TALBOT ACADEMY REPORTS

U19’s – Sunday’s game was away to Bonnyton in the league. In blistering winds, the game kicked off at a
frantic pace and with the wind behind them Bonnyton took an early lead. This seemed to rattle Talbot and
Bonnyton took full advantage adding another two goals to lead 3-0. Talbot got a lifeline from Speirs, just
before the break. Half time 3-1 Bonnyton.
Into the second half and Talbot started to fi nd their feet and created a couple of chances but couldn’t get that
second goal to bring them back into the game. Bonnyton sat in and played on the counter attack, and got a
further 2 goals. A poor performance from Talbot.
Full time Bonnyton 5-1 Talbot.
2003 – Alba United 1-7 Auchinleck Talbot
After a fortnight’s break and being back on a grass pitch for the first time in a while, it took the Talbot boys a
bit to get themselves going. They went down 1-0 and it could have been two had it not been for an
outstanding save from Michael Nolan. A change in the midfield to add height and Michael Kane dropping
from striker to midfield pressed Alba into an own goal near the end of the half and after that Talbot were in
the groove. The second half was all Talbot who had stepped it up a gear and were dominating play bar a great
save from Jack Jamieson who kept Alba’s tally at one. Talbot had the slip passes , 1-2s, triangles being made
in and around defence and midfield and were creating spaces and chances. Eventually leading to hat-tricks
from both Josh Jones and Zak Smith, making sure the three points went to Talbot and kept up their 100%
record.
Man of the match was Michael McCulloch who put in a tireless shift driving the team forward but also
working back winning tackles in the midfield to break up play and start attacks.
2006 – No games due to holidays.
2007 – A home game against Valspar on Saturday in what can only be described as testing conditions. Talbot
started slowly and were being pegged back by Valspar but apart from an unfortunate ricochet, Talbot
defended really well and stuck to the task which was pleasing to see. From there, Talbot grew into the game
and for a while the Talbot keeper was a spectator as they attacked the Valspar goal however despite breaking
them down they just couldn’t find the net. Into the second half and the rain was lashing down. The boys
attitude cannot be faulted though as they kept plugging away in horrible conditions. It was a fairly even
second half with both teams carving out good opportunities, with Talbot not having the killer instinct in front
of goal that they enjoyed last week. It wasn’t a bad performance, especially given the weather conditions,
however Talbot are capable of much more. The boys have made great progress in recent months but are
lacking consistency at the moment however this is showing signs of starting to change. Special mentions this
week go to Brandon Arthur for some excellent dribbling and desire to drive forward, and to Joe Millin for a
steady defensive display.
2008 – Talbot blacks travelled to Caledonian looking to keep up momentum in league matches. After playing
the last couple of couple games with the bare minimum 7 players, Talbot welcomed back a few boys after
holidays.
After a sl ow start, Talbot grew into the game, getting back too their usual high pressing, passing and
movement performance. Half time came and went with both teams getting the better of each another on a
few occasions in an even encounter. With five minutes to go Talbot scored through another well worked goal.
Their jou was short lived however as Caley finished the game strongly and used this to there advantage. This
weeks man of the match was goalkeeper Josh Kerr who produced some outstanding saves and his
distribution from the back was tremendous. He has been working hard over the course of the season and is
improving with every game.
Golds – After a few good per formances on the bounce, another promising performance was to follow. A solid
start to the game from Talbot put Caley under a lot of pressure. High pressure from the Talbot team saw them
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dominated the early periods of the game but couldn’t make it count. A few mistakes saw Caley take an
unexpected lead and put doubt into the Talbot mind. Goals in quick succession for Caley left Talbot with a
mountain to climb. However the players didn’t let that effect them as they rallied themselves again and began
to pile on the pressure again putting Caley on the back foot again but unable to capitalise on the dominance.
The second half saw a mirror image of the first and Talbot piled on the pressure eventually getting their
rewards and getting back into the game. A five minute lapse in concentration at the back followed and Caley
took advantage. A strong finish to the game from Talbot was again pleasing. One of the best performances
from the team all year. Man of the Match- Kai Martin who run the game from the midfield and put a solid
shift in when asked to play defence.
2009 – Golds – The boys started of well on Sunday. Good passing and energy in the first game. They were
dominating and scoring plenty of goals. The defending was excellent and keeping a clean sheet too. They
continued their good play into the second game where they again gave a good account of themselves scoring
goals and staying competitive throughout. Game three was a much tougher affair against a good side but they
kept working hard despite being up against it. Special mention to Lewis Parker who showed great energy and
passing throughout the three games.
Blacks- It was a mixed bag for the te am on Sunday. A good competitive first game before coming up against
a really good side in the second. There was a massive improvement in their third match, playing some nice
football at times and completely dominating. Special mention to Murray McRoberts who continues to
improve each week.
2011 – Three Talbot teams played the fun 4’s at Prestwick on Sunday morning. The players once again have
progressed this week, each team playing five games against some good quality teams. They are now starting
to play with confidence and belief in each other and with some cracking individual goals thrown in. The kids
collectively worked incredibly hard as usual with some nice flowing moves and plenty goals scored. Once
again the kids did their parents, coaches and club proud.