Saints Drummed Out Of The West of Scotland Cup
- Winning In The Rain
- Feb 2
- 5 min read
Saturday 1st February 2025
West of Scotland Cup
4th Round
Drumchapel United 5 - 3 Oban Saints
Donald Dewar Centre
220 Garscadden Road
Glasgow
G15 8SX
Referee Mr Stuart MacDonald
Oban Saints travelled to Glasgow last Saturday afternoon for their eagerly anticipated West of Scotland Cup fourth round tie with Drumchapel United. Following the weather-related cancellation of the previous week's trip the venue was switched from Glasgow Club Milton to the Drum's headquarters at the Donald Dewar Centre where the locals were treated to an eight-goal thriller with their favourites eventually emerging on top.
Manager Ross Maitland was without five if the squad from the club's last outing against FC Pather but was able to include Ross Barclay, James Ford and Alec McInroy who were all making welcome returns after extended absence.
Saints lined-up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Ryan Barclay, Ben Forbes and Craig Livingstone. Across the five-man midfield were Rhys Millar, Ruaridh Horne, Gavin Forgrieve, Aaron McKay and Captain Scott Maitland with Connor Moore and David Beaton up front. On the substitutes bench were Shaye Black, James Ford, Keiran Griffin, Alec McInroy and Matty Pollock.
Christopher Prior was the first of the respective goalkeepers to be called into action when the Drumchapel United number one made a comfortable save from Connor Moore after eight minutes. David Beaton, Ruaridh Horne and Rhys Millar linked well from a Scott Maitland throw-in on the left creating the opening for Moore whose shot from eighteen yards lacked the power to seriously test Prior.
Scott Maitland's tenth minute free-kick failed to clear the Drum defender whose failure to retreat the required ten yards had escaped the attention of Referee Stuart MacDonald with the hosts immediately launching a counter-attack where Daryl McMillan spun too easily away from Craig Livingstone on the halfway line and raced through for a low shot which Craig Maitland got a hand to but couldn't prevent from finding the net.
Connor Moore's goal-bound effort from a Scott Maitland cross was deflected wide for a fourteenth minute corner-kick with Christopher Prior doing well to palm away Gavin Forgrieve's in-swinging delivery from the left.
Prior was heavily involved again three minutes later getting a vital touch to an attempted lob from Connor Moore after he picked the pocket of Drum Skipper Jamie Grimes. Prior's fingertips helped the ball onto the crossbar with David Beaton heading the loose ball back to an off balance Moore who sliced wide of target.
Putting in another good shift in central defence, Ben Forbes won an important header against Graeme Hearton at the expense of a twenty-first minute corner kick. Daryl McMillan picked out central defender Jordan Penny from the corner flag with Scott Maitland doing just enough to prevent Penny from hitting the target.
Sixty seconds later Prior denied Saints again with another good save low to his right to turn a David Beaton shot behind for a corner-kick. Ben Forbes got his head to Gavin Forgrieve's delivery from the right but glanced his header well wide of the back post.
Ryan Barclay impressed on his return to action after a five-month absence and made an excellent sliding interception to block a Daryl McMillan effort behind for a corner-kick which David Beaton headed solidly away at the front post.
Drum striker Adam Calder showed some of the class which has attracted the attention of Scottish Amateur Select Manager Colin MacLeod with a driving thirty-first minute run and shot which cleared Craig Maitland's crossbar by a matter of inches.
Connor Moore continued his personal battle with Drum Skipper Jamie Grimes robbing the former Drumchapel Amateurs man on the right before firing off a low drive from the corner of the eighteen-yard box which Christopher Prior did well to hold.
Saints lost the services of Craig Livingstone after thirty-six minutes when he landed awkwardly on his left ankle challenging Graeme Hearton when defending a Bryan Gillespie corner-kick.
Matty Pollock got the nod from Manager Ross Maitland and joined Gavin Forgrieve and Aaron McKay in the midfield engine room with Ruaridh Horne dropping back alongside Ben Forbes and Ryan Barclay.
Craig Maitland produced a replica of Christopher Prior's earlier excellent fingertip save to deny Bryan Gillespie who for once got the better of Ryan Barclay at the back post to reach a deep Euan Urquhart cross from the right.
Saints kicked off the second half attacking the Linkwood Crescent flats end and made a strong start with Ryan Barclay taking up a good position but failing to get the necessary purchase on a Gavin Forgrieve free-kick before David Beaton glanced a diving header from a Rhys Millar cross well wide.
Having weathered the early Saints storm the home side doubled their lead when Saints failed to deal with a Bryan Gillespie corner-kick from the left. Ryan Barclay headed Euan Urquhart's free-kick out for the corner which the static Saints defence tamely left for Jamie Grimes to prod home from close range.
From the restart Connor Moore threatened to burst through with Jordan Penny earning the inevitable yellow card from Referee MacDonald for hauling down the pacy Saints striker. David Beaton fancied his chances from twenty-four yards and was inches wide of the top corner striking the stanchion behind the goal.
Saints were left with a mountain to climb when the unmarked Bryan Gillespie cheekily flicked home from six yards out with fifty-three minutes on the clock.
With twenty-nine minutes remaining Manager Ross Maitland sent on James Ford to replace young Rhys Millar at right wingback.
Skipper Scott Maitland continued to urge his side on and, after winning back possession from a sixty-third minute Drumchapel throw-in on the Saints left, picked out Connor Moore midway inside the Drum half. Moore did well to escape the close attentions of Jamie Grimes and raced through to slot past Christopher Prior and give the visitors a glimmer of hope.
The glimmer grew brighter when, six minutes later, James Ford found Connor Moore again closely marked by Drum Skipper Grimes. This time Moore couldn't escape Grimes but the loose ball broke kindly for Aaron McKay who kept his composure to beat Prior from eighteen yards and bring Saints firmly back into the match.
With a renewed sense of belief James Ford had a decent effort blocked for a corner-kick before Scott Maitland struck a right foot shot into the side netting.
Saints concluded an excellent fifteen-minute spell when Scott Maitland's determination forced a corner kick on the left. Gavin Forgrieve's delivery to the back post was headed back across the face of goal by Ryan Barclay and nodded home by Connor Moore for a deserved equaliser.
The old adage that you are at your most vulnerable when you have just scored was sadly true for Saints when, straight from the restart, the Drum raced up the left with the unfortunate Matty Pollock's attempt to put substitute James McCluskey's cutback behind ending up in the Saints net.
A painful back injury saw Ben Forbes replaced for the closing stages by young Shaye Black who formed a very unfamiliar looking back three with Ryan Barclay and Matty Pollock.
With eight minutes of the ninety remaining Saints fate was confirmed when they conceded another sloppy set-piece goal leaving Bryan Gillespie unattended in the six-yard box to head home a fifth Drum goal.
Undaunted by the massive task ahead, Saints began the search for an unlikely route back into the game but were frustrated at every turn by a resolute Drum defence who held out to book a fifth-round trip to Ayrshire to face Whitletts Victoria.
With their interest in this season's major cup competitions now at an end Saints can concentrate on their Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership campaign starting this coming Saturday with the visit to Glencruitten of Port Glasgow Amateurs.
Comentários