TALBOT TRIUMPH IN DOUR ENCOUNTER.
Report: Murray Steele. Photographs: Craig McGhee, Media Lee Conn.
A much changed Talbot got the job done to advance past Lothian Thistle in the South Challenge cup in a tie the Bot could have won by a much more convincing margin.
Talbot started the game strongly and nearly took the lead after 4 minutes. A short corner down the left was worked to the edge of the area where Walker curled a shot just wide of the left hand post.
A minute later Smith surged forward before feeding it to his right to McAvoy who saw his shot blocked behind for a corner.
The pressure continued and Miller came close to putting it into his own net when he went to clear Abed’s ball across goal and sliced it over the crossbar. From the resultant corner Langan played it into the path of Smith who drilled a low shot wide of the left post.
In the 9th minute Miller clipped a ball over the top and McAvoy managed to out-muscle Chisholm to claim it and pull it back toward Sime who had the ball nicked off him as he went to hit it.
The visitors hadn’t been over the half-way line up until the 13th minute when Sime dallied on the ball and lost possession 30 yards out. It broke into the path of Ndlovu who bent a shot over the bar from 20 yards.
On the quarter hour mark Walker cut a ball back from the left to find Abed on the edge of the area who prodded a shot wide of target.
Talbot were denied what looked a stonewall penalty in the 19th minute. Slooves was given the time & space to carry it forward and had a dig from 30 yards that Miller blocked with his arm but the officials gave nothing.
However, a minute later Talbot’s pressure finally paid off. Langan won it and raced forward into the box. He might have shot himself but instead slipped it to his right where KYLE MCAVOY hit it low across the keeper to make it 1-0.
In the 23rd minute Talbot nearly doubled their lead. Kerr laid the ball back to Walker inside the box and his shot flew just past the left post.
The Bot’s next effort at goal came in the 27th minute. Walker played it to Langan who found Smith bursting free down the right and he tried to angle it back across and beyond the keeper but Samuel smothered his effort.
The visitors won a free kick out wide on the left in the 31st minute after Chisholm was caught. Ndlovu took it and curled it over to the back post where Slooves headed behind. When the corner came over Miller thumped it clear.
Cameron didn’t have much to do all afternoon but was called upon in the 34th minute. A long ball down the centre was only partially cleared and fell to Wringe 20 yards out. He fired it first time on target and Cameron made a good stop to his right to turn it away for a corner.
This was the visitors best spell and they had another half chance soon after when Macdonald was able to turn in the box and play it back to Stewart who hit a tame effort on target.
Five minutes before the break Talbot put together a nice move that ended with Miller swinging a dangerous cross beyond the back post. Sime couldn’t quite get on the end of it and required treatment after colliding with the wall behind the goal.
In the final action of the half Smith shot wide of goal from 20 yards and the sides went in with Talbot leading 1-0.
Talbot got off to a bit of a false start to the 2nd half conceding a few corners and free kicks without any harm being done.
In the 51st minute Kerr whipped over a great cross from the left that Miller headed just wide of his own goal. When the corner came in from the right Slooves met it only to see his header brilliantly saved by Samuel who turned it over the bar.
The Bot’s next attack saw Kerr fire a ball across the box toward McAvoy but it broke off him and went behind for the goal kick.
Talbot then conceded a needless corner down the left which Ndlovu took and his in swinger had to be palmed away to safety by Cameron.
A 2nd goal would have eased any worries and Talbot came close to it in the 57th minute. A free kick down the left was met by McAvoy who headed it down into the path of Smith whose low drive was blocked by Samuel’s legs at his right hand post.
Two minutes later McAvoy won a corner down the left. Langan’s ball in wasn’t dealt with and it broke back out to Langan on the left of the area. He struck it on target but Samuel again did well to make the stop.
Lothian Thistle now made a change with Devine on for Signorini.
In the 62nd minute Sime cushioned a header inside to find McAvoy on the right of the penalty area but his low drive went straight at the keeper.
A minute later Walker swung over a good cross from the left that Sime met in the centre – sending his header wide of the right hand post.
Talbot’s next effort came when Miller got on the end of Sime’s deep cross and floated a header back across goal that drifted over the bar.
The visitors now made a further change with Mackay on for Herd.
In the 69th minute Talbot made a triple change with Langan, Walker & Smith making way for Boyle, Gillies & Boyd.
Shortly after Abed whipped over a great ball that only needed a touch but there was no one in the centre to convert. It was retrieved out on the left by Gillies who swung over a good cross that was well defended.
In the 74th minute Boyle tried his luck from distance but his shot slipped wide of the right hand post.
With quarter of an hour remaining Miller of the visitors picked up a caution for kicking the ball away.
Ten minutes from time McAvoy’s cut back from the right cannoned off a defender and flew just wide of the left post. Before the corner could be taken Talbot made further changes with Wardrope & Clark on in place of Sime & Smith.
The corner was pulled back to Clark who whipped over a great ball that Chisholm headed clear from the goal mouth.
In the 84th minute Wardrope broke down the left and sent a cross over to the far side of the box where McAvoy headed it back down and across goal but no one was there to take advantage.
Three minutes from time Kerr found Clark on the right of the penalty area. He cut inside onto his left foot and drilled a low shot on goal that produced another fine save from Samuel who turned it past the post.
A minute later Boyle played it into the feet of Clark inside the box and he teed it back into the path of Boyle whose shot went just past the left post.
In the final minute of regulation time a ball in from the left found McAvoy in the area. He turned on it and powered a shot narrowly past the left hand post.
Deep into injury time Talbot had a late scare when they conceded a free kick out on the right on the bye line for which Gillies received a caution but the visitors could make nothing of it and Talbot saw it out for the win.
Next up for Talbot it’s back to league duty when they travel through to North Glasgow to face Drumchapel United.
Auchinleck Talbot – Cameron, Miller, Kerr, Slooves, Wilson, Langan, Sime, Walker, McAvoy, Smith, Abed
Subs – Boyd, Wardrope, Gillies, Boyle, Clark, McPherson, Armour
Lothian Thistle H.V – Samuel, Herd, Macdonald, Maxwell, Wringe, Stewart, Chisholm, Signorini, Walton, Ndlovu, Miller
Subs – Clapperton, Harrison, Mackay, Morrison, Jelen, Devine, Davidson
get on the score sheet. A Talbot corner from the left was headed out and came to Schoneville at the edge of the area where he rocketed a low left foot effort on target that produced a brilliant stop from Watt who dived to his right to turn it wide.
