CALMEST man in Abbey Park was Talbot’s Gordon Pope as he prepared to take a crucial penalty.
If there was any pressure on him, it never showed as he slammed the ball past Kilwinning’s keeper to win a spot-kick decider.
Speaking after the match he admitted: “I felt mine was the worst of our penalties, to be honest, but I used to take them regularly for a couple of seasons, so it’s something you get used to.
“Tommy Sloan does not like practicing penalties. Talbot just want to win everything - the manager and the players.
“The guys know the gaffer’s winning mentality, 100 per cent, and we go for it in every game.
“We had some amount of chances today. I don’t think Kilwinning had as many and, on a good day, we would have taken one or two of ours.”
The Talbot gaffer confirmed that he felt practicing penalties was a waste of time, and said: “It’s all about bottle and who wants to take them. They might do it in training on a Wednesday night but go out there and bottle it.”
As the match reached the 90-minute mark, Auchinleck looked the more likely but could not get a goal and the match ended 0-0.
Sloan added: “It didn’t make for great viewing today, especially in the first half but we are just delighted to be through.
“I thought the match was quite low-key if I am being honest. There wasn’t much life from either of the two teams.
“Things did brighten up and we got a few chances at the end as our subs [Graham Wilson and Keir Samson], made a difference.
“Over the piece we are through to the next round. We just want to stay in every competition and keep going.
“We have a league game next week, at home to Renfrew, and it is important to get the three points there before the match at Fraserburgh.That is a huge one for us and a big one for the club.”
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