Saints Turn On The Style At The Palace
- Winning In The Rain
- Sep 21
- 6 min read
Saturday 20th September 2025
West of Scotland Amateur Cup
First Round
Blantyre Soccer Academy 21's 0 - 9 Oban Saints
Oban Community Sports Field 3G
Hamilton Palace Sports Grounds
Motehill
Hamilton
ML3 6EF
Kick-off 2.00pm
Referee Mr Tom Hyland
A stylish performance at Hamilton Palace last Saturday afternoon saw Oban Saints ease into the second round of the West of Scotland Amateur Cup at the expense of Blantyre Soccer Academy 21's. Saints' blend of youth and experience was too strong for the young home side, the majority of whom are still eligible for the under 19's division, racking up nine unanswered goals from eight different goal scorers.
Saints' Manager Steven MacLeod and Assistant Graham Douglas made just one change to the previous week's starting eleven replacing the unavailable James Conington with fit again Connor Moore. The management team's options were boosted by the return of David Beaton, Matty Kelly and Aaron Moore with all three having to settle for a place on the bench.
Saints lined up with Graham Douglas in goal behind a back three of Matty Pollock, Captain Scott Maitland and Ryan Barclay. The central midfield three of Aaron McKay, Gavin Forgrieve and Connor Howe were flanked by wingbacks Craig Livingstone and Donald Campbell with Connor Moore and Rhys Millar forming the strike partnership up front. Experienced trio David Beaton, Matty Kelly and Aaron Moore were joined on the substitutes bench by Innes Fraser and Keiron Lopez.
Saints kicked off on the slightly soggy grass surface at Hamilton Palace and took just two minutes to open the scoring. Aaron McKay and Donald Campbell combined well on the left where Campbell won a throw-in level with the eighteen-yard line. From Campbell's throw, McKay laid the ball off to Connor Moore for a shot which cannoned off a defender straight back to McKay. With three goals in his last four appearances McKay's eye is well and truly in and, without hesitation, he lifted the ball into the top corner well beyond the reach of Blantyre goalkeeper Anthony Brown-Lochrie.
Returning to action after two weeks out injured, Connor Moore rekindled his partnership up front with Rhys Millar and the two carved out a shooting opportunity for Moore from which the tall Blantyre keeper was at full stretch to turn around his left-hand post for a corner kick. Gavin Forgrieve's tempting delivery to the near post was headed wide by Craig Livingstone under pressure from Blantyre Captain Reece Brown.
Aaron McKay and Donald Campbell linked well again on the left in the twelfth minute with McKay picking out Rhys Millar in the middle for a cushioned effort which cleared the Blantyre crossbar.
The home side mounted their first attack of the match after fourteen minutes but Reece MacLeod's shot from twenty-five yards lacked the power to seriously test Graham Douglas who continued to deputise in goal for the unavailable Craig Maitland.
Saints kept the pressure on the home defence with Connors Moore and Howe both having shots deflected wide and Ryan Barclay embarking on a swashbuckling run into the Blantyre box before eventually running out of room at Anthony Brown-Lochrie's right-hand post.
Barclay looked in the mood to get his name on the scoresheet and twice in quick succession he got on the end of Gavin Forgrieve deliveries from the corner flag without managing to hit the target.
Craig Livingstone fared better in the twenty-third minute but his effort from twenty-two yards was straight down the throat of the Blantyre goalkeeper.
Rhys Millar cut in from the left for a right foot shot which Anthony Brown-Lochrie plucked out of the air and, as the Saints' pressure continued to build, the big keeper produced a sensational save to deny Millar at the expense of another corner kick. Brown-Lochrie's heroics however only served to delay the inevitable and, from Gavin Forgrieve's delivery from the corner flag, Matty Pollock climbed highest to power a header into the roof of the net and double Saints' lead.
Buoyed by his goal, Pollock carried the ball a long way out from the back and raced up the right way to send an inviting cross along the six-yard line tantalisingly out of reach for both Connor Moore and Rhys Millar.
Aaron McKay's clever run to the back post to meet Ryan Barclay's forty-first minute cross from the left deserved a better finish than his glancing header three feet wide of the far post.
Graham Douglas interrupted his quiet afternoon to start the move which rounded off the first-half scoring. Mopping up a Scott Maitland pass back, Douglas angled a pass out to Ryan Barclay on the left touchline from where Barclay sent the ball up to left wingback Donald Campbell. Campbell's ball inside to Connor Moore was laid into the path of Rhys Millar who struck with precision from eighteen yards to find the bottom corner past Anthony Brown-Lochrie's right hand.
Having previously witnessed his side fail to build on convincing first half performances, Manager Steven MacLeod demanded that the momentum be continued into the second forty-five.
Just as in the first half Saints made an early breakthrough to set the tone for the remainder of the match. With four second-half minutes gone Connor Moore had his shirt pulled just short of the Blantyre eighteen-yard line in a central position. Connor Howe was given the responsibility for the dead ball and, despite not striking the ball with the venom he wanted, managed to find the bottom corner past the left hand of Anthony Brown-Lochrie who was clearly struggling with an injury picked up in the first half.
Brown-Lochrie was replaced by Jay Melville before the restart which also signalled the start of the rain which had been forecasted to arrive. Melville received a quick introduction to the match saving bravely at Connor Moore's feet after Ryan Barclay had done well to dig out a cross from the left.
A quadruple change followed from Saints in the fifty-fifth minute with Matty Pollock, Craig Livingstone, Donald Campbell and Rhys Millar making way for Aaron Moore, Matty Kelly, Keiron Lopez and David Beaton.
Moving out to the right wingback berth vacated by Craig Livingstone, Aaron McKay delivered an inch perfect cross to the back post looking for new left wingback Keiron Lopez who duly arrived but sent his header over the crossbar.
McKay made another good run on the right on the hour mark and sent a powerful shot inches over the Blantyre crossbar.
Sixty seconds later Connor Howe's shot from eighteen yards looked set to test substitute keeper Jay Melville before a vital block from Reece Brown sent the ball spinning wide for a corner kick. Gavin Forgrieve claimed another assist from the corner flag when Ryan Barclay joined back three colleague Matty Pollock on the scoresheet with a towering header to put Saints five goals to the good.
Saints' final change came before the restart with Connor Howe making way for young Innes Fraser.
The visitors were ramping up the pressure on the Blantyre goal and, after an excellent double save from Jay Melville to deny David Beaton and Matty Kelly, Beaton eventually found the net in the sixty-fourth minute with his first goal of the season.
Beaton turned provider after seventy-three minutes laying the ball into the path of Connor Moore who accepted the invitation and rifled the ball into the bottom corner from twenty-five yards sparking a period of three goals in as many minutes.
Straight from the restart Moore won back possession driving at the heart of the Blantyre defence before slotting past Jay Melville to complete a quick-fire brace.
Saints immediately harried another possession overturn with David Beaton and Keiron Lopez combining on the left from where Lopez sent over a cross which Matty Kelly headed past Jay Melville for his first goal of the season.
Saints showed no signs of letting up and continued to create chances, but the home side stuck doggedly to the task ensuring that the tenth goal didn't come.
Saints' Manager Steven MacLeod will be pleased with the work rate of his players who kept a high tempo for the entire ninety minutes while full credit must go to the young Blantyre side who, despite the Saints' onslaught, kept trying to play football without resorting to spoiling tactics.
This coming Saturday the D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Oban Building Supplies sponsored Saints return to Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership action when they host league new boys Plean in a 2pm kick-off at Glencruitten.
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