Oban High Fives
- Winning In The Rain
- Jan 25
- 6 min read
Saturday 24th January 2026
Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association
Premiership
Oban Saints 5 - 0 Plean AFC
Oban Community Sports Field 3G
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick-off 1.00pm
Referee Mr Donald McCallum
With their interest in this season's national and regional cups now at an end, Oban Saints returned to league business on Saturday 24th January when they welcomed first time visitors Plean AFC to Oban High School. Glencruitten 2 has still not fully recovered from the recent weather extremes therefore the 3G surface was again called upon to ensure the fixture could go ahead.
A brace from top goal scorer Connor Moore and a thumping drive from David Beaton saw the home side go into the interval with a three-goal lead which was added to in the second half by Rhys Millar before young Kuba Ryszka rounded off the scoring with his first goal for the club.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Ryan Barclay, Captain Scott Maitland and Louie MacFarlane. The central midfield three of Aaron McKay, Matty Kelly and Gavin Forgrieve were flanked by wingbacks Daniel MacVicar and David Beaton with Connor Moore and Rhys Millar forming the strike partnership. On the substitutes bench were Connor Beattie, Donald Campbell, Innes Fraser, Matty Pollock, Kuba Ryska and goalkeeper Graham Douglas.
Saints kicked off attacking the school end and playing into the low sun which would make sporadic appearances throughout the afternoon.
Plean goalkeeper Derin Smith faced an early test which he passed successfully to deny Rhys Millar at the expense of a corner kick in the third minute. Gavin Forgrieve's delivery from the right fell invitingly for Daniel MacVicar who, unfortunately, couldn't direct his effort on target.
Forgrieve had another opportunity to deliver from the corner flag in the seventh minute after David Beaton's cross from the right was deflected behind. Ryan Barclay climbed well to meet Forgrieve's delivery with a solid header which cleared the crossbar by a matter of inches.
Sixty seconds later the home side squandered an excellent opportunity to open the scoring when young Rhys Millar elected to try to pick out David Beaton with an overweighted pass rather test the goalkeeper.
The visitors almost made their hosts pay for their profligacy when, from their first foray into Saints territory, Glen Black's dipping volley from twenty-five yards had Craig Maitland flying to his right to make an excellent save.
Ryan Millar used his long throw-in to launch the ball deep into the Saints' eighteen-yard box in the eleventh minute, but the home defence stood firm and launched an immediate counterattack to devastating effect. Matty Kelly sent Connor Moore racing through on the Plean goal and, with no defender able to get close, Moore slotted the ball low past the advancing keeper to open the scoring.
Worthy of their early lead Saints were however almost immediately pegged back when Calum Firth's measured cross from the left was headed wide of target by Kyle Paterson.
Rhys Millar was on the wrong end of an extremely tight offside decision when his well-executed fourteenth minute lob over Derin Smith was ruled out by Referee Donald McCallum.
Two minutes later goalkeeper Smith followed up his third minute save to deny Millar for a second time fingertipping Millar's back post header from a hanging David Beaton right wing cross over his crossbar.
Saints doubled their advantage after twenty-six minutes profiting from another good Gavin Forgrieve delivery from the corner flag. After having seen a near post delivery turned behind by the Plean defence Forgrieve aimed deeper and found Louie MacFarlane at the back post who's improvised backheel flick bounced along the six-yard line from where Connor Moore was able to take a touch and clip the ball into the unguarded net.
The home side were in the ascendency and had off-target efforts from Ryan Barclay and Daniel MacVicar before adding a third goal ten minutes before the interval. Connor Moore provided the assist after checking his run on the right and playing the ball inside to David Beaton who rifled an unstoppable finish high past Derin Smith's left hand.
Plean lost the services of defender Craig McLauchlan to injury with his place being taken by Dylan Wood.
On the stroke of half-time Saints almost conjured a carbon copy of their third goal and, but for a vital block by Liam Kelly, David Beaton would have joined Connor Moore on the two-goal mark. As it was, Saints Manager Steven MacLeod had to content himself with a three-goal advantage going into the second half where he demanded more of the same from his charges.
MacLeod's plans almost received an immediate setback when a low bouncing effort from Brian Eadie came back off Craig Maitland's right-hand post much to the relief of the home faithful who had again turned out in good numbers.
Recovering from this scare Saints sprang forward where Aaron McKay's overlapping run on the left forced a corner kick. From the corner flag Gavin Forgieve found Louie MacFarlane whose near post downward header deflected off Liam Kelly for another corner kick. Forgrieve's deeper second delivery was met by Daniel MacVicar who's firmly planted downward header was cleared off the goal line by Dylan Wood.
That proved to be MacVicar's last involvement and he made way in the fifty-fourth minute for young Donald Campbell.
Another tight offside decision involving Rhys Millar went the way of the visitors before Donald Campbell got a vital touch in the Saints' eighteen-yard box to deflect a William McCue shot wide of target.
Steven MacLeod's second change saw Matty Pollock replace Louie MacFarlane in a straight swap on the left of the back three.
Saints had the ball in the net again after sixty-seven minutes after Donald Campbell had successfully hurdled a scything challenge from Liam Kelly to feed Connor Moore. With the chasing pack closing in, Moore was forced wide and, when he took a return pass from David Beaton to force the ball over the line, Referee McCallum correctly spotted that he had come from an offside position to collect the pass from Beaton.
Five minutes later Rhys Millar finally saw a decision go his way after Donald Campbell had won back possession midway inside the Saints' half and sent Millar running at the heart of the Plean defence. Millar held off the attentions of Liam Kelly and rounded keeper Derin Smith to stab the ball into the empty net from six yards.
Millar's well-deserved goal was his last involvement, and he was immediately replaced by Innes Fraser who was deployed at right wingback with David Beaton moving forward to join Connor Moore.
Aaron McKay was next to benefit from good work on the left by Donald Campbell with the combative midfielder dropping his shoulder to turn inside and curl a decent effort narrowly wide of target.
McKay and Connor Moore departed with fifteen minutes remaining with youngsters Connor Beattie and Kuba Ryszka the final replacements deployed by Manager Steven MacLeod.
In his second positional change of the afternoon David Beaton joined influential pair Gavin Forgrieve and Matty Kelly in central midfield and combined with Forgrieve in the seventy-ninth minute to set up Kuba Ryszka for a shot which drifted narrowly wide of target.
Ryszka however didn't have too much longer to wait to announce his arrival and his delightful eighty-sixth minute lob from an equally delightful pass from fellow substitute Connor Beattie sailed over the considerable frame of Derin Smith to complete the scoring.
Plean keeper Derin Smith made a flying save to his left to push away a curling Donald Campbell effort in the dying seconds to keep the final deficit to five.
The D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints are at home again this coming Saturday 31st January when they host second placed Dunblane Soccer Club in the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership.
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