Report

LOST POINTS IN A DIRE TUSSLE

Report: Murray Steele.

Not a game to live long in the memory as Talbot slumped to a single goal defeat away at Troon on a day where goal mouth incident proved as rare as hen’s teeth.

On a blustery day Talbot had the wind at their backs in the 1^st half and had Troon on the back foot but without making anything of it. In a sign of things to come Talbot won a corner down the right which Wardrope took short to Schoneville. He swept a good cross beyond the back post but there were no takers. The same thing happened in the 10^th minute when Boyd paced beyond Sherrie and fizzed it across goal with no one in support to take advantage.

The Bot were dealt a blow 25 mins in when Wardrope picked up what looked to be a nasty injury out on the touchline. He had to be helped from the field with Langan on in his place.

The game developed into a series of aerial duels and scraps for the second ball as the half wore on with neither goalie called upon.

Having barely been over the half-way line the home side came close to taking the lead in the 44^th minute. Jamieson paced away down the right, hitting the bye line before cutting it back to Morrison who curled a shot over the bar and that was that for the 1^st half.

Talbot had a chance soon after the re-start. A ball up the centre broke the way of Boyd who carried it forward before sliding it to his right to find Sime inside the area but he drilled his shot just over the bar.

In the 54^th minute Talbot made a change with Abed on for Nimmo.

Jamieson then tried his luck from distance – sailing a wind assisted shot over from 25 yards.

Troon now made a change with Black on for Fulton.

With 59 gone Boyd slid a pass in behind the defence to find the run of Abed. He was confronted by Burgess who’d read the danger and was quickly off his line and the keeper managed to block his shot.

In the 64^th minute Talbot won a free kick for a foul on Abed. It was taken quickly to release Boyd down the left and he had a chance to go for goal from the left of the penalty area; however, he opted to try to play it on for Abed and Burgess was able to smother it.

A minute later Abed’s shot from the right of the area was deflected over the bar and when Schoneville’s in swinging corner came over Burgess punched it clear.

In the 71^st minute Troon made a change with Veitch on for Baird.

With quarter of an hour remaining the home side took the lead. Dunlop’s low drive from inside the area was parried away by Armour but Talbot couldn’t clear their lines and the ball was switched to find BLACK on the right of the box and he angled it home.

Talbot now made a double change with Sime & Schoneville making way for Thomson & McAvoy.

In the 79^th minute Veitch received a caution for a late challenge on Thomson.

Six minutes from time Talbot won a corner down the left which saw Smith picking up a booking for dissent. Thomson whipped it into the centre where the home defence managed to clear. It came out to Boyle at the edge of the box and his low drive was turned wide of the right post by Burgess.

Two minutes from time Gallagher had his name taken for kicking the ball away at a Talbot free kick.

The closing stages meandered to an end with Troon comfortably running the clock down to secure the win.

Next up for Talbot it’s a welcome break from the league as they host Forth Wanderers in the 3^rd round of the West of Scotland cup.

Troon – Burgess, Bronsky, Smith, Sherrie, Dunlop, Jamieson, Gilroy, Fulton, Morrison, Gallagher, Baird

Subs – McCloskey, El-Zubaidi, Black, Veitch, Viviani, Brennan, Harkins

Auchinleck Talbot – Armour, Clark, Schoneville, Slooves, McPherson, Sime, Boyle, Gillies, Boyd, Nimmo, Wardrope

Subs – McAvoy, Abed, Thomson, Langan, Walker, Kerr, Wilson