Report

MURRAYS REPORT
Talbot recovered from a shaky start to earn a hard fought replay against Cove Rangers in this 2nd round Scottish cup tie.

The Bot made the worst possible start when they conceded a soft goal after only 5 minutes. McIlroy attempted to hook the ball up field but shanked it back toward his own penalty area. It landed at the feet of MEGGINSON whose snap shot from 20 yards skipped off the surface past Leishman & inside the right post.

Talbot’s first meaningful attack came in the 7th minute. Glasgow swept a deep corner over from the left which Armstrong nodded back across the 6-yard area where McIlroy prodded the ball wide of target.

The Bot had shaken off the early goal & had a decent chance to level matters in the 10th minute. McIlroy won it in the air to flick it on into the path of Graham Wilson. He shoved it through to Glasgow who burst into the area but toe poked his shot straight at McCafferty.

McIlroy was inches away from restoring parity in the 14th minute. Glasgow whipped over a great cross from the left & McIlroy met it in the centre & sent a volley goal ward that clipped the top of the bar.

Cove’s McCafferty had a good day in nets but made his one & only blunder in the 22nd minute. Stephen Wilson lifted the ball down the right to find Graham Wilson on the wing & he lofted a high cross into the centre. McCafferty came for it & missed it & it came to Hyslop who headed for goal but he didn’t get enough power behind it & McCafferty had recovered to gather the ball.

Talbot won a free kick within shooting distance in the 27th minute after Graham Wilson was barged in the back. Glasgow took it but skied his effort well over the bar.

Megginson became the 1st player in the book when he picked up a caution on the half hour mark. He should have received it for going through the back of Harvey as he shepherded the ball out of play but having got away with only a free kick against him he proceeded to talk his way into the book.

Talbot had a lucky escape in the 35th minute when Cove nearly doubled their lead. Yule swung a cross over from the right that landed right on the head of Brown who ought to have scored from 6 yards out but steered his header onto Leishman’s right hand post.

Graham Wilson had a half chance for Talbot in the 38th minute. McIlroy gathered on the left of the area & touched it inside to Wilson who burst through on goal but the ball broke away from him & McCafferty was quickly off his line to smother it.

The home side won a free kick 35 yards from goal in the 40th minute. The ball was flighted into the centre where Watson rose to head it but he didn’t make a clean connection & it looped harmlessly straight to Leishman.

The referee appeared of the view that football is a non-contact sport & handed out a very soft yellow card to McIlroy in the 42nd minute for an innocuous aerial challenge.

The final chance of the half came Talbot’s way a minute from the interval. Stephen Wilson was fouled by Ferguson as he raced clear on the right & the ref awarded Talbot the free kick 30 yards from goal. Pope took this set piece & aimed it for the far top corner but Yule was well-positioned in front of the back post to head it clear and so Talbot left the field a goal down at the break.
Cove started the 2nd half sharply & carved out an early chance in the 50th minute. A good passing move ended with Ferguson sliding the ball to Brown on the right side of the area but he hit a weak effort at goal from 10 yards.

Talbot picked up their 2nd booking of the afternoon in the 56th minute when Graham Wilson received a caution.

Leishman came to the rescue a minute later. Yule raced onto a ball down the left of the area & knocked it wide of the advancing Leishman. He retrieved it near the bye line & back-heeled it into the centre where Megginson drilled a low shot at goal that Leishman saved with his feet.

Talbot’s first effort of the 2nd half came in the 64th minute. Hyslop gathered out on the right & angled it back into the path of Stephen Wilson whose shot glided past a crowd of players & wide of the right post.

Tucker now made a change with Kemp coming on in place of McIlroy.

Kemp’s first involvement came soon after joining the fray when he was cynically up-ended as he raced forward inside the Cove half; resulting in a booking for Scully.

Hyslop took the free kick & his effort clipped off the wall & went behind for a corner. Glasgow whipped the corner into the near post where it was headed behind for a 2nd corner. This time he hit it deep & again it came off a Cove head for Talbot’s 3rd successive corner. When this one came over the defence headed it out but only as far as Stephen Wilson who hammered a shot from the edge of the area. His shot was blocked by Watson’s arm & the referee immediately pointed to the spot. GRAHAM WILSON stepped up & looked the coolest head in the pitch as he sent the keeper the wrong way to make it 1-1 in the 68th minute.

Teams are often at their most vulnerable soon after scoring & so it proved for Talbot who had a lucky escape two minutes after equalising. Yule raced away down the right & pulled a dangerous ball back across the box. Megginson dummied it leaving Masson in space 15 yards out but he side-footed it just wide of Leishman’s left post.

McCafferty denied Talbot the lead with a super stop in the 73rd minute. Kemp robbed Kelly of the ball outside the area before cutting in off the left & firing a right foot screamer that the keeper tipped wide of the left post.

Cove’s keeper came to his side’s aid again a few minutes later. Glasgow showed a great burst of pace to surge straight into the penalty area & through on goal. He attempted to prod it past the advancing keeper but McCafferty was able to block.

Action then switched to the other end where Brown stretched out a leg to get on the end of Masson’s cross & steer a shot just wide of the left post.

As the game entered the closing stages Talbot were looking the more likely side. Graham Wilson broke into the penalty area in the 87th minute but was blocked by a wall of players before he could get his shot away.

Glasgow took one for the team in the 89th minute. Megginson looked set to race deep into the Talbot half before Glasgow tugged him back & received a caution for his trouble.

As the game moved into injury time Talbot pressed forward and nearly snatched a late winner. Firstly Armstrong sent Graham Wilson away down the right & McCafferty had to parry away his effort. Shortly after, with virtually the last kick of the ball, Kemp thundered a shot from the right edge of the area that forced an acrobatic stop from the keeper who flew to his right to push it away.

A fine performance from Talbot who gave as good as they got & nearly nicked the win right at the end. Next week it’s back to Beechwood for the replay with both sides playing for the chance to face Fraserburgh in the 3rd round.

Cove Rangers – McCafferty, Yule, Redford, Ross, Watson, Kelly, Ferguson, Scully, Megginson, Brown, Masson

Subs – Strachan, Milne, Macleod, Carnie, Ellis

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

Subs – Shankland, Kemp, McDowall, McCracken, White, Samson, Hewitt

Read more: http://auchinlecktalbotfc.proboards.com/thread/8246/cove-rangers-1-auchinleck-talbot#ixzz5UaFc7iKw

Photographs by Paul Flynn.