WEST OF SCOTLAND CUP ROUND 3

AUCHINLECK TALBOT 5 CAMBUSLANG RANGERS 0

TALBOT booked their place in the last eight of the West of Scotland Cup with a five star performance against Cambuslang.

The writing was on the wall for the visitors as soon as the 4th minute when Talbot took the lead with their first meaningful attack of the match. Robert Love raced to the by line down the right and whipped a cross over to the back post. David Gillies brought it down and fired a shot on target which Matt Lynch did well to save but Bryan Young was following up to place the rebound into the roof of the net.

Talbot continued to control the game but it took until the 19th minute to double their lead.

Gillies bent a curling effort from the left, just outside the area, toward the far corner which should have been saved by Lynch but the ball skipped up off the surface just before the keeper and squirmed over his trailing arm into the back of the net.

Any dream of a Cambuslang fightback ended in the 24th minute when Talbot killed the tie off with a third goal. Willie Lyle knocked a good cross over that Mark Shankland gathered just beyond the far post. He angled it back into the area where Young coolly stepped over the ball and his dummy allowed Gordon Pope the time and space to fire a low drive past Lynch.

Gillies almost grabbed his second goal in the 34th minute. He twisted and turned just outside the 6-yard area before firing for goal, only to see his shot deflected just over the bar.

Cambuslang had offered little in attack but should have pulled a goal back in the 36th minute. Ryan Scanlan won a corner down the left and when it was delivered into the centre, Newman met it unchallenged but sent his free header straight at Andy Leishman.

Talbot ended the first half on the front foot and were unlucky not to add to their lead in the last minute of the half. Shankland whipped an in swinging corner over from the left that forced Lynch into a block at his near post. It came out to Young on the 6-yard line and his effort at goal was deflected past for another corner. This time Shankland hit it deeper and Craig McCracken met it just beyond the far post but steered a free header over the bar.

With the comfort of a three goal cushion Talbot were on easy street and might have extended their lead in the 52nd minute. Love nicked possession off of a defender 25 yards out and slid a great ball through to Steven Wilson. He had the chance to go one on one with the keeper but took a heavy touch and it ran away from him out for a goal kick.

One minute later Cambuslang gift wrapped Talbot’s fourth. Neil Newman looked to be in control as he tried to shield it back to Lynch but he left it to the keeper and Gillies nicked in to take advantage of their mix-up to steer it into the empty net.

Gillies had a good opportunity to claim his hat-trick in the 69th minute. Shankland floated an inch perfect cross in from the left to the back post where Gillies met it, only to direct his volley over the bar.

With 10 minutes to go Talbot completed the scoring with a perfectly executed counter-attack. Cambuslang had a corner on the right that they knocked to the back post. McCracken turned defence into attack with one ball when he hit it from his own box to find Love racing down the right touchline. He made tracks before cutting the ball back to sub Dwayne Hyslop who placed a neat finish beyond Lynch to make it 5-0.

Talbot played out the match and cruised in to the next round.

Auchinleck Talbot – Leishman, Lyle, Pope, McGoldrick, McCracken, Boyd, Young, S Wilson, Gillies, Love, Shankland.

Subs; Milliken, G Wilson, White, Findlay, Hyslop.