Competition: SOUTH REGION CHALLENGE CUP

TALBOT RUN RANGERS RAGGED

Report: Murray Steele, Photography: Craig McGhee, Media: Lee Conn.

Talbot made it 3 wins in a row as they dispatched Arniston Rangers at a sunny, but chilly Beechwood to book their place in the 4^th round of the South Challenge cup.

The Bot made a dream start – taking an early lead in the 3^rd minute. Wardrope chipped it into Smith inside the box and he rolled it across to EWAN THOMSON who rattled a shot into the top corner to make it 1-0.

In the 9^th minute Talbot came close to doubling their lead. Langan found Wardrope in space down the right and he fired a dangerous ball across to the back post which Smith just failed to get on the end of.

Two minutes later Talbot grabbed their second. Boylan rose to head flick a long ball into the path of ROSS SMITH who strolled onto it and placed a shot past the keeper at his left hand post.

The game was over as a contest in the 13^th minute when Talbot went 3-0 ahead. Gillies played it into the feet of RUARIDH LANGAN and he coolly placed a low shot into the bottom corner.

Talbot were breeching the visitors defence at will and had a chance to add to their lead in the 20^th minute. Boylan headed it on to Thomson on the right and his ball into the box found Smith. He laid it back into the path of Wardrope but he blazed his shot over from 15 yards.

In the 23^rd minute Langan cut the ball back to Wardrope at the edge of the area and his low drive slipped wide of the right hand post.

Two minutes later the visitors defence failed to clear a shy in from the right that came to Smith and he wheeled around and fired a shot over the bar.

The Talbot chances kept coming and in the 27^th minute Boylan met Wardrope’s corner from the right but steered his header over the bar.

Boylan had a great chance to get on the score sheet in the 29^th minute when Gillies drilled a low ball across to the back post but he took a fresh air swipe from close range.

Anderson had his name taken in the 34^th minute for a late challenge on Thomson at the byline.

Two minutes later the woodwork denied Talbot their 4^th. A corner from the right came to McPherson who clipped in a cross from the left edge of the area. McCracken met it and his glancing header was well stopped by McQueen. The rebound came to Boylan whose low drive clattered off the base of the left hand post.

Five minutes from the interval McPherson played it up the line to Boylan who turned Bell and raced up the wing before firing it low across goal where McQueen was able to cut it out with Thomson waiting to pounce.

In the 43^rd minute Thomson received a caution for a foul on Kemp and in the last action of the half Thomson was first to react to a loose ball down the right and fired a shot across and wide with Talbot heading in 3 goals to the good at the break.

The 2^nd half was only 2 minutes old when Talbot grabbed their 4^th. Wardrope’s shot from 20 yards was comfortably held by McQueen but when he bowled it out to McManus there was a mix-up between the defender and his keeper allowing EWAN THOMSON to nick in and force it home.

In the 49^th minute Glavin was called into action when he made a good stop from Muir’s curling effort from the left.

The visitors made changes in the 54^th minute with Muir & Anderson making way for Graham & Galloway.

Both sides had a good chance in the 57^th minute. Firstly, Davies had a chance from 15 yards out following a corner that he blazed miles over the bar then in Talbot’s next attack Langan broke through the defence only to see his shot come back off the left post.

On the hour mark Talbot made a double change with Thomson & Boylan being replaced by Boyd & Kennedy.

In the 62^nd minute Langan sent Smith clear on the right and he played it across goal where Kennedy tucked it home but the linesman’s flag ruled it out.

A minute later Talbot had another effort on target when Langan found Boyd on the right and he fired a low effort at goal that McQueen smothered at his near post.

Arniston now made a further change with Hamilton on for Kemp and Talbot made another double switch with Lennox & Boyle on in the centre for Wardrope & Langan.

Talbot’s subs were all involved in the 70^th minute when Boyle found Lennox and he in turn sent it wide right to Boyd whose cross to the back post was fired over the bar by Kennedy.

Arniston pulled a goal back in the 72^nd minute. DAVIES whipped in a right foot cross from the left touchline that drifted over Glavin who got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out at the back post.

Within a minute Talbot should have scored again. A slick move saw Kennedy feed it into Boyd whose pass sent Smith through one on one with the keeper but his shot couldn’t beat McQueen as he advanced off his line.

In Talbot’s next attack McQueen again did well when he reacted smartly to tip Boyd’s deflected effort over the crossbar. When Kennedy’s corner came over McCracken met it and headed on target where McQueen saved and Woods completed the clearance from the goal line.

Talbot now made their final change with Schoneville on for Smith.

With 10 minutes remaining Lennox slid a pass through to find Boyd on the right and he raced into the box and fired a shot on target that McQueen held inside his left post.

In the closing stages Talbot had a final chance to add to their tally when McCracken got on the end of Kennedy’s corner from the left but once more the keeper made a good save and Lennox was unable to force it home from close range in a crowded goalmouth and the visitors were able to hold on to the final whistle.

A comfortable afternoon for Talbot who might well have won by a much bigger margin but for the Arniston keeper. Next week Talbot are back in cup action as they travel up to Inverclyde to face Port Glasgow in the West.

Auchinleck Talbot – Glavin, McCracken, Gillies, Slooves, McPherson, Wardrope, Langan, Armstrong, Thomson, Smith, Boylan

Subs – Boyd, Kennedy, Lennox, Boyle, Schoneville, Wilson, Henry (gk)

Arniston Rangers – McQueen, Anderson, Bell, McManus, Woods, Turner, Kemp, Moore, Arran Laidlaw, Davies, Muir

Subs – Graham, Hamilton, Daly, Galloway, Ryan Laidlaw, Murray, Anderson (gk)

DOMINANT TALBOT IN FRONT OF GOAL

Report: Jim McAuley, Photography: Craig McGhee, Media: Lee Conn.

Talbot fans leaving Beechwood on Saturday will be wondering if they had just watched a game of attrition as the visitors defended stoutly or was it something more like a game that was atrocious as once again Talbot failed to turn their dominance into goals. In reality they were undoubtedly the better side carving out a number of chances but once again poor finishing nearly took them to extra time as they huffed and puffed against a hard working Blantyre side who held out until the 87th minute.

 

Talbot had made a couple of changes to the team that had drawn with Arthurlie with Ally Park becoming the fifth player to pull on the right back jersey while Aiden Wilson was drafted into the central defence. Vic’s had made a few changes themselves bringing in Sam Archibald from the youth team and making his debut in midfield was 17 year old Pearse Carroll who had just been released from Falkirk.

 

The visitors kicked off towards the Coal Road end and within seven minutes they had forced the first corner of the game, but the delivery was poor which gave Boylan the chance to control the ball and sweep it up field towards Smith, however Jones was alert to the danger and ushered the ball back to his keeper. All credit to Smith who chased the pass back down and harassed Orr into striking his clearance into his legs where the ball spun out towards the byline. 

 

Smith was the quickest to react by collecting the loose ball and sending it into the danger area where McLew managed to clear, but only into the path of Park who headed the ball back to Smith where the strikers lob come cross found Boyan lurking in the box and he in turn turned the ball past Orr and into the path of Thomson who tried to steer the ball into the net but somehow Jones got his head to the attempt and put the ball out for a corner. From the resulting award Wardrope swept a superb ball into the danger area and although Armstrong found himself unmarked he headed well over the bar.

 

Talbot were enjoying the bulk of the early play the Blantyre side had a bit of belief about them and forced a number of corners which the home defenders dealt with the in swinging cross balls with relative ease. As the game continued the home side were finding openings down the right wing and on 20 minutes Boylan found Park making a run inside the Vics defence and his short pass was collected by the defender but his shot sailed harmlessly past Orr’s goals. 

 

Park was proving to be Talbot’s main outlet and was back in action minutes later when he was sent up the wing by Armstrong and although his cross was too high for Boylan it fell into the path of the unmarked Thomson who failed to control the ball and his half heart attempt trundled towards Orr who decided to tip the ball past the post.

 

With the end of the first half looming Talbot pulled of the move of the game where Boylan laid off a Park clearance into the path of Thomson who in turn sent Smith on his way and although his cross was a bit on the high side the ball fell to Gillies who like Thomson failed to put the chance to good use.

 

Gibson was the first to go into the book for a late tackle on Smith minutes before the referee blew for the end of proceedings. 

 

Talbot came out the traps in the opening minutes when a Boylan header sent Smith into the box but dwelt on the pass to Wardrope who when he did receive it did well to keep the ball in play and as it was cleared  by Archibald it fell to Boylan who rifled his shot over the bar. In the 55th minute Talbot had a claim for a hand ball when Thomson’s shot from the edge of the box hit a Vics player but the referee waved play on. The game had become bogged down in the visitors half as Talbot chipped away without troubling the Blantyre defence. Jones found himself in the book in the 64th minute soon followed by Talbot’s Thomson as the match got a wee bit physical. 

 

In the 73rd minute Wardrope did well to fashion a chance but his effort had no pace to it and it rolled gratefully into Orr’s hands. Talbot made a change on the 75th minute as Boyd replaced Thomson and it was the ex-Meadow man who was to separate the sides in the 87th minute. A long ball down the wing by McPherson looked to be intercepted by McLew but from nowhere Smith appeared to wrestle the ball from him, cut into the box and his pass was stroked into the net by Boyd via the boot of Jones to give Talbot the lead

 

A minute later all hell broke loose when McLew was shown the red card after having a rush of blood to the head and crashing into Armstrong. A full scale melee then took place between both sets of players with McPherson picking up a card along with Kyle McDonald. The visitors had the Talbot fans holding their breath when K.McDonald stroked a great ball through the Talbot defence and past Glavin’s post. Boyd should have added another when Smith again battled his way into the box but this time his pass to Boyd saw the attacker get the ball lost amongst his feet and as it broke loose Langan skied his shot.

 

With the game time running down there were last minute substitutions where  McMillan replaced Boylan while Smith was replaced by Abet. The referee’s whistle was heartily accepted by the vast majority of the crowd who had no appetite for another 30 minutes of purgatory. 

 

TALBOT: Glavin, Park, Gillies, McPherson, Wilson, Langan, Wardrobe, Armstrong, Boylan, Smith, Thomson. SUBS: Boyd, Abet, Black, McMillan, McCracken, Hendry.

BLANTYRE VICS: Orr, Jones, Archibald, Gibson, Kerr, McLew, Bowman, Carroll, Jarvie, Zeb, L.McDonald. SUBS: K.McDonald, Osinski, McMee, Sharp, Gillespie, McGovern, White