Talbot test awaits Braves in last 8 clash

This is the East Ayrshire sides' first visit to Alliance Park, with the two teams having faced each other on a single occasion previously in the same competition last year. 

It was a deserved 3-1 victory for Auchinleck that night at Beechwood Park as three first half goals were enough to see off Braves as they marched into the quarter final stage. Marc Kelly got the solitary goal for Braves after finishing from the penalty spot.

It was always going to be a tough task due to Auchinleck boasting a strong home record in their league but also historically against higher division sides in cup competitions. Obviously Talbot also went on to win the South Challenge Cup last season, defeating Bonnyrigg Rose 3-1 in the final at Falkirk Stadium.

Today is a different kettle of fish altogether though as we have home advantage and will be confident having seen off Bo'ness at Alliance Park in the previous round of this competition.

Ricky Waddell will also be looking for a response from his side after a disappointing 2-0 defeat away to Civil Service Strollers last weekend.

It was an unusually flat display from Braves as we struggled to carve out clear cut chances. You would expect a Braves team full of energy and attacking intent from the first whistle this afternoon.

Opposition Report

Auchinleck have had a mixed season thus far, currently sitting 7th in the highly competitive West of Scotland Premier League. They lie 17 points behind leaders Beith Juniors, albeit with 5 games in hand. Last time out, Talbot lost 1-2 at home to bitter rivals Clydebank.

Auchinleck's path to the quarter final stage of the South Challenge Cup has seen them score 16 goals without the concession of a single goal in reply. This included comfortable wins over Craigmark, Neilston and Broxburn Athletic. The previous round was more of a tight affair for Tommy Sloan's side as they edged East Kilbride 1-0 at Beechwood Park. 

Despite boasting a historically strong home record, it is infact their away form which has  perhaps caught the eye this season. They have only one defeat on the road in all competitions this campaign and that was a 3-0 loss against Championship promotion chasers, Raith Rovers, in the Scottish Cup. 

There is no doubt it will be a tough task to knock out the cup holders but Braves have shown themselves to be more than capable of big results and it is sure to be a cracking cup tie.

Match Info

Kick off is 3pm at Alliance Park. Tickets are priced at £7 for adults and £4 for concessions. 

We will have live commentary on Twitter Spaces as well as live text updates on our app. 

Enjoy the game!