Auchinleck Talbot fall short in Ayrshire Cup

Jun 12 2009

TIRING Auchinleck failed in their bid to grab more silverware as Irvine Meadow lifted the Ayrshire Cup.

Tommy Sloan’s troops were looking for another cup to add to their Scottish title.

But they lost out in a close-fought battle against the newly crowned Premier League champions.

Meadow set the early tone when Chris Strain burst forward from midfield and picked out Richie Barr, whose shot was blocked by Craig Pettigrew.

A Chris McGowan free kick then found Emilio Jaconelli, but his effort was deflected for a corner as the pressure mounted.

When the opener finally arrived in the 16th minute, it was well worth waiting for.

Strain brilliantly turned Liam McVey on the halfway line before feeding Gareth Turner, and his cross found Barr who sent a pinpoint header beyond keeper Adam Strain.

Talbot's Brian Young should have done better than to shoot straight at Michael Wardrope and then drag the rebound wide with the keeper grounded.

And Auchinleck levelled in 34 minutes when Young slung the ball over and, with the Meadow defence standing like statues, Gavin Collins rose unchallenged to plant his header past the helpless Wardrope.

Meadow surged upfield straight from the kick off and Jaconelli slipped in Davie Hamilton but the big midfielder, under intense pressure from McVey, lobbed the ball well over.

Then Hamilton missed an even better chance before the break when he was allowed a free header at a Mark Crilly free kick but again sent his effort over the top.

But the large Meadow support were singing again six minutes after the restart when Jaconelli showed all his predatory instincts with a clever close range flick to send the ball through Strain's legs and into the net.

Meadow then piled forward looking to put the game to bed but suffered a real scare midway through the second half.

Tom Latta rose to power in a header, only for Wardrope to make a good block and when the loose ball fell to Davie Gillies his shot was deflected for a corner.

Gillies and Jaconelli both had the ball in the net only to see their efforts disallowed, then a series of controversial decisions by a linesman left Meadow fans venting their fury.

Meadow almost grabbed the killer third goal when Chris Robertson’s shot was scrambled clear but they had a real scare when Robertson gave away a foul on the right and when the ball came over, McGowan headed against the face of his own bar.

Talbot did most of the late pressing but they never really looked like getting back on level terms and it was Barr who came closest in the final minute when he beat the offside trap but dragged his shot wide of the far post.