Saints Advance To M&M Trophy Final
- Winning In The Rain
- May 24
- 6 min read
Saturday 23rd May 2026
Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association
McAvoy & McIntyre Trophy
Semi-Final
Oban Saints 4 - 1 Knightswood
Hamish B. Allan Stadium
69 Toryglen Road
Rutherglen
Glasgow
G73 1HZ
Kick-off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Derek Dempster
Assistant Referee Mr Will Gracie
Assistant Referee John Hodge
Oban Saints confirmed their place in the final of the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association McAvoy and McIntyre Trophy with a hard-fought victory over Knightswood at the Hamish B. Allan Stadium, home of Rutherglen Glencairn, last Saturday 23rd May.
Goals from Connor Moore, David Beaton and Kuba Ryszka had Saints in control of the tie however, William Docherty's sixty-fourth minute counter brought Knightswood firmly back into contention ensuring an exciting conclusion before Ryszka's eighty-seventh minute strike finally settled matters and secured a final clash with AFC Chryston.
Already struggling for numbers, Saints' Gaffer Steven MacLeod received more bad news when Ryan Barclay and Rhys Millar reported injured before leaving Oban. The injured duo however agreed to travel and were joined in the beleaguered travelling party by the hastily drafted in Shaye Black.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Matty Pollock, Aaron Moore and Captain Scott Maitland. The central midfield three of Preston Macintyre, Gavin Forgrieve and Arron McKay were flanked by wingbacks David Beaton and Innes Fraser with Kuba Ryszka and Connor Moore forming the strike partnership up front. On the substitutes bench Ryan Barclay, Shaye Black and Rhys Millar were joined by Manager Steven MacLeod and Head Coach Archie MacLean.
Leading goal scorer Connor Moore got Saints off to the perfect start sliding in at the near post to open the scoring after just three and a half minutes. Aaron Moore carried the ball out from the back and, with a well weighted diagonal ball, sent David Beaton away on the right wing. Beaton raced to the bye-line and his low cutback into the six-yard box was met by Moore whose touch took the ball away from the waiting gloves of Aran Whitelaw and into the net.
Saints almost doubled their advantage after regaining possession from the restart. Innes Fraser's cross from the left had David Beaton picking his spot in the Knightswood net only for a vital touch from Sean Mitchell to divert the ball behind for a corner kick.
Craig Maitland had his first taste of the action in the sixth minute when he had to back-pedal furiously to fingertip an audacious Ben Jenkins lob from thirty yards over his crossbar. Jenkins showed his prowess from the corner flag with a dangerous delivery which David Beaton headed behind at the near post for another Jenkins corner kick which Aaron Moore climbed highest to head away.
Partnering Connor Moore in place of the injured Rhys Millar, Kuba Ryszka was played through by David Beaton in the tenth minute however; despite successfully getting past the advancing goalkeeper, the Saints' youngster saw his finish cleared off the goal-line by the covering Jamie Docherty.
Injuries also thrust another youngster, Innes Fraser, into the starting line-up and only an excellent save from Knightswood goalkeeper Aran Whitehead denied Fraser his first ever Saints' goal after nineteen minutes. Fraser cut in from the left onto his right foot and arrowed a shot towards the top corner which Whitehead did very well to claw away high to his right.
Knightswood continued to threaten from set-pieces and when Thomas McCarrol's twenty-first minute long throw-in from the Knightswood left wasn't dealt with the Saints' defence was relieved to see Dylan Cook's volley fly wide of target.
Aran Whitehead continued to impress in the Knightswood goal racing quickly off his line to smother the ball at David Beaton's feet before pushing a Connor Moore shot behind for a thirty-sixth minute corner kick. Gavin Forgrieve's delivery from the right was headed out to the edge of the box where Preston Macintyre returned the ball with interest well out of reach for Whitehead but back off the face of the crossbar before being cleared.
Dylan Cook's fortieth minute long throw-in headed behind by Aaron Moore sparked a flurry of Ben Jenkins corner kicks before David Beaton finally headed off his goal line and cleared up field.
Kuba Ryszka passed up a glorious opportunity to give Saints a bit of breathing space when he stooped to head Innes Fraser's forty-fourth minute cross from the left wide of Aran Whitehead's right-hand post.
Ryszka's miss was almost punished in the second minute of stoppage time when Craig Maitland was at full stretch to tip over a viciously dipping in-swinging Ben Jenkins corner kick from the right.
Playing up the slight slope of the well-prepared grass surface, Saints made a strong start to the second half with Connor Moore forcing another excellent save from Aran Whitehead in the Knightswood goal. From the resulting corner kick Whitehead got both fists to Gavin Forgrieve's forty-eighth minute delivery ahead of Arron Moore but could do nothing to stop David Beaton's volley flying past him into the roof of the net.
Good fortune however returned to the Knightswood keeper when Kuba Ryszka gave chase to a Gavin Forgrieve through ball with Whitehead's attempted clearance coming back off Ryszka and spinning wide to David Beaton. From a tight angle on the right Beaton struck the inside of the far post with the ball bouncing along the goal line and into Whitehead's welcoming arms.
Saints struck for a third time in the fifty-third minute when Kuba Ryszka was on hand to knock home from close range after David Beaton's strong run and cutback from the right.
On the hour mark Preston Macintyre gathered in a Gavin Forgrieve pass and made the space for a left-foot shot which Aran Whitehead pushed behind for a corner kick.
Seemingly well in control at this point, Saints gifted Knightswood a sixty-fourth minute lifeline cheaply conceding possession in the centre circle and allowing William Docherty to race through and slot the ball under Craig Maitland.
Saints' Gaffer Steven MacLeod decided to withdraw the under the weather Aaron McKay, who had worked hard in the middle of the park despite suffering with a chest infection, and take a slight gamble by replacing him with the less than fully fit Ryan Barclay.
Barclay joined Matty Pollock and Skipper Scott Maitland in the back three with Aaron Moore moving into midfield with Gavin Forgrieve and Preston Macintyre. Moore immediately made his presence felt winning the ball just inside the Knightswood half and finding Innes Fraser on left wing. Connor Moore leapt well to meet Fraser's cross but couldn't direct his header on target.
Connor Moore won his header again in the sixty-sixth minute this time re-directing David Beaton's cross on target but also into the gloves of Aran Whitehead.
Further off-target efforts followed from Aaron Moore and Connor Moore before Thomas McCarrol and Ross Macdougall repaid the compliment at the other end.
Saints' failure to find the decisive fourth goal kept Knightswood in contention and lead to an anxious moment when a miss-hit cross from Dylan Cook flew over Craig Maitland and landed on the roof of the net.
The Saints' defence repelled one last Ben Jenkins corner kick and broke quickly to the half-way line where held the ball up for Preston Macintyre to join the charge. Macintyre picked out Kuba Ryszka who lifted the ball over Aran Whitehead to bag a well-deserved brace and complete the scoring.
Steven MacLeod made his final change before the restart sending on Shaye Black to replace Innes Fraser at left wingback.
Referee Derek Dempster who, along with Assistant Referees Will Gracie and John Hodge, had an excellent game allowed three additional minutes during which time Kuba Ryszka passed up an opportunity to complete his hat-trick when he found space at the back post but could only plant his header from another good Gavin Forgrieve delivery wide of target.
This coming Saturday 30th May the D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints, subject to confirmation from the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Fixtures Secretary, will make a quick return to the Hamish B. Allan Stadium in Rutherglen where they will face AFC Chryston in the final of the McAvoy and McIntyre Trophy.
Comments