CLASH: Lewis Lovering put Troon ahead in the midweek clash at Beechwood (Image: Troon Football Club)
Auchinleck Talbot and Troon will lock horns this Sunday in the West of Scotland League Cup Final, four days on from their latest league meeting.
The Premier Division sides drew 1-1 on Wednesday evening at Beechwood Park with both sides now preparing to do battle for silverware at Broadwood Stadium this Sunday.
Talbot captain Neill McPherson headed a late leveller to cancel out Lewis Lovering’s goal for the Seasiders, with the first of this double header finishing level.
Following the draw, Talbot assistant Allan McLuckie branded the team’s first half display on Wednesday as “the poorest he has seen in a while”.
He added: “We just couldn’t get going and Troon pretty much dominated the first half, which we found difficult to deal with.
“We lost a goal from a debatable corner but we have to do better . We’ve dug it back and Neilly has managed to get an equaliser before the end and we possibly could have knicked it.”
With high stakes riding on this fixture, it is all about the next “the biggest game” for McLuckie looking ahead to the final.
STAGE SET: Broadwood Stadium will welcome Talbot and Troon for the final this Sunday (Image: Drew Wilson)
He added: “The game there we were full focused on and Sunday will be Sunday.
“We’ll turn up obviously being a cup final, but turning up tonight (Wednesday) with the aim to get three points we sadly didn’t do that.”
An X post by Troon at full time praised the “superb performance” against their title rivals, believing that it was a “better point” for the hosts.
Speaking to Now Ayrshire, boss Jimmy Kirkwood said: “Over the balance of the game it was probably the right result. Talbot are good at keeping themselves in the game but we did have a good few chances to get ourselves ahead.
“The message to the players is now that when you get the opportunity against a quality side like Auchinleck, you take them.”
Looking ahead to Sunday, Kirkwood added: “I went into the boardroom at Beechwood after the game, and you see 14 West of Scotland Cup titles. At the end of the day, Auchinleck will be viewed as the favourites for the game.
“We’re making sure that we have the eleven fittest players on the park and that we don’t give them the ascendancy to keep ourselves in the game.
“It’s a really exciting time for everyone at the club.”
Troon currently sit top of the West of Scotland Premier Division with two games left to play, as rivals Talbot have a backlog of fixtures until mid-May in hope of claiming their first title since 2020.
The Seasiders’ last major honours came in the 2013/14 season where they lifted the former Ayrshire Cup and West of Scotland Super League First Division title.
Tommy Sloan’s Auchinleck will be looking for a second consecutive League Cup triumph as they beat Largs Thistle in the April 2025 final at Broadwood.
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