ALLAN McLUCKIE says Auchinleck Talbot are ready for not one, nor two, but three tough cup tests after racking up their ninth win in 10 league matches.

The 3-0 win at home to Benburb moved the Beechwood boys up to sixth place in the Premier Division ahead of this Saturday's West of Scotland Cup fourth round tie at Kirkintilloch Rob Roy.

Also on the horizon for Talbot is a two-legged Junior Cup semi-final against East Ayrshire rivals Darvel, with the first leg at Beechwood Park on April 12 and the away match seven days later in a Friday night double-header as Bot aim to regain the trophy they last won in 2022.

Looking ahead to the Junior Cup double-header, the Talbot assistant boss told the club's media team after Saturday's win: "Darvel are going well – they’ve got a lot of experienced players, and a couple of our ex-players, and a lot of them have been over the course before, so it’ll be a big challenge to overcome them, but it’s one we’re ready for.

"We’ll probably get more people coming to the game on a Friday evening when there’s nothing else on, so it’s a great thing to look forward to."

McLuckie and manager Tommy Sloan shuffled their ranks for Saturday's win over Benburb to combat the Govan side's aerial threat – and McLuckie says he's anticipating another physical contest this Saturday as Talbot head for Guy's Meadow aiming to continue their defence of the trophy they won against Clydebank last April.

Cumnock Chronicle: Talbot last won the Junior Cup in 2022Talbot last won the Junior Cup in 2022 (Image: Charlie Gilmour)

"We said before the game that the boys would need to stand up and be ready to fight our corner," McLuckie continued.

"We knew it'd be a physical game and we thoroughly deserved the three points and the three goals.

"We did our homework on Benburb. We knew where their strengths were, so we changed the team round a bit.

"But we've got a pool of players who are all here to play, and that gives great options for us to change things around.

"[Rob Roy] are well organised, and it's not the best pitch to play on up there, so that'll be another physical battle and we'll need to be at it.

"But we'll take each game as it comes and if we put in performances like that [one against Benburb], we're not going to be far away."

This Saturday's cup tie at Guy's Meadow gets under way at 2pm.

Watch full highlights from the win over Benburb, as well as McLuckie's post-match interview in full and a chat with January's Caboodle Eye Care Player of the Month, Connor Boyd, at youtube.com/@AuchinleckTalbot.