Saints Prevail In Plean
- Winning In The Rain
- Mar 8
- 5 min read
Saturday 7th March 2026
Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association
Premiership
Plean AFC 2 - 4 Oban Saints
The Balfour Centre
Balfour Crescent
Plean
FK7 8DS
Kick-off 2.15pm
Referee Mr. Stephen Rae
Oban Saints maintained their interest in the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership title race by taking full points in last Saturday's encounter with Plean AFC. The tight, bumpy grass surface at the Balfour Centre ensured flowing football was in short supply and Saints were forced to dig deep to secure another vital league victory.
Strikes from Rhys Millar and David Beaton added to a brace from Preston Macintyre were enough to give Saints the winning edge over hosts Plean whose two second-half counters ensured a nervy end to the match for the watching Saints' management team.
Injury and illness deprived Manager Steven MacLeod of the services of Matty Kelly and Donald Campbell with Kenny Black again drafted in and Craig Livingstone returning after a four-month injury lay-off.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back three of Ryan Barclay, Captain Scott Maitland and Matty Pollock. In the middle of the park Aaron McKay, Gavin Forgrieve and Will Graham were flanked by wingbacks David Beaton and Preston Macintyre with Rhys Millar and Connor Moore up front. Warming the substitutes bench were Connor Beattie, Kenneth Black, Innes Fraser, Craig Livingstone and Kuba Ryszka.
Prior to kick-off Referee Stephen Rae led both sets of players and officials in a silence of remembrance for former Plean player Johnny Richardson who sadly passed away recently.
The narrow park at the Balfour Centre allowed Plean's Ryan Millar to reach the middle of the Saints' eighteen-yard box with his long throw-ins the first of which came as early as the second minute. The Saints' defence passed the first test with flying colours, but Millar's throw-ins remained a constant threat.
Rhys Millar and Preston Macintyre both curled efforts wide of the postage stamp corner before Ryan Barclay had the game's first attempt on target looping a header from a David Beaton throw-in on the right into the gloves of Plean goalkeeper Derin Smith.
Saints opened the scoring in the twenty-first minute, ironically profiting from a throw-in. Connor Moore put Juda Mzamu under enough pressure to cause the big central defender to miscue his clearing header from David Beaton's throw-in from the right across the Plean eighteen-yard box. Preston Macintyre was quickest to react and beat Glen Black to lash the ball past Derin Smith.
Smith performed heroics on the half-hour mark to keep the deficit at one. Connor Moore's powerful shot from twenty yards looked bound for the bottom corner until the big keeper threw himself to his right to claw the ball away. Preston Macintyre was again first on the scene but was thwarted by Smith who was quickly on his feet to make another excellent stop at his near post.
There was more to follow from the big Plean number one who was at full stretch to push Preston Macintyre's thirty-ninth minute free kick round his right-hand post. From the resulting corner kick Ryan Barclay was inches away from connecting at the back post with Gavin Forgrieve's teasing delivery from the Saints' left.
Saints were good value for their half-time lead which they extended just three minutes into the second period. Connor Moore got the better of Juda Mzamu and picked out the supporting run on the left of Preston Macintyre who raced into the box drawing Derin Smith before lifting the ball over the prostrated keeper and into the net.
The hosts came within the width of Craig Maitland's left-hand post of halving the deficit when Duncan Johnson raced onto a long clearance after a Gavin Forgrieve free kick had been blocked by the Plean defensive wall. Johnson took his shot early and left Maitland rooted to the spot as the ball glanced the outside of the upright.
That proved to be the end of Johnson's involvement as he and Glen Black were withdrawn to be replaced by Ryan Edington and Joseph Ballantine.
The re-energised hosts were pressing hard to get back into the game but again needed Derin Smith to come to the rescue when he saved bravely at the feet of Rhys Millar who had left the Plean defence trailing in his wake when he burst through the middle in the sixty-first minute.
Saints weathered a sustained period of Plean pressure sparked by a free kick conceded by Scott Maitland on the edge of the Saints' eighteen-yard box before eventually clearing their lines and winning a corner kick at the other end. Gavin Forgrieve's delivery from the left was headed out by Ryan Edington to the eighteen-yard line where Will Graham was waiting with a volley which Derin Smith did well to push over for another corner kick. Gavin Forgrieve produced another excellent delivery from the corner flag to the back post where Rhys Millar ghosted in to cushion a volley into the for Saints' third goal.
Two minutes after the restart it was the hosts turn to profit from a corner kick when Saints for once failed to deal with a set-piece and were punished when the ball was forced home at close range after a scramble in the six-yard box.
The hosts lost the services of inspirational Skipper Stuart Boyle to injury with his place on the field going to William Wells and the armband transferring to Arran Black.
Will Graham and Preston Macintyre combined well on the left to tee-up a good seventy-third minute chance which David Beaton blazed over the crossbar from eighteen yards. Four minutes later the same three combined again this time to far better effect when Beaton arrived on cue at the back post to volley Preston Macintyre's cross from the left into the roof of the net.
Plean made their final personnel change with ten minutes remaining sending on Jak Connolly to replace Craig McLauchlan. Steven MacLeod used the stoppage in play to completely empty his substitutes bench with David Beaton, Will Graham, Preston Macintyre, Rhys Millar and Matty Pollock making way for Connor Beattie, Kenneth Black, Innes Fraser, Craig Livingstone and Kuba Ryszka.
Plean substitute Jak Connolly made an instant impact when he burst into the Saints box in the eighty-second minute. Craig Livingstone slid in to put the ball behind however Referee Stephen Rae, who was well placed, ruled that Maitland had taken the man first and pointed to the penalty spot. The spot kick was ruthlessly despatched into the roof of the net giving Craig Maitland no chance.
There was however to be no grandstand finish from the hosts as Saints regained their composure to see out the remaining minutes in relative comfort. Indeed it was the visitors who looked more likely to add to the scoring with Arran Black making an excellent interception to prevent Kuba Ryszka from connecting with a Connor Moore cutback from the left and Derin Smith keeping his wits about him to gather safely when Joseph Ballantine's attempted clearing header from a Craig Livingstone cross threatened to find the back of his own net.
Due to scheduled opponents FC Pather's continued involvement in the Scottish Amateur Cup, the D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints have no fixture this coming Saturday. Steven MacLeod's men return to action on Saturday 21st March when they travel to Carrick Park to face fellow Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership title hopefuls AFC Chryston.
Comments