AUCHINLECK Talbot made it four derby wins on the bounce on Saturday as they defeated Cumnock Juniors 3-1 at Townhead Park.

Tommy Sloan's side haven't felt defeat in the fixture since they exited the Scottish Junior Cup to their rivals via penalty kicks last October.

They defeated their rivals in that very competition at the beginning of last month and once again they got the better of Cumnock as they faced off in the league.

Though it was a hard fought match, which could have swung either way as the East Ayrshire rivals played out a thriller.

The match started in a hectic fashion with Michael Wardrope notching his second goal in as many derby matches less than ten minutes in to give Talbot the lead.

Cumnock Chronicle: Michael Wardrope slots home the games opening goal.

A smart finish from Robbie Buchanan then levelled the match five minutes from half time, with the first half looking set to end level

However, Connor Boyd had other idea as he finished off a well worked Talbot move to push the away side ahead once again only a minute from the end of the first 45.

The matches next big moment was one of controversy, when Greg Ferry pulled back the Talbot attacker after giving the ball away.

The referee adjudged this to be a denial of a goal scoring opportunity, and the Cumnock defender saw red - leaving the home side with ten men for over half an hour of the match.

Murdo MacKinnon's side continued to battle for an equaliser though Talbot then wrapped up the points when Ross Smith was fouled in the area and awarded a penalty.

The attacked picked himself up, scored the spot kick and put the game beyond the home side, securing all three points.

The result saw Talbot leapfrog Cumnock in the league standings, as Tommy Sloan's side continued their recent resurgence in form.

Fans were delighted by the result, and so too were the players - including goalscorer Michael Wardrope.

The midfielder made it two goals in as many derby games and shared his delight with the Chronicle.

He said: "It's always good to get any win in a derby, and it was nice to top off this one with another goal.

"We are on a good run just now after a poor start. With a huge turnover of players in the summer, things have started to settle down a bit now.

"The aim for the rest of the season now needs to be climbing the league table, and continuing our runs in the cup competitions."