Saints Confirm M&M Trophy Semi-Final Place
- Winning In The Rain
- May 3
- 5 min read
Saturday 2nd May 2026
Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association
McAvoy & McIntyre Trophy
Group A
Oban Saints 1 - 1 Nethercraigs
Saints win 4 - 3 on penalty kicks
Glencruitten 2
Mossfield Avenue
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4EH
Kick-off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Jimmy Litster
Oban Saints confirmed their place in the semi-finals of the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association McAvoy and McIntyre Trophy thanks to a penalty shoot-out victory over Nethercraigs at Glencruitten last Saturday 2nd May. A frustrating afternoon saw the home side fail to find the level of performance which had sent them to the top of the qualifying group and, after the visitors had cancelled out Connor Moore's opening goal, a quick recap on the competition rules by Referee Jimmy Litster confirmed that the "taking of kicks from the penalty mark" was required.
Goalkeeper Craig Maitland was the hero with two saves paving the way for Will Graham to send Saints through with his successfully converted effort.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Ryan Barclay, Captain Scott Maitland and Craig Livingstone. The central midfield three of Preston Macintyre, Aaron Moore and Gavin Forgrieve were flanked by wingbacks David Beaton and Donald Campbell with Rhys Millar and Connor Moore forming the strike partnership up front. On the substitutes bench were Connor Beattie, Innes Fraser, Will Graham, Fraser MacFarlane MacFarlane, Matty Pollock and Kuba Ryska.
Having bagged nine goals in their two previous group stage matches Saints were looking to continue that form and clinch top spot in Group A. However, opponents Nethercraigs, although out of the running in the McAvoy and McIntyre Trophy, have a Bunrigh League Cup semi-final against Clydebank to look forward to and were certainly not just travelling to Oban to make up the numbers.
After Donald Campbell registered the first attempt on goal with a tame effort which Jack McCulloch in the Nethercraigs goal held confortably, Saints Skipper Scott Maitland made a good challenge on opposite number John Lynch with the ball breaking to Lee Lockhart for a dipping effort which Craig Maitland was relieved to see bounce wide of his left hand post.
As the early sparring continued, Jack McCulloch safely gathered Connor Moore's tenth minute shot from twenty-five yards before Ryan Barclay's timely interception denied Samuel Edun a strike on goal at the expense of a corner kick which David Beaton was able to head away at the front post.
The deadlock was broken after seventeen minutes when Connor Moore's pace and strength was too much for the Nethercraigs defence. Central defenders Aidan Tierney and Stephen Barnes couldn't get close enough to Moore who raced into the eighteen-yard box and poked the ball under the advancing Jack McCulloch.
Despite taking the lead Saints' play lacked the urgency necessary to force home their advantage. Rhys Millar, Donald Campbell, David Beaton and Connor Moore all combined on occasion but with no end product to further test the Nethercraigs goalkeeper.
At the other end Scott Maitland continued his personal battle with John Lynch and once again came out on top with an excellent twenty-third minute sliding interception to deny the Nethercraigs striker a shot on goal.
Preston Macintyre's switch to right wingback drew a thirty-ninth minute foul from Samuel Edun with Macintyre getting his head to Gavin Forgrieve's delivery but failing to keep his header below Jack McCulloch's crossbar.
Scott Maitland won another duel on the stroke of half-time and launched a Saints' counterattack where Rhys Millar and Connor Moore linked well but with a similarly disappointing end result as Millar's shot bounced into the keeper's midriff.
Saints' Manager Steven MacLeod demanded more from his charges in the second half which got off to the worst possible start when they conceded within three minutes of the restart. Ryan Barclay wanted too much time to clear his lines and had his pocket picked by substitute Kyle Ramsay who instantly repaid Manager David Boyd's faith in him with a composed finish past Craig Maitland and into the bottom corner.
The home side made changes of their own with Craig Livingstone and Donald Campbell making way for Matty Pollock and Kuba Ryszka.
Saints continued to struggle to land blows on their experienced visitors who came close to taking the lead when Stuart Ferguson headed a Lee Lockhart corner kick narrowly wide of target.
Steven MacLeod looked to his substitutes bench again and sent on Will Graham to replace Preston Macintyre with twenty-five minutes remaining.
Jack McCulloch was eventually brought into the action when Connor Moore and David Beaton combined for a left foot effort from Beaton which McCulloch did well to push away to his left. Referee Jimmy Litster, who had a good game, however spotted an infringement in the build-up and awarded Saints a free-kick twenty-three yards out. Will Graham's crisply struck effort looked to be heading towards the bottom corner, but McCulloch again got across to his left to gather safely.
Steven MacLeod freshened things up again with the introduction of Connor Beattie at the expense of David Beaton.
Skipper Scott Maitland urged his side forward again in the seventy-fourth minute and his ball up the right sent Kuba Ryszka away on a run. Stuart Connolly however ensured Ryszka stayed wide and his cross on the run was easily cut out at the front post by Jack McCulloch.
Connor Moore won a eighty-second minute corner kick on the right but Gavin Forgrieve's delivery was easily headed out to the edge of the eighteen-yard box by John Lynch. The Nethercraigs Skipper, by now playing in central defence alongside fellow veteran Stephen Barnes, was relieved to see the waiting Rhys Millar miscue his shot high over the crossbar.
The proved to be Millar's final contribution as he made way for Fraser MacFarlane in Saint's final change of the afternoon.
Both sides had chances to produce a winner in the dying minutes however the Saints defensive wall stood firm against Lee Lockhart's twenty-eight yard free kick and, when Saints tried to hit on the counterattack, Connor Beattie shot tamely into the arms of Jack McCulloch.
With neither side able to produce a winning goal the inevitable penalty shoot-out ensued where Kyle Ramsay followed up his goal from open play by successfully converting the first kick which was immediately cancelled out by Gavin Forgrieve. Veteran defender Stephen Barnes, whose experience had been invaluable at the heart of the Nethercraigs defence, was unlucky to see his effort saved by Craig Maitland with Matty Pollock taking full advantage to edge Saints ahead.
Craig Maitland made it back-to-back saves when he sprang to his left to push away John Lynch's effort however Nethercraigs were right back in it when Aaron Moore slipped his effort wide of Jack McCulloch's right-hand post.
Thomas Duffy and Connor Moore were both successful with their kicks heaping pressure on Will Graham with the last of initial five kicks apiece. Graham however kept his nerve and avoided the need for sudden death with an unerring strike to send Saints through.
Group B of the McAvoy and McIntyre trophy still has some way to go therefore Saints currently await confirmation of their semi-final opponents with Clydebank Red Star, Knightswood, Plean, Stenhousemuir Foundation and Stirling University all still in the hunt to progress.
The D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints also still have no date for their final Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership fixture at home to league title favourites and West of Scotland Amateur Cup semi-finalists FC Pather.
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