Auchinleck Talbot striker Graham Wilson applauded over weekend win

The Bot were back to league duty this weekend after the highs of their Scottish Cup win over Hamilton a fortnight ago.

Talbot welcomed the Bens to Beechwood on Saturday as they aimed to continue their title charge in the West of Scotland Football League Premier Division.

The hosts got off to the perfect start early on in the first half, with Wilson sweeping in a cut back into the bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the box. The forward then popped up with his second not long after, when a mistake from the Ben’s goalie allowed him to tap into the back of the net.

The 32-year-old then capped off his first half hattrick by blasting a short corner high into the roof of the net to end the scoring in the first period.

In the second half, Aaron Mason added a fourth for the Bot, blasting in on the counter attack.

Wilson then completed the scoring, heading in from a corner, to send Talbot one point clear at the top of the table.

Tommy Sloan

Speaking to the Chronicle, Sloan said: “Wilson has had quite a bit of time out with injury this year and he is coming into really good form now, which is great for us and it is certainly good to see.”

The boss added: “He is really hitting top form, so I am delighted.”

As well as the Benburb win being a fantastic attacking performance for Talbot, it was also another solid defensive display as well.

They picked up a second successive clean sheet and have only conceded two goals in their last five matches.

Sloan says the improved concentration of his side at the start of games had aided their improved defensive displays.

He said: “We have stressed about cutting out the silly mistakes early in the game and obviously the players have taken heed of that.

“It is all about concentration early in the match. I always feel, you have got to be really concentrated at the start. So, that is what the improvement has been down to, better concentration as a team.”