After last weekend’s enforced layo_ , Oban Saints return to action this Saturday afternoon with a tough home Scottish Amateur Cup second round tie against Perthshire Amateur Football Association Division One high Thiers St Johns. Based in Perth’s North Inch district, St Johns currently lie in second place in Perthshire’s top flight, level on points with reigning champions Letham but with a slightly inferior goal diTherence. Under the guidance of new manager Jimmy Carle the long-established St Johns club which, like Oban Saints is in its 59th year, has enjoyed a major upturn in fortune and look very capable of breaking the strangle hold of perennial champions Letham and providing a credible challenge to domination of their local rivals who are aiming for a sixth successive league title success. In a major signing coup Carle was joined at St Johns by brother Billy. In his final season at Letham, Scottish Amateur International striker Billy scored a phenomenal 120-plus goals to cement his place as a Perthshire football legend.
Oban Saints fans will recall Billy for his two goals in the sensational Scottish Amateur Cup seventh round replay at Glencruitten in March 2017 where Saints recovered from a 3-1 de_ cit to record a 4-3 win over the previously undefeated Letham. significantly, but not known at the time, that day also marked the final appearance in a Saints shirt of Paul Kerr whose serious knee injury, sustained just after he had capped a typically inspirational performance by scoring the winning goal, forced an end to his career. In his first season in charge at St Johns, Carle led his charges to runners-up spot in the league and also bagged two pieces of silverware. A thumping 7-0 victory over Balmoral under the floodlights at Seven Acres, just a stone’s throw from St Johnstone’s McDiarmid Park, brought St Johns the Perthshire Amateur Football Association League Cup. Even more impressively, in their penultimate match of the season, the North Inch men secured their first ever Perthshire Cup success with a thrilling 3-1 win over the mighty Letham. St Johns received a bye in the first round North of Tay regional section draw for this season’s Scottish Amateur Cup while in the West region Oban Saints were handed a major test with an away tie at Central Scottish Amateur Football League Gartcosh United. On an immaculately prepared Eastgate surface Saints came from a goal behind to run out eventual 3-2 winners to seal a place in the ‘all in’ second round draw which saw them paired with St Johns. Cup fever returns to Oban this Saturday and the Glencruitten faithful look set to be in line for a cracking Scottish Amateur cup tie as Oban Saints pit their 100 per cent record so far this season against the free scoring men from the Fair City. Unlike almost every other cup competition in amateur football the Scottish Amateur Cup includes replays, therefore a re-match will follow at North Inch, Perth in seven days’ time if the two sides cannot be separated after 90 minutes.