Auchinleck Talbot manager Tommy Sloan says the recent form of his side is “not quite right” after his squad went into the winter break mulling over back-to-back defeats.

The Bot’s slide began in the West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) Cup on December 11, when they were knocked out by Kirkintilloch Rob Roy at Guys Meadow.

A goal from Rob Roy’s Craig Truesdale was enough to sent Talbot tumbling out of the tournament at the first round stage.

That was followed seven days later by Bot’s first away league loss of the campaign, when Ricky Hanvey’s goal gave Kilwinning Rangers all three points at Buffs Park.

That result saw Sloan’s troops slide to second in the table, two points behind new leaders Pollok - though Talbot do have two games in hand on the Newlandsfield outfit.

Speaking to the Chronicle, Sloan said: “The last week or two, it has gone a bit pear shaped.

“There is quite a bit to ponder. There’s certainly something not quite right there - the problem over the past week or two, to me, being that we are not scoring.

“We need to be scoring goals and threatening, and I do not think we have been like that.

“I know it is holiday time now, but we need to remember that we have huge games to come back to after the winter break.

“We really need to keep our levels up and come back in decent nick, so I will stress that to the players.”

Talbot are back in action on January 8 when they travel to Craigmark in the third round of the Scottish Junior Cup, with Irvine Meadow awaiting the winners.