SUPER LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

POLLOK 1 AUCHINLECK TALBOT 0

TALBOT couldn't follow up their derby cup heroics as they were beaten in the league by Pollok.

Pollok made a sprightly start and almost took the lead within two minutes. Carlo Monti slid a well-weighted pass through to David Winters inside the area. He knocked it past Andy Leishman, but from a tight angle his shot came back off the outside of the post and Leishman gathered.

Two minutes later Talbot’s defence were exposed by a long ball downfield from Pollok goalie, Jordan Longmuir. It came straight through to D Winters on the right side of the box who controlled it instantly before cutting it back toward Monti whose low drive was held by Leishman.

As the cliché goes, the goal was coming, and it arrived in the 5th minute. Kieran McAleenan hit the by line down the left hand side before pulling it back to the corner of the 6-yard box where Monti guided it inside the right post.

Talbot recovered from their false start and Dwayne Hyslop had a half chance in the 7th minute. Bryan Young flighted a good cross into the centre where Hyslop rose to loop a header back across goal but it flew wide of target.

The game then entered a lull, with both sides competing for every ball all over the park, but neither side remotely threatening.

That changed in the 23rd minute when Young pitched a good ball down the right for Graham Wilson to chase. He was in behind the defence but Longmuir did well to race to the edge of his area to clear.

Talbot had a golden chance to equalise in the 28th minute. Following a good spell of Talbot possession and pressure they won a corner down the right. Young aimed it to the far post where Martin McGoldrick climbed to power a header on target. A defender cleared it off the goal line but only as far as Hyslop who somehow scooped the ball over the bar from 6 yards out.

On the stroke of half time Wilson broke down the left and swung a dangerous cross into the centre which Longmuir gathered under the bar and so Pollok made it into the interval 1-0 up.

Talbot started the second half much sharper than they did the first and put together their best move of the game in the 47th minute. James Latta knocked the ball up to Young who fed it inside to Mark Shankland. He in turn rolled it into the path of Hyslop who was up ended by Colin Williamson just outside the box, resulting in a booking for the ex-Cumnock man. Unfortunately, Shankland couldn’t make anything of the opportunity and fired the set piece into the wall. It came out to Wilson on the right but his cross swung beyond everyone at the far post and behind for the goal kick.

Talbot came close in the 55th minute. Young pounced on a loose ball midway inside the Lok half before feeding it out to Shankland on the left. He released Keir Milliken on the overlap and he fizzed a ball right across the face of goal that beat Longmuir but had no one to turn it in and flew behind for a goal kick.

The home side had a great chance to kill the game off in the 68th minute. Allan MacKenzie switched the ball out right to find Monti running clean through but Leishman raced off his line to narrow the angle and make the block.

The final stages were a bit of a damp squib with Lok content to run the clock down and Talbot unable to carve out any clear chances.

With two mins remaining on the clock Talbot had their last chance to salvage a share of the spoils when they won a free kick deep in the Lok half. Young delivered it into the danger area where McGoldrick’s header on target was held by Longmuir.

AUCHINLECK TALBOT – Leishman, Latta, Lyle, McGoldrick, White, Boyd, Young, Hyslop, G Wilson, Shankland, Milliken

Subs; Gillies, S Wilson, Love, Cochrane, Johnstone