in the Saints' giving Referee John McNab, who handled proceedings well, an easy decision to point to the penalty spot. McLaughlin, son of former Celtic and Scotland winger Brian, wasn't to be denied his goal and converted with aplomb from the spot sending Craig Maitland in the wrong direction in the process.

The search for a Saints' consolation continued in vain with Rhys Millar lifting over after linking well with Fraser MacFarlane on the right. Millar's perseverance won an eighty-eighth minute free-kick on the goal-line wide on the right. Gavin Forgrieve picked out David Beaton with the dead-ball, but Aedan Houston preserved his highly prized clean sheet getting down smartly to his left to push Beaton's effort round the post.

This coming Saturday Saints return to Glencruitten where they will host old rivals Kings Park Rangers for the first time in the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership.