Auchinleck Talbot Football Club

Auchinleck Talbot Football Club is a Scottish football club based in Auchinleck, near Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Participants of the Scottish Junior Football Association, they currently compete in the SJFA West Region Premiership. The club has won the Scottish Junior Cup on a record 13 occasions. They play in a local derby against near neighbors and biggest rivals Cumnock Juniors.

In 1909, Auchinleck Talbot was formed and took its name from the 2nd Baron Talbot de Malahide, Richard Wogan Talbot, a landowner who donated the site of their Beachwood Park home. With a charity match between The Old Players and The Merchants, Beachwood Park opened in 1909.

A Talbot made their team debut the same year when they defeat the juvenile side High house Rangers. After a few weeks, they lost their first competitive game at Cranberry Eglinton in the league. In September 1909, their first win came when they defeated Patna Doon Athletic in their first Scottish Junior Cup tie. 

SJFA West Region Premiership

The SJFA West Region Premiership is a semi-professional football league run by the West Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association. It is the highest tier of league competition for its member clubs. It is formally known as the West of Scotland Super League Premier Division. It was created in 2002 with the amalgamation of the top leagues of the Central and Ayrshire districts. 

Since the season 2007-8, the winners of the SJFA West Region Premiership league have been eligible to enter the senior Scottish Cup at its earliest stage having Pollok being the first champions to take part in the Scottish Cup. Two clubs have been automatically relegated to the Super League First Division since 2002. These clubs are replaced by the clubs placed first and second in that division. 

Most Successful Junior Club

Talbot’s most notable appearance was in January 2012. They lost to Hearts at Tynecastle by a single goal. This also ended controversially when a last-minute goal by Gordon Pope was incorrectly ruled out for offside, therefore denying Talbot a replay.

Auchinleck Talbot is the most successful junior club. It has won the Scottish Junior Cup on 12 occasions. It was the first club to win three years in a row from 1986-88. Talbot is on a run of 13 games unbeaten in all competitions. The last defeat of the club was on 6 October at home to Glenafton Athletic. Having 31 points from 12 games, Talbots is currently third in the West Region Premiership. The success of Talbots in other competitions is the reason they have seven games in hand in the league.

Scottish Junior Cup

The record of Talbots in the Scottish Junior Cup is the best of any club by some considerable distance. The finale of season 2018-19 was their 16th appearance at this stage of the competition. The margin is more marked in the terms of cup victories. The win of 13 Junior Cup by Talbots is more than double the total of the next best clubs, Parkhead, Cambuslang Rangers, and Petershill, who have all won the tournament five times. 

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