Report

Photographs by Paul Flynn.

MURRAYS MATCH REPORT

After the high of Tynecastle it was back to the bread & butter for Talbot as they returned to league action with a convincing win over Rob Roy at Beechwood.
This proved to be a game of one half with a fairly forgettable 1st half followed by a much improved Talbot performance after the interval.
The first action of the match saw Graham Wilson played in behind down the right & as he checked back to cross he was taken out by Sweeney who received a caution with only 3 mins on the clock. Pope took the free kick & rolled it back to Stephen Wilson at the edge of the area but he didn’t catch his shot cleanly.
The visitors had a half chance in the 7th minute when they worked the ball down the right before pinging it across field to find Kinnaird just outside the penalty area & he fired a low drive wide of the left post.
Chances were at a premium in the 1st half & the next goal threat didn’t come until the 21st minute when Pope’s inch perfect pass sent Samson racing free down the left. He hoisted a cross beyond the back post which was met by Graham Wilson but he was unable to steer his header back on target.
Two minutes later Glasgow had a glimmer of a chance when he latched onto a header from Graham Wilson & raced down the left of the penalty area before firing a shot across goal and wide of the far post.
Rob Roy’s players were falling over at every opportunity to the annoyance of the Bot support but it convinced the referee who awarded them a string of soft free kicks in dangerous areas but Talbot’s defence coped with the deliveries.
The visitors did create a decent opening in the 31st minute. Glasgow tried too much on the ball midway inside his own half & was dispossessed. Rob Roy played it down the right to find Carroll racing through on the right & he sent his shot well wide under pressure from McPherson.
Unusually it took Talbot until the 33rd minute to register a shot on target. Pope letting fly from 30 yards with a well struck effort that flew straight at Gordon.
The longer the half went the less likely it appeared there would be a goal but out of the blue Talbot were gifted an opportunity to take the lead in the 40th minute. A shy on the right saw panic in the Rabs defence & Kinnaird sliced the ball into his own penalty area. It ran between Mackie & Samson & the Bot player got there first only to be chopped down by a clumsy tackle. The ref pointed to the spot & Pope stepped up to take it but he played it too safe & Gordon moved low to his right to keep out the spot kick.
As the half moved deep into injury time Talbot were almost caught out at the last kick. Rob Roy won a free kick just inside the Bot half that was played down the right side of the penalty area. It came to Carroll at the corner of the 6-yard box but his low shot was blocked by McPherson.
Whatever Tucker said during the interval, words of wisdom or the Fergie hairdryer, paid off and Talbot were a side transformed after the interval. Right from the re-start Talbot threatened down the right as Stephen Wilson found Samson on the wing & he hared to the bye line where he forced a corner which Talbot failed to make the most of.
Three minutes into the 2nd half a similar move ended with Gordon making a top class save to prevent Talbot taking the lead. This time when Samson raced clear on the right he fired a low ball across goal where Graham Wilson met it & steered a low shot from 6 yards out that Gordon somehow kept out at his left post.
It was all Talbot & the Bot won a free kick inches outside the penalty box when Graham Wilson was up ended. Stephen Wilson took it & drilled a low shot through the wall that Gordon saved through a combination of quick reactions and luck; the ball cannoning off his knee onto his chest & then spinning wide of the right post.
Much against the run of play Rob Roy had a chance to sneak into the lead in the 54th minute. They broke down the right & Carroll won a corner kick. When it came Talbot failed to clear it & the ball fell towards McBride inside the 6-yard area but before he could prod it home Leishman reacted to fall on it.
Talbot had a chance to take the lead in the 55th minute. Stephen Wilson won a corner down the right & delivered it into the centre where Harvey ghosted onto it unmarked but he couldn’t keep his header under the bar.
Tucker made his 1st change in the 59th minute when Shankland came on to replace Glasgow on the left.
The home support gave a collective groan two minutes later when Gordon made a fantastic stop to deny Talbot the lead. Talbot won a free kick on the right that Lyle flighted into the area. Hyslop climbed to head it on & Harvey threw out a leg to steer it inside the right post only for Gordon to leap to his right to palm it away.
Rob Roy now made a switch with Slattery making way for Currie-McLean & the double barrelled sub had the visitors best chance of the afternoon shortly after joining the fray. Rob Roy countered down the left where Mackie cut it back straight into his path 12 yards out but he couldn’t sort out his feet & clipped his shot well wide.
The crucial breakthrough came in the 67th minute when Talbot took the lead. Shankland did well down the left, holding play up & spotting Lyle free on the right before switching play. He fed it on to Stephen Wilson & when his cross came over DWAYNE HYSLOP rose up to power a header back across goal & beyond Gordon.
Two minutes later the visitors picked up a yellow card when Capuano dived in recklessly on Shankland out on the touchline.
Talbot made their 2nd change in the 70th minute with McIlroy replacing Graham Wilson up front.
A minute later Talbot doubled their lead to effectively kill off the game off. Shankland swept a ball down the left to find KEIR SAMSON racing into the left of the penalty area. He still had a lot to do but a quick change of feet left two defenders in his wake & he stabbed it past Gordon at his right post to make it 2-0.
Samson was booked for his celebrations and as a precaution Tucker made a further change with Kemp coming on for Samson and the visitors also made a further change with Gallacher on for Mackie.
With the two goal cushion Talbot were sitting pretty and looking to add to their lead and they nearly did so in the 78th min when Stephen Wilson cut in off the right wing & drilled a low shot into the side-netting.
Talbot completed the scoring with 8 mins remaining. Armstrong won the ball outside the area & spread it out wide left to find Shankland. Capuano tried to cut it out but did the splits to no avail & Shankland had the time to pick out his cross to the back stick where Wilson laid it back across goal for CALVIN KEMP to power a low drive on target that Gordon couldn’t keep out despite his best attempts.
The closing stages saw Talbot push hard for further goals. But they couldn’t add to their tally and the final whistle saw Talbot seal a 3-0 win that sees the Bot climb to 3rd in the table and nicely poised with 7 games in hand over leaders Hurlford.
Next up for Talbot is the defence of their Scottish Junior trophy with a tricky away trip to Pollok in the quarter-finals.

Auchinleck Talbot – Leishman, Lyle, Pope, McPherson, Harvey, Stephen Wilson, Hyslop, Armstrong, Graham Wilson, Glasgow, Samson

Subs – McIlroy, Shankland, Kemp, White, Waite

Kirkintilloch Rob Roy – Gordon, Walker, Kinnaird, McBride, Daly, Sweeney, Capuano, Slattery, Carroll, Vezza, Mackie

Subs – Gallacher, Tuohy, Ramage, Currie-McLean, Sawyer