A bad day at the office for Talbot who struggled to get out of 2nd gear but did just enough to see off toothless opposition to advance into the 2nd round of the West of Scotland.
There was little to get the crowd excited in a drab 1st half, which although dominated by Talbot, saw the Bot fail to test the visiting keeper, largely due to poor final balls into the box.
The 1st close call came in the 18th minute for the visitors. The Bot defence failed to cope with a long punt down the centre & it ended up with Martin on the right edge of the area. He carried it forward before drilling a shot into the side-netting.
A minute later Talbot won a free kick in a decent area following a foul on Faulds. Shankland bent a great ball across to the back post but no Bot player read it & it drifted behind for a goal kick.
Talbot threatened again in the 22nd minute. Shankland swept a dangerous ball in from the left that only required a touch to send it into the net but McIlroy couldn’t quite reach it.
Cassidy had his name taken in the 26th minute for persistent fouling and he was joined in the book by Gow in the 33rd minute for a late challenge on Thomson.
In a rare flash of quality Armstrong found Shankland on the left with a great diagonal pass in the 35th minute. Shankland burst into the area & squared it across goal but El-Zubaidi beat McIlroy to it 6 yards out to clear. The ball came back out to Shankland on the left & he swerved a shot wide of the far post.
Talbot’s next attack saw Pooler latch onto a ball into the left side of the penalty area. He managed to round Hallford but was forced wide & his final ball across was knocked behind for a corner and that was about it for the 1st half.
The home support were hoping for better after the interval & were rewarded with a goal within a minute of the re-start. Pope lifted a ball down the left for McIlroy to chase. Hallford came out hoping to claim it but the ball didn’t come into the box & as the keeper hesitated McIlroy nicked it round him & made for the bye line where he floated a cross over to the far post for KLARK THOMSON to head home from close range.
A few minutes later Talbot came close again. Thomson fed the ball inside to Pooler who showed good feet to create space for himself before firing a shot just wide of the right post.
Carluke made their 1st change in the 58th minute with Vezza replacing Cassidy.
Talbot had a chance to extend their lead a minute later. Pooler played it on to McIlroy on the right of the box & Hallford did well to block his low drive with his feet.
Tucker made a double switch in the 66th minute with Steven Wilson & Pooler making way for Hyslop & Graham Wilson.
The visitors found themselves a man down in the 67th minute when Gow was guilty of a clumsy tackle on G Wilson that resulted in his 2nd yellow & a trip to the clubhouse.
It was all Talbot but as in the 1st half they were toiling to find the final ball & moves were breaking down in the final third.
Shankland was unlucky not to double Talbot’s lead in the 73rd minute when he climbed to meet Thomson’s cross from the right. He steered his header low inside the right post but Hallford made an impressive stop to turn it round the post.
It was 10 men each in the 82nd minute. The ball broke away from McCracken & he lunged into a tackle to retrieve it, catching Haddow, and receiving a straight red. Haddow was unable to continue & was replaced by Lowdon.
Talbot now made their final change with Glasgow coming on for McIlroy.
The closing stages were played out in the Carluke half but Talbot couldn’t get the better of Hallford. With 3 minutes remaining Pope’s diagonal pass found Shankland free on the right but Carluke’s keeper parried his effort away.
The keeper was involved again shortly after when he dived to cut out Fauld’s angled ball across goal.
Talbot had one final chance to grab a goal deep into injury time. El-Zubaidi conceded a free kick 22 yards out after wrestling G Wilson to the deck. Shankland took it but fired the set piece over the bar.
Talbot made hard work of it but got the win & that’s the be all & end all of cup football. Next up for Talbot it’s back to league business when they host an in form Rob Roy side.

Auchinleck Talbot – Leishman, Armour, Pope, McPherson, McCracken, S Wilson, Thomson, Faulds, Pooler, McIlroy, Shankland

Subs – G Wilson, Glasgow, Hyslop, Harvey, White

Carluke Rovers – Hallford, Renwick, Gow, Lambie, El-Zubaidi, Haddow, Martin, Kane, Watt, Cassidy, Biggart

Subs – Lowdon, Vezza, Weir, Haley, Thomson (gk)