Saints Come Up Short In The Scottish Cup
- Winning In The Rain
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Saturday 10th January 2026
Scottish Amateur Football Association
Challenge Cup Competition
5th Round
Oban Saints 0 - 4 Shortlees
Oban Community Sports Field 3G
Soroba Road
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4JB
Kick-off 2.20pm
Referee Mr Stuart MacDonald
Oban Saints were denied a place in the last sixteen of the Scottish Amateur Cup at a soggy Oban High School last Saturday by old foes Shortlees. The Kilmarnock men took full advantage of their numerical advantage, following a very harsh dismissal for Saints' wingback Aaron McKay, to book their place in the sixth-round draw. Despite falling behind after twelve minutes, the battling home side were still very much in the tie until the sending off which the talismanic Shortlees Skipper, Keir Knapp, quickly capitalised on with a second goal leaving Saints with a mountain to climb. Throwing caution to the wind in the closing stages, Saints lost two further stoppage time goals putting a harsh gloss on what was an undeniably deserved victory for the visitors.
The tie was one of only five to survive the weather however that remained in doubt right up to kick-off with Referee Stuart MacDonald demanding the removal of surface water before he would allow the commencement of proceedings. A still frozen layer below the 3G surface prevented the heavy overnight rain from draining away as it ought to and officials from both sides used sweeping brushes to disperse the water.
The D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Ryan Barclay, Captain Scott Maitland and Louie MacFarlane. The central midfield trio of Aaron Moore, Gavin Forgrieve and Matty Kelly were flanked by wingbacks Aaron McKay and Daniel MacVicar while, up front, David Beaton partnered Connor Moore. On the substitutes bench goalkeeper and Assistant Manager Graham Douglas was joined by Connor Beattie, Innes Fraser, Connor Howe, Rhys Millar, Matty Pollock and Kuba Ryszka.
Prior to kick-off Referee MacDonald led both sets of players and officials in a silence of remembrance for ever-present Shortlees supporter, Jimmy Orr, who sadly passed away on 17th December.
Saints kicked off attacking the Dalintart Drive end in the first half and enjoyed the better of the early exchanges without troubling Louis Kerr in the Shortlees' goal. Connor Moore and David Beaton both had off target efforts before the visitors opened the scoring in the twelfth minute from their first attack.
Shortlees' Skipper Keir Knapp, whose advancing years have seen him vacate the wide areas in favour of a more central role, was afforded too much space from a throw-in on the right just inside the Shortlees' half. Knapp ruthlessly exploited the space with a through ball for fellow striker Daniel Wilson whogot away from Scott Maitland to bear down on goal. Wilson's shot was parried by Saints' keeper Craig Maitland but unfortunately back into the path of Wilson who tucked the ball into the far corner from a tight angle.
The home side looked to bounce back quickly from this setback and tested Louis Kerr for the first time with a Connor Moore shot which the Shortlees' keeper couldn't hold and was relieved to be able to safely gather at the second attempt ahead of the closing-in David Beaton.
Kerr was forced into action again in the seventeenth minute throwing up a strong right hand to push a Connor Moore piledriver over his crossbar. From the resulting corner kick Aaron Moore beat Jay McManus to reach Gavin Forgrieve's delivery from the left but sent his header inches wide of Kerr's left-hand post.
Saints' goalkeeper Craig Maitland did well to scoop away a dipping Keir Knapp free kick from the right on the half-hour mark before, three minutes later, showing safe hands to clutch another Knapp delivery this time from the opposite flank.
The visitors lost the services of central defender Stuart Bryant to injury after thirty-six minutes replacing him with Richard Hanvey.
Saints ended the first half with a shot from Aaron McKay which appeared to be going well wide before taking a deflection off Connor Moore and giving the stranded Louis Kerr an anxious watch as the ball bounced wide of his right-hand post.
Shortlees kicked off the second half with more attacking intent and had the ball in the net after fifty-three minutes when Daniel Wilson headed a Keir Knapp cross from the left back across Craig Maitland and into the net. Wilson, however, was correctly denied his brace by an offside decision from Referee Stuart MacDonald.
Matty Kelly, who was solid in central midfield on his return from a twelve-week injury absence, was replaced by Rhys Millar. The change saw Daniel MacVicar move inside to join Aaron Moore and Gavin Forgrieve while Millar took MacVicar's place on the left.
The woodwork came to Saints' rescue in the fifty-fifth minute when Shortlees' central defender Jay McManus headed a Keir Knapp corner-kick onto the crossbar.
Saints' hopes were dealt a severe blow in the sixty-second minute when a harsh second yellow card for a challenge no worse than several other similar unpunished incidents elsewhere on the park saw Aaron McKay given his marching orders.
Another of Saints' returning injury victims, Connor Howe, replaced David Beaton after sixty-seven minutes in what would be the final change from Manager Steven MacLeod.
Building Shortlees' pressure paid off in the seventieth minute when Keir Knapp got in front of Ryan Barclay to slot home a right-wing cross from Zak Frew and double the visitors' advantage.
Saints however refused to give up and came close to pulling one back in the eightieth minute when Daniel MacVicar sent Connor Moore away on the right and continued his run to meet Moore's cutback with a shot which narrowly cleared Louis Kerr's crossbar.
Five minutes later Rhys Millar beat three men on the left before fizzing a low cross along the six-yard line which the now up in attack Aaron Moore prodded wide of Kerr's left-hand post.
Saints were now wide open at the back and, after surviving several scares, finally succumbed to a third goal in the second added minute when Keir Knapp was on hand to slam home after good work on the right by substitute Jack McWilliam.
Louis Kerr made an excellent save to deny Rhys Millar a consolation goal tipping over a thumping drive from the youngster for a corner kick. True to their "Relentless" moto, after dealing with the set-piece, Shortlees sprang forward where man of the match Keir Knapp kept up his record of having a hand in every goal with the final pass putting the ball on a plate for Luke Dickson to tap in from close range and open his goal scoring account for his new club.
Referee MacDonald finally brought proceedings to an end after six added minutes sending 2018 winners Shortlees through to the last sixteen and leaving Saints to concentrate on their Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership and Cinema Cup campaigns.
With the national and regional cups taking priority there is no available Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association opposition for Saints this coming Saturday.
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