Tucker out to win derby without going through school of hard Nock
THE first instalment of a meaty Ayrshire doubleheader takes place today when Auchinleck Talbot host the visit of fierce derby rivals Cumnock in an Ardagh Group West of Scotland Cup secondround clash.
Talbot boss Tommy Sloan is actively relishing the twin challenges that are set to be placed before his players and makes no secret of his desire for them to claim a morale-boosting victory over their arch foes ahead of next weekend’s eagerly awaited Scottish Cup tilt against Ayr United.
Cumnock arriving to do battle with two new signings from Albion Rovers in tow, prolific striker Graham Gracie who was previously on the books of Larkhall Thistle as well as centre-back Alan Murdoch formerly of Lanark United and Ayr United, is a clear indication of their new gaffer Paul Burns wanting his troops to make a better fist of the occasion than they did in succumbing to a 4-3 defeat when the teams recently went head to head on the Saturday before Christmas.
Tucker admitted: “We didn’t start the last game very well and to my mind Cumnock looked hungrier than us so we simply cannot be having that.
“Yes it was encouraging to see how the guys responded to twice falling two goals behind but I’d much rather they didn’t have mountains to climb in the first place so it’s vital to play at a higher tempo right from the first whistle.
“We want to get into the next round of the West so going up against Cumnock is every bit as important as the Ayr United game.”
Talbot remaining unbeaten throughout November and December cut no slack with Tucker’s mood on the back of last week’s 2-1 victory over Irvine Meadow that kickstarted their New Year.
He added: “We fully deserved to win at Meadow Park but it was certainly not one of our better performances and consequently I’m now looking for big improvements from the players.
“It’s pleasing that we acquitted ourselves well to get the desired result but we must constantly look to challenge ourselves to play at the very top of our game.
“In that sense, a derby match with Cumnock coming up next is a prospect to savour not least because it brings a real edge to the players and their preparations for the derby which hopefully can be carried into the 90 minutes.”
There’s better news on the injury front for the Talbot boss with Mark Shankland (who came on as a substitute against the Medda) fully fit following a six-week absence with a broken bone in his arm while the flu bug has cleared up that prevented skilful frontman Calvin Kemp from featuring last Saturday.
On the downside, the damaged ankle ligaments sustained by rangy midfielder Jack McDowall just 10 minutes into the last meeting with Cumnock make him a definite non-starter and the game is coming too early for key defender Ross Harvey who underwent clean up surgery on his knee last week and is back doing light training routines alongside his team mates but remains a couple of weeks away from a possible playing comeback.