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PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL FLYNN.

Talbot cruised into the 4th round of the Scottish Junior cup with a routine win over a toothless Forfar West End.

The Bot tested the visitors keeper early on when Samson won a corner down the left in the 2nd minute. Shankland whipped it over & Thain had to claw it away as it swung in under the bar.

Shankland had a half chance in the 6th minute. A quickly taken shy released Stephen Wilson down the right & he switched it in to find Graham Wilson. He laid it to Shankland who stepped inside George & drilled a low shot at goal that was blocked by a defender.

After the buzz of last week there was a slightly flat atmosphere with Talbot dominating their east coast opponents but lacking the final ball to open up the defence.

The Bot came close to taking the lead in the 19th minute. Pope played it to Shankland & when he slung a cross over to the back post Hyslop climbed highest but his header clipped the top of the bar on its way over.

The game then went into a lull with little to keep the watching fans warm on a bitterly cold day. The Bot had the ball in the back of the net when Hyslop curled it home from the left of the area but the linesman’s flag had already went up and the goal didn’t stand.

Having waited for a goal Talbot fans got two for the price of one as the Bot scored twice in quick succession to put the game to bed. In the 35th minute Lyle played it up the right to find Graham Wilson. He laid it out to the wing to Stephen Wilson who knocked it across the area where Hyslop helped it on into the path of MARK SHANKLAND who steered a shot inside the right post to put Talbot 1-0 ahead.

Within a minute Talbot doubled their lead. Forfar lost the ball deep in their own half & Talbot punished them with Stephen Wilson sweeping a ball over from the right that Hyslop dummied to allow MARK SHANKLAND to stride onto it & stroke the ball home.

The remainder of the half was played out in the Forfar half but Talbot couldn’t add to their lead and went in at the interval with a two goal cushion.

Talbot made a change during the break with Healy starting the 2nd half in place of Hyslop.

Any slim chances of Forfar making a game of it ended in the 54th minute when Talbot grabbed their third. Samson pounced on a loose pass & broke forward before feeding it into Lyle. He slipped it back out to Samson on the overlap & he cut the ball back to GRAHAM WILSON who took a touch before drilling a low shot inside the left post.

Healy had a chance to add to Talbot’s tally in the 58th minute. Shankland whipped over a free kick from the right that Healy met in the box but he sent a free header well wide of target.

Next to have a go for Talbot was McCracken who tried his luck from distance, hitting the target, but unable to beat Thain at his right post.

It took until the 62nd minute before Forfar had an effort at goal. A Walls picked up on the right & burst into the area where he fired over the bar.

There was now a raft of substitutions with Talbot making a double switch with Boylan & Glasgow coming on for Shankland & Graham Wilson. The visitors made all their changes at once throwing on Bachelor, Cruikshank & McLeavey.

Armstrong set up Talbot’s next attack sliding a pass through to release Samson down the right but this time the defence managed to cut out his ball at the near post.

Glasgow came close in the 68th minute when he gathered just insidethe box & flashed a shot just over the bar.

Talbot nearly added a fourth in the 70th minute. Samson fired over a dangerous cross that just eluded Boylan & McCracken at the back post.

Boylan tested Thain from distance in the 76th minute. Firing a shot from 25 yards that the keeper gathered at the 2nd attempt.

A minute later Stephen Wilson spurned a decent chance when he ran onto Samson’s pull back but fired past the right post from 15 yards.

In the 83rd minute Thain did well to prevent Glasgow adding a fourth. Stephen Wilson’s pass sent Glasgow haring clean through on the keeper but Thain was quickly off his line & able to block Glasgow’s low drive.

The visitors had a chance to grab a late consolation when a ball up the right found McLeavey in space. He knocked a good ball across to the near post which Cruikshank met but he couldn’t get enough on it to beat Leishman. Talbot now quickly broke down the other end where Stephen Wilson found Glasgow on the left of the area. He hit it early and only a superb stop by Thain at his right post prevented Glasgow from getting on the score sheet.

When the corner came over Boylan’s header appeared to be drifting in only for a defender to clear it off the line. The ball came out to Healy on the 18 yard line and he drilled it just past the left post.

A straightforward win for Talbot who eased past their opponents without ever really hitting top gear. Next up for Talbot it is back to league duty where they host Clydebank who will be looking to bounce back after exiting the Scottish at the hands of Petershill.

Auchinleck Talbot – Leishman, Lyle, Pope, McPherson, McCracken, Armstrong, Hyslop, Stephen Wilson, Graham Wilson, Samson, Shankland

Subs – Boylan, Glasgow, Healy, Young, White

Forfar West End – Thain, George, Wilson, Rae, Robertson, Timmons, Weir, McMahon, Hart, Godfrey, A Walls

Subs – Bachelor, Cruikshank, McLeavey, C Walls, Morrison