AUCHINLECK Talbot assistant Allan McLuckie says he hopes Saturday’s cup win can be a turning point in a difficult season for the Beechwood Park side.

Substitute Connor Boyd struck in the 87th minute to earn Talbot a 1-0 victory over Blantyre Vics in the South of Scotland Challenge Cup and a third round tie at home to Arniston Rangers next month.

It was Talbot’s first home win of what’s been a pretty torrid campaign so far - and comes at the start of a series of big cup ties, with a trip to St Andrews United, of the East of Scotland First Division, in the senior Scottish Cup this Saturday.

Then, after a league game against Irvine Meadow next weekend, it’s a huge Junior Cup second round clash with Cumnock on October 7, before Arniston - who, like St Andrews, play in the second tier of the East of Scotland set-up - come to Beechwood on October 14.

Speaking to Talbot’s media team after Saturday’s cup tie, McLuckie said: “It was probably a well-deserved victory in the end.

“We dominated the majority of the game - I think the one shot they had was with 30 seconds to go, it was a cross-cum-shot, and the way things are going for us just now you’re thinking ‘that’s going to land in the back of the net’. But thankfully it didn’t.

“We had three or four good chances in the first half, but we just weren’t clinical enough. Hopefully that’s the turning point for us.”

This Saturday’s cup tie at St Andrews has a 3pm kick-off.

You can watch Allan McLuckie’s post-match interview in full, along with highlights from Saturday’s cup tie at www.youtube.com/@AuchinleckTalbotFC.