By Campbell Finlayson

Auchinleck Talbot manager Tommy Sloan says they will ‘look forward’ to the next round of the West of Scotland Cup, following their first-round victory on Saturday.

The Ayrshire side were 4-0 winners over Forth Wanderers as a double from Jack McDowall and further strikes from Hamish McKinlay and Mark Shankland saw them sail through to round two where they face a tough trip to league rivals Kilwinning Rangers.

Sloan had rotated his squad for the match and admits they weren’t at it to begin with, saying; “The first half was a disappointing performance, although with a number of changes to the starting line-up, that wasn’t a big surprise.

“The second half was certainly better. The early goals gave the boys a lot more confidence and we ran out comfortable winners in the end.”

Sunday’s draw for the second round paired Talbot with Kilwinning Rangers, a side who currently sit top of the pile in the West Region Premiership. When the two sides clashed in North Ayrshire earlier in the season, the match ended goalless and the manager is under no illusions about the difficulty of that tie, but he is still relishing the prospect.

He says; “Away to the Buffs is as tough a tie as we could have drawn, the league table shows you that, but it’s one we’ll look forward to further down the line.”

Talbot currently find themselves ninth in the Premiership but have only played seven games due to their involvement in other competitions, including the William Hill Scottish Cup. They return to league action on Saturday with a trip to New Cumnock, to face a Glenafton side who find themselves a place above the Beechwood club.