Match Report Auchinleck Talbot 5 St Rochs 0 HT - 2-0

There is a saying that you don't see many poor bookies and the turf accountant’s odds accurately reflected the gap between these two sides as Talbot cruised into the quarter-finals as expected.
Tucker made a few changes from last week’s line up at Rob Roy with Slavin moving up front to partner Milliken and Robb returning to the centre of defence.
The game did not get off to the most auspicious of starts for the Bot with Latta picking up an injury inside the 1st minute and after a lengthy pause for treatment he had to leave the field to be replaced by Patterson.
With a stiff breeze blowing down to the Coal end and a gluey surface in places it wasn’t ideal conditions for pretty football and the opening spell was predictably scrappy.
The first real chance to test either defence came in the seventh minute when the visitors won a free kick out on the right after Robb was caught in possession. Galt tried his luck from around twenty-five yards but his effort was comfortably held by Leishman.
With nine minutes gone McGoldrick knocked a good ball down the right channel for Patterson and he was caught by Sinclair as he sped past him. POPE curled the free kick in from the right flank and his in swinging cross deceived the keeper and flew in under the bar to put Talbot 1-0 ahead.
St Rochs weren’t making any headway against Talbot’s defence but did have a chance to put on the pressure after fourteen minutes when McGoldrick was penalised for a foul on Hewitt out on the left. Galt whipped the ball into the area, Pettigrew headed clear, and Talbot immediately launched a counter down the other end which ended with Pope crossing over for Patterson at the back post and his knock down being blasted over the bar by Spence.
The first booking of the game occurred on nineteen minutes when Begg saw yellow for a late challenge on Spence.
This proved an expensive free kick for the visitors. When it was played into the area the St Rochs defence failed to clear and a quick interchange of passes set SPENCE free in the box and he strode through on goal before drilling a low shot past the keeper to his left to put Talbot 2-0 ahead.
Talbot were now well in control of the tie with the visitors offering no real threat. Frustration got the better of Hewitt in the twenty-sixth minute when he became the second player in the book when he tugged back Milliken as he broke free.
The visitors had a half chance on the half hour mark from distance when Robb was penalised for a shove around forty yards out. With the wind at his back Begg tried his luck but whilst well struck his shot was always heading wide of Leishman’s right hand post.
Talbot had a chance to kill the game on thirty-two minutes. Pope’s cross from the left beat Sinclair at the back post and fell at the feet of Patterson but he failed to take advantage and hit a weak shot straight at Dakhil.
Four minutes later and Talbot spurned a great opportunity to put the game to bed. McGoldrick played a good ball into the area and Milliken at full stretch laid it off for Slavin. He had the opportunity to hit it but unselfishly rolled it across the face of goal to the unmarked Faulds who seemed certain to score but he failed to connect with his shot and it went tamely into the arms of Dakhil.
As the game moved towards half-time the visitors began to press for a way back into the game and exert some pressure on the Bot defence for the first time. On forty-two minutes Hewitt played a good ball down the right wing for Gumley who succeeded in keeping the ball in at the bye line but when he cut it back across the face of the box a foul inside the area took the pressure off the Talbot defence.
A minute later Talbot picked up their first booking when McGoldrick was penalised for a trip on Begg who hit the free kick himself, driving a fierce effort a yard wide of Leishman’s right post from thirty-five yards.
As the first half moved into added time St Rochs had one last chance to pull a goal back. McMahon drove from midfield but with Harvey free on the right he chose the wrong option and went for a shot from distance which didn’t trouble the Bot goal, and so the Bot went in at half-time with a two goal cushion and the knowledge that what advantage the wind conveyed would be with them in the second half.
Talbot started the second period on the front foot and won a corner within the first minute of the re-start when Pope’s excellent cross from the left was headed past his own post by Amos. The corner from the right was pulled back to Pettigrew who let fly from the edge of the area, driving his shot over the bar.
St Rochs then won a set piece down the other end when Patterson was guilty of handball out on the left flank. Galt whipped the ball into the centre and McGoldrick headed it clear of the danger zone.
Any lingering hopes the visitors harboured of a fight back ended in the forty-ninth minute when Begg slid in with an ill-timed tackle to pick up his second yellow and receive his marching orders.
St Rochs immediately reacted to the loss by taking off McMahon and bringing on Munro. This was followed a few minutes later by a second change with Williams coming on for Sinclair.
The changes in personnel had no more success in turning the tide than King Canute and in the fifty-fifth minute Talbot grabbed their third to seal their place in the last eight.
Faulds crossed the ball in from the left and Robb met it in the centre, laying it back into the path of SPENCE who stroked the ball into the corner of the net to make it 3-0 to Talbot.
Talbot now made their second change with McCann coming on in place of Milliken.
McCann had an opportunity to get his name on the score sheet a minute shy of the hour mark. He did well out on the left to whip a dangerous ball across goal that the defence failed to properly clear. It fell for Faulds and he touched it back out to McCann who curled a shot over the bar from the left junction of the six yard box.
It was now all Talbot and the Bot came close to extending their lead with an hour gone. Slavin laid the ball into the feet of Patterson overlapping down the right and he picked out the run of McCann in the box whose cutback was cleared from the goal mouth by Amos.
With Talbot in total control it was almost 4-0 courtesy of poor defending in the sixty-third minute. A defensive blunder gifted the ball straight to McCann who rattled a shot off the foot of the right hand post with the keeper spectating.
Talbot made their final change in the sixty-fifth minute when White went off to be replaced by McVey.
A minute later and Talbot nearly fluked a fourth goal when Patterson’s deep cross from the right beat Dakhil but crashed to safety off the bar.
St Rochs, already a man down on the pitch found themselves deprived of one of their management team on sixty-eight minutes when one of their dug out was ordered to the clubhouse for abusing the match officials.
Talbot then nearly added to their tally. A cross from the right was flicked on by Slavin for McCann and Dakhil just succeeded in diving on the ball before the Bot striker could slide it into the net.
The visitors had a chance to score a consolation on seventy-two minutes. Hewitt made for the bye line and floated a cross over for Gumley inside the six yard area but he got under the ball and lifted it well over the bar.
With quarter of an hour remaining Leishman went for a repeat of his goal against Threave Rovers but into the opposite net. His clearance went the length of the park and was on target but Dakhil had got back onto his line to make the save.
Gumley found his name in the ref’s book on seventy-seven minutes for a late tackle and his afternoon didn’t get any better as it was his rugby tackle on Patterson that led to the ref pointing to the spot on eighty minutes.
SPENCE stepped up to take it and blasted it into the roof of the net to complete his hat-trick and put Talbot 4-0 ahead.
St Rochs completed the substitutions a minute later when McGhee came on for Harvey.
The sub had a great opportunity to grab a late consolation on eighty-seven minutes. Munro squared the ball across to the unmarked McGhee on the right who looked set to score but his low drive was brilliantly saved by Leishman.
Talbot then broke down the other end and McGoldrick flew one just over the bar from distance.
McGoldrick then turned provider as he broke forward before releasing it to McVey out on the left and Liam powered an early shot just over the bar.
The final goal came in the last minute of regulation time. McVey raced into the area and cut the ball back across goal for Spence. He touched it to the right into the path of PATTERSON and he drilled a low strike back across goal and into the bottom corner to complete Talbot’s 5-0 win.
There was a fair bit of injury time played but the only incident of note was one last yellow card which was shown to St Roch’s Williams.
Whilst this was never a classic performance Talbot were never in any danger and cruised into the last eight with a bit to spare.
Next week will prove a sterner test as Talbot head through to Irvine to face Meadow in the league.

Talbot - Leishman, McGoldrick, Pope, Pettigrew, Robb, Spence, Faulds, White, Slavin, Milliken, Latta
Subs – Patterson, McCann, McVey, Collins, McGarrity (gk)

St Rochs - Dakhil, Gumley, Sinclair, Amos, Ritchie, Hewitt, Galt, Begg, Mackie, Harvey, McMahon
Subs - Munro, McIntosh, Cassidy, Williams, McGhee, Managan, Woods (gk)