Talbot beat Cumnock for the 3rd time this season, and this was the sweetest of the 3 for the Bot support as it secured their place in the West of Scotland final & was sealed by an injury time winner.
The game had all the intensity you would expect from the fixture & the ref was called on as early as the 2nd minute when Burns looked to flatten Hyslop with a reckless tackle. To the disbelief of the large Bot support, the ref awarded the free kick to Cumnock.
Endeavour was triumphing over football, with both sides battling for the ball over the pitch, and a stiff breeze not aiding matters.
Cumnock won a free kick in a good area in the 10th minute when Watt was fouled out on the touchline. Scott whipped a dangerous free kick in from the right which Leishman punched clear.
Talbot put together a good passing move in the 12th minute. Hyslop squared it for Pope who fed it up the left to Graham Wilson. He sent it across the box to Steven Wilson who touched it onto the path of Shankland who hit a low shot straight at Johnston.
The 1st goal came in the 18th minute after a bad error from Woods. The Nock right-back needlessly tripped Graham Wilson just inside the penalty area & the ref pointed straight to the spot. GRAHAM WILSON buried the penalty inside the right post to put Talbot 1-0 ahead.
Cumnock weren’t getting much joy out the Bot defence but they did threaten an equaliser in the 27th min. Watt timed his run in behind the defence & when stymied the ball broke to Malone whose shot was heading on target until blocked by the outstretched leg of McGoldrick.
Two minutes later Talbot tested the Nock keeper. Hyslop, dominant in the air all day, flicked the ball into the path of G Wilson on the right of the area & he tried a curler to the far corner which Johnston saved.
Talbot made an injury enforced substitution on the half hour mark when McGoldrick left the field & Young came on. This led to a reshuffle, with Steven White dropping into defence.
There wasn’t much to get excited about in the remaining quarter of an hour with Talbot looking comfortable in their lead, the only scare coming a minute before the interval from a set piece. The ball was driven in from the left looking for Murphy but the Cumnock centre-half couldn’t get his head on it with Leishman stranded off his line.
The 2nd half was only a minute old when Esplin talked himself into the book.
Steven Wilson had a half chance in the 49th minute. Hyslop flicked the ball into the centre & when the defence failed to clear their lines it came out to Wilson 15 yards out but he snatched at it & volleyed well wide of goal.
Lundie picked up Cumnock’s 2nd booking in the 54th minute for a barge into the back of G Wilson resulting in a Bot free kick 35 yards out. Shankland succeeded in hitting the target but Johston was well positioned to make a comfortable save.
Cumnock made the game’s first change in the 57th minute when Quinn came on for Malone and a minute later G Wilson landed in the ref’s notebook when penalised for an aerial challenge.
The game was now swinging Cumnock’s way & Watt had an opportunity to level in the 59th minute. White misjudged a high ball at the edge of the area & when it bounced over him Watt flashed a shot wide of the right post.
It was all square in the 61st minute. Watt spread the ball out to Scott on the right wing & he knocked it into the near post where MONTGOMERIE dispatched it past Leishman.
Talbot made a 2nd change after 67 mins with Milliken coming on for Lyle, with Boyd dropping back to right-back but before the sub had a chance to touch the ball Cumnock moved in front.
Once again, Scott was the provider, speeding down the right before cutting the ball back across the box. McCracken deflected it out but it came straight to ESPLIN who steered a low shot into the bottom right corner.
Cumnock should have been down to ten men in the 69th minute when Watt lunged into a reckless, late tackle on McCracken but the ref felt it only merited a booking.
In a role reversal of the 1st half Cumnock were now looking comfortable defending a one goal lead with Talbot chasing the game without threatening the Nock goal.
That was until the 78th minute when the Bot drew level thanks to a well taken goal. Boyd headed the ball towards the Cumnock box where Shankland hooked it on into the area. GRAHAM WILSON ran onto it & smacked a perfectly aimed volley over the keeper into the roof of the net to make it 2-2.
The goal galvanised Talbot who produced a couple of half chances in the next few minutes. Firstly Milliken skinned Woods for pace down the left only to see his low cross smothered at the near post by Johnston. Moments later Hyslop laid the ball off to Boyd on the overlap & he paced free on the right & drilled a low ball across goal which forced Murphy into a last gasp clearance.
Shankland had a chance to win it with 5 minutes remaining. Hyslop opened the defence up with a disguised pass to the left that eluded Graham Wilson but landed right at the feet of Shankland on the right of the area, however he got no weight behind his shot & Johnston was able to save to his right.
As the game moved into the closing stages & penalties loomed Cumnock looked to have the upper hand as Talbot conceded a couple of needless free kicks deep in their own half which Leishman & the defence dealt with.
However, in the 2nd minute of injury time it was Talbot who had the last word. Pope flighted a ball out to the right of the penalty area which Hyslop headed across goal & SHANKLAND beat Lundie to it to head home from close range, winning the game for Talbot & sending most of the crowd home happy.
This was a hard fought win for the Bot who now face Hurlford at Newlandsfield in the West final at the end of May. At this stage of the season every game’s a big one, and next up for Talbot is another derby encounter when they host Glenafton on Monday night in the league looking to move another 3 points closer to retaining the league.

Cumnock – Johnston, Woods, Lyndsay, Lundie, Murphy, Esplin, Montgomerie, Burns, Watt, Malone, Scott
Subs – Ronald, Samson, Quinn, Lowe

Talbot – Leishman, Lyle, Pope, McGoldrick, McCracken, White, Boyd, Hyslop, G Wilson, S Wilson, Shankland

Subs – Gillies, Milliken, Young, Latta, Johnstone

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