TOMMY SLOAN takes his Auchinleck Talbot squad to Fife this weekend as the Beechwood Park side aim to make it a perfect 10 by reaching the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

This is the 10th season in which Talbot have competed in the country’s premier cup competition, having taken their bow in a 7-0 win at home to Fort William way back in September 2009.

And while this Saturday’s third round tie against Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park may not quite be the biggest Scottish Cup stage the club has played on, a victory in Kirkcaldy would still represent a huge upset.

For in all Talbot’s Scottish Cup heroics over nine previous seasons, stretching all the way back to 2009-10 and including three ties against (the same) top-flight opponents, one thing they’ve yet to achieve is a win away from home against SPFL opposition.

The four-tier gap between Talbot and Raith makes taking that scalp a huge ask for Tucker and his troops – but they have plenty to inspire them from nine seasons of Scottish Cup history at Beechwood.

Here we take a look back at some of Talbot’s top moments from those nine previous Scottish Cup campaigns...

Hearts 1-0 Talbot (January 7, 2011): Still a result spoken of by Talbot fans as “the one that got away”. Wins over Lossiemouth, Threave and Vale of Leithen set up a trip to Tynecastle in round four – and Talbot were six minutes from taking the Jam Tarts back to Beechwood for a replay before Gordon Smith’s late winner and Gordon Pope’s disallowed goal in stoppage time.

Wick Academy 1-2 Talbot (September 22, 2018): A notable result in Talbot’s Scottish Cup story – their first victory in the tournament away from home against higher-ranked opposition. Stephen Wilson scored the winner at Harmsworth Park.

Talbot 1-0 Ayr (January 19, 2019): One no Talbot supporter will ever forget after Craig McCracken’s stunning header earned the Beechwood Park men their first ever victory over full-time opposition – and in front of a live TV audience too.

Talbot 1-0 Hamilton (November 27, 2021): No live TV cameras this time, but no less sweet a result as Graham Wilson’s second-half strike saw off an Accies side who just five months earlier had been competing in Scottish football’s top flight.