Saints begin 2025 with defeat to high scoring FC Pather
FC Pather 4
Oban Saints 1
SPAFA Premiership
Following the weather-related cancellation of the previous week’s trip to face high-flying Castlemilk Community, the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association fixtures secretary ensured a tough start to 2025 for Oban Saints by handing them an away fixture at the league’s top goal scorers FC Pather.
Pather have only recently made the transition from Sunday football, however, their ability to recruit some of the top names in Scottish Amateur football has installed them among the favourites to land the big prizes in their first season in the Saturday afternoon set-up.
Saints lined up with Craig Maitland in goal behind a back four of Craig Livingstone, Aidan Jackson, Ben Forbes and captain Scott Maitland.
The three-man midfield consisted of David Beaton, Aaron McKay and Keiran Griffin, with Connor Moore, James Conington and Fraser MacFarlane up front. On the substitutes bench were Shaye Black, Keiron Lopez, Rhys Millar and goalkeeper Graham Douglas.
Despite the two sides never having met before, there was a host of familiar faces in the Pather ranks confirming a difficult afternoon would be in store for the considerably less experienced D&K Lafferty Contractors and MKM Building Supplies Oban sponsored Saints team.
Prior to kick-off, referee Kevin McIntyre led both sets of players and officials in a silence of remembrance for Scottish football legend Denis Law who died on Friday January 17 five weeks short of his 85th birthday.
The opening exchanges at Wishaw Sports Centre were even but Saints were first to threaten with a dipping effort from Aaron McKay. Aidan Jackson started the move with a ball up to James Connington which was helped on by Fraser MacFarlane to McKay who saw his shot from 18 yards tipped over the crossbar by Pather keeper Lee Binnie.
This stung the home side into action with Jordan Murphy sending Jason Thompson in behind Craig Livingstone on the Pather left in the tenth minute. Thompson cut inside and fired a low shot across Craig Maitland which smacked the far post.
Murphy and Thompson combined again 60 seconds later with Scottish Amateur international left fullback Murphy overlapping Thomson and rolling a cutback into the path of David Paris who shot wide of Craig Maitland’s right-hand post.
Pather’s pace on the wings from Jason Thompson and Aaron Bulloch was giving Saints’ fullbacks Craig Livingstone and Scott Maitland plenty to think about and further off-target efforts followed from Bullock and Pather skipper Brian Ross.
Craig Maitland was called into action making comfortable saves from Jason Thompson and, another of Pather’s Scottish Amateur Internationals, Ally Brown before Dylan Falconer rattled the Saints’ crossbar with a thumping effort from 25 yards.
Despite the home side’s domination, it wasn’t all one-way traffic and Connor Moore and David Beaton combined well for Beaton to fire a shot from 18 yards inches wide of Lee Binnie’s right-hand post.
The Pather pressure eventually told on the half-hour mark when the overworked Saints defence failed to deal with Jason Thompson’s cutback from the left and Brian Ross slammed the ball home from six yards.
The home side doubled their advantage four minutes later from a Jordan Murphy long throw-in from the left. Aidan Jackson won the initial header, however, the ball landed on the head of the unmarked David Paris who found the head of the free Jason Thompson who looped a header into the postage stamp corner.
Controversy erupted two minutes before the half-time interval when Aidan Jackson won a back post aerial duel against Brian Ross which appeared to hit the Pather skipper’s hand, however, referee Kevin McIntyre ruled that Jackson had played the ball with his hand and pointed to the penalty spot. Taylor Scott sent Craig Maitland in the wrong direction from 12 yards to effectively rule out any faint hopes of a Saints’ revival.
Saints had an excellent chance to get themselves on the scoresheet in the third minute of the second-half when Aaron McKay snatched a first-time effort over the crossbar after good work from Connor Moore and David Beaton.
There was a worryingly lengthy stoppage in play when Jason Thompson went down off the ball with no-one near him.
Referee McIntyre, who handled proceedings well, called for the Pather physio and after five minutes of treatment Thompson was able to be carried off and taken to hospital for tests.
Everyone at Oban Saints wishes Jason a full, speedy recovery.
Play resumed with Lee Hadden as Thompson’s replacement, however, quite understandably, without the same level of intensity.
Former Lesmahagow wide-man Aaron Bulloch brought a smart save from Craig Maitland low to his left before his former Lesmahagow team-mate James Gibbons was tripped 28 yards from goal by David Beaton after a long run from central defence.
With Saints bracing themselves for a shot on goal, Dylan Falconer cleverly played the ball wide to Lee Hadden on the left who measured a cross to the back post which David Paris bundled home from close range with Saints slow to react to the change of direction.
Switching flanks to the right, the pacy Lee Hadden was narrowly pipped to the ball on the edge of the Saints’ 18-yard box by a well-timed sliding interception from Ben Forbes who was Saints’ stand out performer on the day.
Saints continued to battle hard and manager Ross Maitland freshened things up with the introduction of youngsters Shaye Black, Keiron Lopez and Rhys Millar with Craig Livingstone, Fraser MacFarlane and Keiran Griffin making way.
In contrast, Pather were able to call upon the services of the experienced Lee Dixon, Owen McGinty and multiple East of Scotland Amateur Cup winners from their time with Fallin Stewart Henderson and Kyle Imrie.
As the clock ticked down, narrowly off-target efforts from Aaron McKay and Lee Dixon were exchanged before Craig Maitland saved well low to his left to deny Owen McGinty.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Saints forced a corner-kick on the left from where David Beaton curled the ball over Pather goalkeeper Lee Binnie and into the net for a deserved Saints’ consolation goal.
This Saturday Saints face another massive test when they travel to Milton Club, Glasgow, to face Drumchapel United of the Saturday Morning Amateur Football Association Premier Division in the fourth round of the West of Scotland Amateur Cup.
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