Tommy treats the derby with Ayr of tranquility...
IT’S one of Scottish football’s powder-keg derbies, but Auchinleck Talbot boss Tommy Sloan insists he will treat this Saturday’s Scottish Junior Cup clash with Cumnock like he does any other game.
The bitter Ayrshire rivals will renew hostilities this weekend when Talbot make the one-and-a-half mile journey to Townhead Park for the fourth round’s stand-out tie.
For both sets of supporters, the emotions stirred by the fixture are near impossible to replicate and will likely see a bumper crowd.
Talbot manager Sloan, however, says he’ll be doing his best to avoid the furore surrounding the derby as he looks to emphasise cool heads against the backdrop of a red-hot atmosphere.
Asked whether his approach changes on derby day, Sloan responded: “It has to be the same mindset.
“Obviously, with the rivalry and history between the two clubs, it means a lot to the fans but, for me, I see it like any other game.
“We need to stay focused and keep our discipline – that is always a key thing.
“We’ve got a lot of Ayrshire players, and they know the importance of the game which is great but you don’t want them to go out there and freeze so you can’t put too much pressure on at the start.”
Peter Leonard took the reins at Cumnock with the side rooted to the bottom of the Super Premier Division after a miserable start to the campaign.
Performances have since improved under the ex-Motherwell striker’s watch, with back-to-back league wins in 2018 seeing Cumnock edge clear of the relegation zone.
Those displays have not gone under the radar up the road. Sloan said: “I’m on the outside looking in obviously, but it seems to me that Peter has had a great response at Cumnock.
“They are scoring goals, getting results and are on a good run at the moment, so we are expecting a tough challenge.
“Another element is that they play on an artificial surface which must be an advantage to them as they play on it week in, week out.”
Last year’s beaten finalists Auchinleck have been installed as joint-favourites to lift the trophy for the 12th time this season following holders Glenafton’s shock early exit.
The Beechwood Park outfit also remain in contention for the Super Premier Division title, sitting six points off table-toppers Kilwinning Rangers with a game in hand.
A double had looked unlikely at the campaign’s offset, with the 2017/2018 season i nstead marked by many as one of transition following the departure of Talbot legends James Latta, Martin McGoldrick, Keir Milliken and Bryan Young.
However, Sloan believes his side have i nstead shown themselves to be a more complete outfit this time around, more than capable of battling on dual fronts.
THE former Queen of the South forward posed: “Are we good enough? I think we are as good as any team. “We have a long way to go, we aren’t where we want to be just yet, but I think on our day we can be as good as any team I’ve seen in the Juniors. “I think we are in a better condition currently than we were at this time last season. “Last year we weren’t scoring as many goals but now we are playing with a cutting edge. “Certainly, there are goals in our team but you can go out of the cup at any stage. It’s one of those things, we will need to be right up for it. “We don’t prioritise matches at Auckinleck as every game is a big game. But there is no question that a Scottish Cup tie against your local rivals is huge.”