SILVER LINING
Success at Rugby Park is aim for Tucker
Tommy Sloan is urging his Auchinleck side to become cup heroes again – before bidding for a glory league double.
Talbot fell 2- 1 to Pollok at Beechwood Park on Saturday with the West Super League in their grasp.
Now, victory in a last day shoot- out with bitter rivals Cumnock will guarantee them the title.
But first, Talbot head into their sixth Junior cup final in eight seasons, where Hurlford await.
And Sloan insists there is no excuse for his side to have league duty at the back of their minds.
Tucker said: “If you can’t get up for the Scottish Cup final then you’re never going to be up for anything.
“We just need to recharge again and try to concentrate on the good things we have been doing.
“Obviously we have to look at the opposition – we know them well and they know us well.
“There are decisions to be made in the team, I need to look at that and how we are going to approach this game.”
With Talbot’s loss on Saturday, it means the title race is going right to the wire.
Sloan’s side must win at Townhead Park in the last game to guarantee they lift the league title.
And Tucker said: “If we could have got it over the line against Pollok and won the league we could have gone in on Sunday with a fresh mind.
“But it should not affect us, we have got a full week to recover. “We have lost a game and we need to get on with it.”
Hurlford are bossed by ex- Ayr midfielder, Darren Henderson, who said: “We’re in against the top dogs on Sunday – they’re not unbeatable but their record speaks for itself.
“Can we win? Absolutely. We’ve beaten Auchinleck before and our form is as good at the moment as it has been all season.
“We have nothing to lose and we’re going to give it a right good go.”
Andy Leishman knows better than anyone how to prepare for a Scottish Junior Cup final.
The Auchinleck Talbot goalkeeper has been between the sticks for five of the last seven finals since joining in 2011.
He has lifted the trophy three times with Talbot, and was on the losing side twice.
Ahead of his sixth crack at glory, the shot stopper said: “We are pretty confident going into the final.
“Hurlford beat us 1- 0 a few weeks back, but we were probably the better team and their goalkeeper had a great game.
“I think it will be different at Rugby Park, so hopefully we will get the job done on the day.
“That defeat won’t play on our minds, it’s already forgotten about.
“It’s a one- off game now, and I think we will do better on the big pitch.
“It will be a hard game, there’s no question about that.
“But I think we have the experience in the squad to get the job done.
“We are hurt from last year after losing in the final to Glenafton, so we want to put that right.”
He added: “Hurlford have hit good form lately, but so have we as we have picked up some good results.
“They are at the lower end of the table, so they had to hit this form really.”
Leishman has called for the fans to turn out in numbers at the final.
He said: “The fans are always a huge factor, and our supporters are second to none.
“It ’ s amazing driving through Auchinleck just now, there’s Talbot flags and bunting everywhere — it’s unbelievable.”
And Leishman insists boss Tommy Sloan deserves the credit he is due for the job he has done at Talbot over the years.
The goalkeeper said: “He has been huge. He knows how to bring young players in and new players from lesser clubs.
“We brought Neil McPherson in from Darvel, who has been absolutely superb this season.
“He is key for how well we have done over the years.”
Talbot have beaten Forres Thistle, Hill of Beath, Cumnock, Pollok, Carnoustie and Lochee United on the way to the final.
And with all but Forres being top- flight teams, Leishman feels that it’s even sweeter getting to the final with such a hard run.
He said: “Scoring two late goals up at Lochee was the highlight, as it felt like we weren’t going to get through.
“We have played a lot of hard games this year and we have been away from home a lot.
“But we deserve to be where we are as we are there on merit.
“It feels sweeter getting to the final that way. We feel like we belong there.”
Leishman still maintains playing at Tynecastle is the biggest highlight of his career.
Talbot lost 1- 0 away to Hearts in the Scottish Cup in 2012.
Leishman saved a penalty after 20 minutes and it could have been so different if Gordon Pope’s stoppagetime equaliser wasn’t judged offside.
Leishman said: “We were unfortunate not to get a result.
“But it was maybe a blessing in disguise as they could have hammered us 10- 0 in the replay!
“But it’s important for us to get back into the big Scottish Cup as it’s huge for the club financially.”
Leishman claims he has no secrets to preparing for cup finals, or any special superstitions.
He said: “I just do the same every year.
“We train as normal and go into the game.
“It’s just another game we need to win at the end of the day.
“I have no secrets, I just try and do well and win the game.”
We are still hurting from last year’s defeat to Glenafton in the final, so we are desperate to put that one right...
Ross Robertson has told his Hurlford team- mates the Scottish Junior Cup final will be the best day they will experience in football.
The Blair Park hitman will run out at his second Junior Cup final with Ford this weekend after winning the competition back in 2014.
Along with Ally Brown, Calum Watt, Paul McKenzie, Stewart Kean and the Mitchell brothers, Danny and Glenn, he forms the backbone of a team with plenty of experience after lifting the cup four years ago.
And he said: “I can’t wait for the final — we’re all really looking forward to it.
“Our form has been good but we always seem to pick it up in the second half of the season.
“The whole way through the cup run, we’ve been telling the boys in the team that the Junior Cup final is the best day they’ll experience.
“You can win the league but you’ll maybe do it in front of 200 people or whatever.
“In the cup final, you’re running out in front of a big crowd at a good stadium.
“It’s hard to win the cup because it’s the big one in Junior football — everybody wants to win it.”
Hurlford have had an incredible run in the Junior Cup since lifting the trophy in 2014, reaching two semi- finals as well as this year’s final.
I t ’ s something that Robertson insists has been mentioned in the changing room as the run has gone on.
And he fancies his side to prove the doubters wrong when they face off against their illustrious opponents on Sunday.
He said: “I’ve heard people say that we’ve had a bit of a mental block against Talbot but, in my spell here, we’ve managed to beat them a few times.
“I don’t see why we can’t go into the game full of confidence because we know we can beat them, especially after winning a couple of weeks ago.”
Robertson believes the Hurlford players can be proud of their performances in the Scottish Junior Cup under boss Henderson as they have continued to upset the odds over the years.
He added: “Our form in the Junior cup is something we’ve spoke about in the changing room.
“To have got to two finals and two semi- finals in the past four or five years has been a great achievement for a club of Hurlford’s size.”
Robertson has spent the majority of his Junior football career playing under gaffer Henderson, with both enjoying success at Glenafton and then the Ford.
He added: “The manager’s record in the Junior cup speaks for itself.
“I left to go to Troon but injuries sort of held me back there, so when the chance came to come back and play at Hurlford it was an easy decision. Darren Henderson’s been brilliant for us as a team.”
The striker was on the scoresheet in the semi- final victory over Wishaw with what proved to be the winning goal in the tie.
The last time Hurlford lifted the trophy, Robertson was part of the strikeforce that started the final but Stewart Kean stole the headlines. Now the onus is on him to score the goals but he insists there are plenty of players capable.
With the likes of McKenzie, Watt and others behind him, Robertson reckons there are a host of players who can cause teams problems.
He said:“I’m the striker but I don’t feel pressure to score the goals because we have goals coming from all over the park, with the likes of Paul McKenzie who scored in the last final and Calum Watt.
“We’re also a big threat from set- pieces with the defence we have, so I don’t feel it’s all down to me to get the goals.”
The game this weekend is live on BBC Alba, with a kick- off at 4.10pm from Rugby Park in Kilmarnock.
I don’t see why we can’t go into the game full of confidence, because we know we can beat them – especially after our recent win...