TALBOT SECURE SEMI-FINAL SPOT IN THE SOUTH CHALLENGE CUP.

Match Report: Murray Steele, Photography: Craig McGhee, Media: Ross Newlands.

Talbot made it to their 2nd semi-final within a week as they eased past Rob Roy to book a last four meeting with Hill o Beath Hawthorn in the South Challenge cup.

The Bot nearly got off to a perfect start when they came close in the 3rd minute. Clark cut in off the right and squared it across to Boyle who turned smartly at the edge of the area and drilled a low shot just wide of the right post.

Six mins gone and Schoneville delivered a high hanging cross under the crossbar which Aitken failed to claim but there was no Bot player to take advantage and it was scrambled clear.

Rob Roy offered little all afternoon in an attacking sense and there one shot on target came in the 13th minute. McPherson’s clearance broke into the path of Pirrie who hit it first time from 20 yards and as it skipped off the turf Armour turned it wide of the right post.

In the 24th minute Talbot won a free kick 30 yards from goal following a foul on Wardrope. He took the free kick and curled a cross into the centre which Aitken punched clear. The visitors now broke quickly up field through Kettings but the move broke down with Clark intercepting and Thomson received a caution for catching him late as he cleared it.

Talbot had an effort on target in the 27th minute. Boyd held it up well down the right before bringing Clark into play. He darted inside, and might have went for goal himself, but instead shoved it to his left to find Gillies whose low shot was held at his near post by Aitken.

The Bot had a decent chance to take the lead in their next attack. Gillies dummied a ball out left to release Schoneville on the overlap. He swung over a good cross that Boyd met 6 yards out but he misjudged the flight and didn’t make a clean contact with his head.

In the 31st minute a shy from the right found Boyd and he dropped his shoulder to race past his man into the area where he tried to square it across goal only for it to be cut out by a defender.

A minute later Schoneville floated over a cross from the left which Gillies met but his header sailed well wide of goal.

With 37 mins gone Talbot forced a good stop out of the keeper. Gillies pounced on hesitant defending to steal the ball and fired it low into the near post where Thomson slid in to meet it but his shot was blocked at his right hand post by Aitken.

Two mins later Wardrope’s pass found Clark just outside the area. He spread it out wide to Sime whose cross just floated over Boyd’s head in the middle.

Five mins from the interval Talbot passed up a good chance to take the lead. A corner from the right came off a defender’s head and fell to Boyd 6 yards from goal but untypically he didn’t react in time and the ball ran past him and the chance was lost.

Talbot were pushing hard now and threatened again in the 43rd minute. Schoneville fed it on to Gillies who whipped in a dangerous ball off the left that Scott did well to clear.

In the final minute of the half Boyd missed a pinch to send Talbot in a goal up. Clark was challenged at the edge of the area and it broke to Sime. His low shot took a deflection off a defender and landed right at the feet of Boyd 8 yards out but he poked his shot just wide of the left hand post and the sides went in level at the break.

The Bot were dominant right from the restart and had the visitors pegged back defending the clubhouse end. In the 52nd minute Talbot won a free kick out wide on the left following a foul on Sime. Wardrope delivered it to the far post where Boyd met it to power a header on goal that produced a decent stop from Aitken.

The Rabs made a double change in the 54th minute with Thomson & Macnair making way for Wilson & Cameron and Talbot followed suit soon after with Langan & McAvoy on in place of Boyle & Thomson.

The Talbot changes paid off almost immediately when McAvoy was sent tumbling in the box by a clumsy challenge from McKenna. The ref awarded the spot kick and KYLE MCAVOY buried it low inside the right post to put Talbot 1-0 ahead with 58 mins played.

In the 62nd minute Sime sent over a hanging cross from the left corner flag. It came to Wardrope on the right of the penalty area and he fired a half-volley on target that Aitken clutched under his crossbar.

With 64 mins gone Cameron conceded a free kick 15 yards from goal out on the right touchline for a foul on Wardrope. Schoneville took it and bent a ball to the back post where NEIL MCPHERSON ghosted in to head home from close range and double Talbot’s lead.

In the 69th minute the visitors made a further change with Allan coming on for McKenna.

The Rabs had a chance to test the Bot defence in the 70th minute when Schoneville conceded a free kick out on the right. Pirrie whipped it over toward the back post where McPherson headed it clear.

With quarter of an hour remaining Talbot made a further two changes with Wardrope & Boyd making way for Nimmo & Abed.

In the 79th minute Kettings picked up a yellow card when he halted Abed as he burst into the Rabs half. The resultant free kick was lofted into the box where it was cleared and fell to Langan 30 yard from goal and he fired a shot on target that Aitken held.

The Bot had a chance to extend their lead in the 81st minute. Langan shoved it into the path of McAvoy who had Gillies free to his left but opted to go for goal and fired a low shot straight at Aitken.

For all that it had been one-way traffic a goal back for the Rabs would have ensured a nervy ending and the visitors had a half chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute. The Bot defence were caught napping allowing Wilson too much space 15 yards out. He chose to help it on to his right to Cairney-Smith but he failed to trouble Armour – firing it well wide of the left post.

In the closing minutes Talbot twice came close to grabbing another goal. In the 88th minute Nimmo cut inside on the left of the area and hit a curling right foot shot that produced a good save from Aitken. The rebound came out to McAvoy but his low drive at goal was blocked.

A minute later Nimmo’s cut back from the right of the area found Sime in space and he tried to place it low inside the left post only for Aitken to get down well to make the save and push it wide.

A good win for Talbot that saw the Bot keep a 2nd successive clean sheet. Next week it’s back to league duty as Talbot travel through to Govan twice in quick succession, heading to New Tinto park on Wednesday night to face St Cadoc’s and then repeating the journey on the Saturday as they face Benburb.

Auchinleck Talbot – Armour, Clark, Schoneville, Wilson, McPherson, Sime, Boyle, Gillies, Boyd, Thomson, Wardrope

Subs – McAvoy, Nimmo, Abed, Langan, Hanlon, Slooves, Hewitt (gk)

Kirkintilloch Rob Roy – Aitken, Baber, Thomson, Scott, Kerr, Kettings, Macnair, Bowman, Pirrie, Cairney-Smith, McKenna

Subs – Wilson, Gibson, Cameron, Duffy, Allan, Pursley, Cookson (gk)