Saints Flow Gently Into Round Two Of The Scottish Amateur Cup
Saturday 5th September 2026
Scottish Amateur Football Association
Challenge Cup Competition
1st Round
New Cumnock Community 1 - 4 Oban Saints
Greenhead Park
Mason Avenue
New Cumnock
East Ayrshire
KA18 4AY
Kick-off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Raymond Patterson
The long and winding Scottish Amateur Cup journey which every Scottish amateur football club dreams will lead them to a glamour cup final at Hampden Park in May began last Saturday 5th September. For Oban Saints that meant a long drive to that hotbed of amateur football East Ayrshire, home to current cup holders Shortlees, for a first ever meeting with New Cumnock Community of the Ayrshire Amateur Football Association.
The free-scoring hosts have made an unbeaten start to their Division Two league campaign, rattling in thirty-three goals in the process, so a tough afternoon was anticipated for the visitors on the bumpy grass surface at Greenhead Park.
The previous weekend's enforced lay-off hampered Manager Steven MacLeod's preparations for the start of the national cup competition however, the return on Myles McAuley to the middle of the park was a welcome boost as was the addition of new signing Craig MacMillan to provide defensive cover from the bench.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Matty Pollock, Captain Scott Maitland and Drew Murray. The central midfield three of Matty Kelly, Myles McAuley and Will Graham were flanked by wingbacks David Beaton and Lewis Campbell with Rhys Millar and Connor Moore forming the strike partnership up front. Forming a blend of youth and experience on the substitutes bench were Connor Beattie, Donald Campbell, Craig Livingstone, Ruari MacLeod, Craig MacMillan and Goalkeeper Graham Douglas.
There was a short delay to the 2pm kick-off time when Referee Raymond Patterson requested the addition of penalty spots which the East Ayrshire Council groundsmen had forgotten to mark.
Saints had the benefit of the stiff breeze in the first half and quickly signalled their attacking intent with a Will Graham through ball for Connor Moore which Colin Bell did well to cut out at the expense of a throw-in. The narrow pitch gave David Beaton the chance to reach the middle of the New Cumnock eighteen-yard box with his throw which goalkeeper Nicholas Byrne was able to gather comfortably.
The hosts however made better use of their first throw-in after Matty Pollock had headed out of play on the New Cumnock left. Evan McBlain's quickly taken throw caught the Saints' defence sleeping allowing Dylan Small to dart into the box and fire left footed into the side netting.
Connor Moore forced the first corner kick of the match in the twelfth minute which drew a flying punch from Nicholas Byrne to clear David Beaton's delivery from the left. The big keeper landed awkwardly on his right ankle which would continue to give him problems for the remainder of the match.
Byrne's ankle injury saw him send a goal kick straight to the feet of Rhys Millar who quickly sent Connor Moore through on goal only for the Cumnock net minder to redeem himself with a sliding block to deny the Saints' striker.
Shaun Torrance's fifteenth minute long throw-in from the right was headed out by Drew Murray giving Torrance another chance to put the ball in the mixer. Colin Bell's back-header from the front post looped over Craig Maitland and in between the junction of post and crossbar to give the hosts the lead.
Despite the setback Saints continued to look the more threatening without seriously testing Nicholas Byrne in the New Cumnock goal until the eighteenth minute when Rhys Millar brought a flying save from the big keeper after good work on the left from Will Graham and David Beaton.
Drew Murray joined the attack two minutes later and won a free kick on the Saints' left. Will Graham's delivery into the box was scrambled off the goal line by Colin Bell back to the six-yard line where Murray managed to beat Alexander Coughtrie and Shaun Torrance to the loose ball but couldn't direct his effort on the stretch beneath the crossbar.
Connor Moore and Lewis Campbell combined well on the left in the twenty-third minute with Campbell's improvised flicked finish flying just wide of target from Moore's cross.
Four minutes later Rhys Millar then joined Moore in setting up Campbell again for a more conventional strike but with a similarly disappointing end result.
Continuing the theme, and completing his hat-trick of missed chances, Lewis Campbell's timing was just short of the absolute perfection necessary to volley Connor Moore's looping cross from the right into the roof of the net.
With the pressure building, Nicholas Byrne made a flying save to his left to push a flashing Lewis Campbell volley wide for a corner kick. Campbell trotted across to the right to deliver the corner kick which Matty Pollock bundled goalward only for fullback Jamie Orr to clear the ball off the goal line.
New Cumnock goalkeeper Byrne made further saves from Connor Moore and Lewis Campbell before central defender Colin Bell stopped a David Beaton cross with his hand giving Referee Raymond Patterson, who handled proceedings well, an easy decision to point to the recently added penalty spot. Goal scorer Bell's continued protests earned him a second, less welcome, entry in Mr Patterson's notebook before David Beaton slotted home the thirty-seventh minute spot kick to bring Saints level.
Two minutes later Saints completed the turnaround when Rhys Millar did well to win possession and send Connor Moore through the middle. Moore won the foot race with Alexander Coughtrie and steered the ball beyond the advancing goalkeeper to give Saints a well-deserved lead.
Drew Murray came forward for another set-piece and got his head to David Beaton's fortieth minute free kick but was again unable to direct his effort on target.
Colin Bell clattered through the back of Connor Moore on the edge of the home eighteen-yard box with two first half minutes remaining. Moore elected to take the free kick himself with which he made a solid contact drawing a good save from Nicholas Byrne low to his left.
Seconds before the end of the first half, Bell left himself just one mistimed tackle away from an early bath when he bundled over Connor Moore once again. with two first half minutes remaining. David Beaton this time took responsibility for the dead ball but again failed to beat the New Cumnock goalkeeper.
Saints looked to continue where they left off straight from the restart. Drew Murray and Connor Moore combined to send Lewis Campbell wide on the left for a low cross which David Beaton met at the near post but could only cushion the ball into the welcoming gloves of Nicholas Byrne.
Despite their dominance, Saints were given a warning that the home side were still very much in the game when Byrne launched the ball, wind assisted, to the Saints' eighteen-yard line where the bounce favoured leading marksman Dylan Small who shot narrowly wide of target.
Saints' midfield three of Matty Kelly, Myles McAuley and Will Graham remained on top in the battle in the middle of the park paving the way for wingbacks David Beaton and Lewis Campbell and strikers Rhys Millar and Connor Moore to heap pressure on the home defence.
The chances kept coming but again the finishing touch eluded Saints with Lewis Campbell, Rhys Millar and Connor Moore all having efforts saved before Millar placed a header from a Connor Moore cross wide of target.
Saints' inability to kill the game gave the home side belief and Skipper Scott Maitland and defensive partners Matty Pollock and Drew Murray had to to remain fully focussed to keep the growing in confidence New Cumnock side at bay.
A robust, but well-timed challenge from Robbie Allan, who had replaced Colin Bell in the New Cumnock defence brought Lewis Campbell's afternoon to an end with Donald Campbell getting the nod from Manager Steven MacLeod.
The one goal Saints' lead looked less than secure as Shaun Torrance continued to launch long throws into the Saints' box before cutting in from the right and flashing a shot across Craig Maitland and wide of the far post.
Saints' second personnel change saw Ruari MacLeod replace Matty Kelly in central midfield with the youngster slotting in well alongside Myles McAuley and Will Graham.
Donald Campbell was penalised on the edge of the New Cumnock eighteen-yard box but it was Saints who would profit most from Campbell's shove on Cameron Chapman. The deep eighty-third minute free kick was comfortably mopped up at the back and David Beaton's ball up the right wing was played perfectly into the stride of Connor Moore. This time Moore made no mistake with his finish slamming the ball past Nicholas Byrne to give Saints some much needed breathing space.
Further personnel changes followed with Craig Livingstone, Craig MacMillan and Connor Beattie replacing Matty Pollock, Drew Murray and Rhys Millar respectively.
Returning to the Saints' line-up after an eight-year absence, Craig MacMillan's first contribution was to concede a free kick on the edge of the Saints' box which Lewis Morrison fired high over Craig Maitland's crossbar.
MacMillan was involved again in the eighty-seventh minute dealing well with another Shaun Torrance long throw before launching a counterattack up the left where Connor Moore fired wide of target.
Donald Campbell won a free kick on the edge of the New Cumnock box with Will Graham beating the defensive wall with his curling effort but not Nicholas Byrne who gathered well low to his right.
With one minute of the ninety remaining Will Graham capped an excellent all-round performance with his first Saints' goal finding the bottom corner from the edge of the eighteen-yard box to round off the scoring and put Saints into the hat for the second-round draw.
This coming Saturday 12th September the D&K Lafferty Contractors, MKM Oban Building Supplies and The View sponsored Saints are on the road again resuming their Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership campaign with a trip to Stepford Football Centre to face Cambuslang Football Academy Milan.
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