Five Star Saints Reach Scottish Cup Fifth Round
- Winning In The Rain
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Saturday 13th December 2025
Scottish Amateur Football Association
Challenge Cup Competition
4th Round Replay
Oban Saints 5 - 1 Kilbarchan Thistle
Oban Community Sports Field 3G
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick-off 1.30pm
Referee Mr David Dixon
Last Saturday at a very wet and windy Oban High School Oban Saints final outing of 2025 saw the home side storm into the fifth round of the Scottish Amateur Cup with a convincing fourth round replay victory over a stubborn Kilbarchan Thistle.
Following the two-two draw on a boggy surface at Miller Street, Johnstone seven days earlier both sides had hoped for more favourable conditions for the replay however torrential rain and gale force winds made life difficult so full credit to both sets of players for producing an exciting spectacle in testing conditions.
The Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League Division One visitors took the lead after nineteen minutes with an excellent strike from John Martin. Saints however recovered from this setback with headed goals from Louie MacFarlane and Donald Campbell to take a slender advantage into the second half.
Rhys Millar gave Saints the perfect start to the second forty-five with further strikes from David Beaton and Keiran Griffin sending the hardy band of loyal supporters home soaked to the skin but happy to see their favourites’ interest in the Scottish Amateur Football Association’s blue ribband event continue into the new year.
The D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Louie MacFarlane, Captain Scott Maitland and Ryan Barclay. The central midfield trio of Aaron McKay, Gavin Forgrieve and Daniel MacCuish were flanked by wingbacks Innes Fraser and Donald Campbell while, up front, Rhys Millar partnered David Beaton. Manager Steven MacLeod was joined on the substitutes bench by goalkeeper and Assistant Manager Graham Douglas, Keiran Griffin, Aidan Jackson, Matty Pollock and Kuba Ryszka.
Saints Skipper Scott Maitland won the toss of Referee David Dixon's coin and elected to change ends giving Kilbarchan Thistle the benefit of the strong wind and horizontal rain for the opening period. Battling against the elements, the home side took a while to settle but eventually made a first foray forward in the seventh minute. Donald Campbell won a throw-in on the left from which the ball was worked across to the opposite flank for an off target left foot shot from Innes Fraser.
Two minutes later Gavin Forgrieve sent Rhys Millar through with a difficult bouncing ball which Millar almost manged to lift back to Forgrieve however Leon Holmes in the Kilbarchan goal showed good reactions to snatch the ball away from the Saints central midfielder.
Forgrieve produced a dangerous delivery from the corner flag after fifteen minutes which fell nicely for David Beaton whose goal-bound left foot strike was blocked bravely by John Martin.
Donald Campbell resumed his battle David Icharia and got the better of the Thistle right fullback before snatching his seventeenth minute shot wide of the near post. Sixty seconds later Aaron McKay tested Leon Holmes, one of four changes to the Kilbarchan starting eleven, with a curling effort from twenty-two yards which the keeper held well.
Another Kilbarchan change was the inclusion of John Martin who followed up his earlier block with another telling contribution in the nineteenth minute. Saints lost possession on the halfway line and allowed Ross Hamilton and Jessie Salumu to work the ball from right to left for Martin whose excellent left foot strike beat Craig Maitland's right hand before hitting the inside of the post and cannoning into the opposite side netting.
Saints looked to bounce back immediately after the restart and more good work on the left from Donald Campbell set up a decent opening for Gavin Forgrieve whose shot cleared the crossbar by some distance.
Saints profited again on the left when Aaron McKay overlapped Donald Campbell for a cross on the run which Innes Fraser couldn't jump high enough at the back post to make solid contact with and sent a looping header back across the face of goal and wide of target.
Louie MacFarlane fared distinctly better in the thirty-sixth minute piling in at the back post to head Scott Maitland's free kick from the halfway line into the net to restore parity.
Sixty seconds later Saints had the chance to make it a quickfire double, but David Beaton couldn't put the accuracy behind his header from Gavin Forgrieve's flick to seriously trouble Leon Holmes.
There was questioning the accuracy of Beaton's delivery from the right in the forty-second minute which bang on the money for Donald Campbell to power home at the near post to open his goalscoring account for the season.
Saints had the advantage of the strong wind blowing towards the Dalintart Drive end in the second half and took just three minutes to extend their lead. Midfield trio Aaron McKay, Gavin Forgrieve and Daniel Maccuish were all involved in the build-up before Forgrieve released David Beaton into the Kilbarchan box to send a tantalising ball along the six yard line which Rhys Millar eagerly prodded home.
That proved to be Millar's last involvement as he and Innes Fraser made way for Matty Pollock and Jakub Ryszka.
It was almost an instant impact substitution from Manager Steven MacLeod when Aaron McKay burst forward on the left and lifted a cross to the back post which Matty Pollock climbed well to reach but couldn't direct on target.
The Saints' midfield continued to control proceedings and Daniel Maccuish was inches away from adding to the scoring striding forward to unleash a dipping left foot effort which cleared the crossbar by a matter of inches.
The visitors were handed a lifeline when Saints succumbed to a cheap red card. A robust challenge from Daniel Maccuish in the centre circle had Referee David Dixon, who handled both encounters well, reaching for his yellow card however his mindset was changed for the worse when Maccuish foolishly allowed himself to be drawn into an exchange of insults with the Kilbarchan side-line and the card changed from yellow to red.
Mr Dixon was a lot more charitable in the sixty-fifth minute when three Kilbarchan defenders conspired to fell a clean through Jakub Ryszka with the Referee content to issue just a yellow card to Paul Mills.
From the resulting free-kick Gavin Forgrieve rolled the ball to David Beaton who raced unchallenged to the left of the eighteen-yard box and fired a shot across Leon Holmes and wide of the far post.
Donald Campbell was given a well-earned rest when he was replaced in the sixty-ninth minute by the fresh legs of Keiran Griffin.
Saints were showing no signs of being disadvantaged by the earlier red card and extended their lead with twenty minutes still remaining. Young Jakub Ryszka did well on the left, but it was Aaron McKay's determination which enabled him to force his way into the box and square to David Beaton who, with two goal assists under his belt, was fully deserving of his goal.
The home side wrapped up the scoring in the seventy-fifth minute with Aaron McKay again heavily involved. McKay's energy prevailed in central midfield from where he sprayed the ball out to right wingback Matty Pollock who in turn found David Beaton on the eighteen yard line. Beaton capped an excellent performance by spinning into the Kilbarchan box before bagging his third goal assist with a cutback which Keiran Griffin slotted left footed past Leon Holmes.
Saints comfortably saw out the remainder of the match making their final change replacing Ryan Barclay with Aidan Jackson for the final ten minutes.
Oban Saints now enter the Christmas and New Year shutdown and would like to extend very best wishes from all at the club to their faithful and much valued sponsors and supporters. Saints return to action on Saturday 10th January when they welcome old rivals Shortlees to Glencruitten in the fifth round of the Scottish Amateur Cup. Shortlees were winners of the famous old trophy in 2018 and remain one of the biggest names in Scottish amateur football therefore a massive test awaits on the 10th.
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