SCOTTISH JUNIOR CUP FINAL: AUCHINLECK TALBOT V Wellmatched butNockboss John tips Glens to be a breath of fresh Ayr...

JOHNMCKEOWNis backing Glenafton to win East Ayrshire’s bragging rights by overcoming Auchinleck Talbot at Rugby Park on Sunday to lift the lucrative Scottish Junior Cup silverware for only the second time in their history.

The Cumnock team boss cannot claim to have won the game’s No.1 trophy prize during his managerial career – unlike Super Premier Division counterparts Johnny Millar (Beith), Darren Henderson (Hurlford United) and Tony McInally (Pollok).

Yet he is probably best placed of them all to assess the merits of the two finalists seeing as Cumnock are geographically “the meat in the sandwich” between their near neighbours.

So it’s hard not to conclude his observations on their respective playing strengths can be deemed as highly knowledgeable considering his Nock side have previously locked horns with Auchinleck (four occasions) and Glenafton (three times) this season with a mixed bag of outcomes.

One win, two defeats and a draw has been his lot against the Bot while a win, defeat and draw have been derived from encounters with the Glens.

He said: “Hand on heart, I have to say it goes completely against the grain to even think about writing off Talbot in a Scottish Junior Cup Fina.

“However, recent form and the fact Glenafton’s tails will be up after clinching the Super Premier Division title will see them edge things on the day.

“A lot will come down to which team holds their nerve best on the day and I also see the first goal as a massive factor not least because Auchinleck as a team have struggled to find the net this season.

“Heads could easily go down if Glenafton were to take the lead yet by the same token Talbot scoring first would provide a massive shot in the arm from knowing their defensive record is the best bar none in the entire West Region.”

The 36-year-old went on to give his take on the playing strengths likely to be on show. “Andy Leisman is worth 12 points a season for Auchinleck in every sense not least of all his exceptional ball kicking which can force teams into sitting deeper than they would like.

“And his physical size and agility forces opponents into a change of tack at set pieces because any crosses fired too close to him are automatically [plucked from the air with the minimum of fuss.

“Glens No.1 Brian McGarrity doesn’t tend to make the headlines as much and is more a Steady Eddie type with a very safe pair of hands who does what he has to do and the best plaudit I can say of Brian is that I’ve never seen him make a mistake.” “To my mind Martin McGoldrick is the glue that holds Talbot’s backline together and his pace and no-nonsense approach make him one of the best defenders going the rounds which may come across as ironic given he made a rare blunder in our recent West of Scotland Cup game against Auchinleck which led to Scott Anson scoring the only goal of the game.

“Willie Lyle and Gordon Pope dovetail wonderfully at full-back with Willie your typical sit at home defensive type while Popeye is a huge asset with his distribution from the back ,firing sixty yard diagonals yet at the same time posing a huge threat when venturing forward or coming into your penalty box at set plays.

“A major factor in Glenafton’s successes this season has been their centre-back partnership of Ryan McChesney and team captain Craig Menzies and I’m an admirer of both players particularly McChesney, who has matured into an outstanding Junior stopper, terrific in the air and aggressive with it.

“Ryan gets better every time I see him play and a huge factor behind his displays is knowing he has an excellent sweeper in ‘Zee’ (Menzies) reading the game so intelligently and making the covering work look so easy.

“Craig is an ex-Stenhousemuir team-mate of mine as a full-back but there’s no doubt he has found his ideal position in central defence and what I like best about him is that he never appears to switch off and is forever talking to the guys around him .”

“At right-back is ex-Ayr United star turn Kyle McAusland, a Cumnock boy born and bred, who turned down my signing overtures last summer in favour of joining the Glens where he has come into his own and uses his experience to great effect.” “There’s a debate going on in and around Auchinleck as to the likely engine room picks of Tommy Sloan, but Bryan Young stands out for me as the man who makes Talbot tick so I think he’ll play from the start.

Butch is a winner and a thinker whose willingness to gamble and make runs forward in anticipation of the ball coming his way has led to him scoring a whole heap of goals in the ten years or so he’s been at Beechwood and I cannot speak highly enough of him.

“Alongside him, I can see Tucker opting for Dwayne Hyslop who is still getting back to his best following a serious knee injury, however Pee Wee’s aerial ability supplies a terrific attacking threat which Talbot need badly.

“The tenacious battling qualities of old head Stevie White