FOUR weeks into the new West of Scotland Football League season and it’s Auchinleck Talbot who lead the Ayrshire charge – a far cry from the position Tommy Sloan’s men were in 12 months ago.
Six games into the 2023-24 campaign, Talbot had just one point to their name and were plumb last in the top flight standings: one year on, fourth place in the Premier Division may not quite be where Sloan wants his squad to be, but the Beechwood Park side’s status as one of only two undefeated sides in the top flight demonstrates the strides made by Tucker and his players in the past 12 months.
Talbot put their unbeaten run on the line against second top Drumchapel United on Saturday and came home with a point from a 1-1 draw at the Donald Dewar Centre, though Sloan and his players may have felt they should have had more, with Mick Wardrope’s fine early strike from distance giving the visitors the interval advantage only for slack defending to allow Kieran Moore in to level for the First Division champions 12 minutes after the break.
Tied with Talbot on 12 points are one of the top flight’s surprise packages in the form of Jimmy Kirkwood’s Troon side, who weren’t among most observers’ tips to do well this season but who now have more wins to their name than anyone else in the top flight bar leaders Clydebank.
Dean Fulton’s opener and an own goal gave the Seasiders a 2-0 interval lead away to Hurlford, and Kyle Gilroy put the result beyond doubt just before the hour, with Lewis Morrison’s 70th-minute effort proving no more than a consolation for the Blair Park side.
Champions Beith Juniors are next in the rankings after coming from behind to see off Glenafton Athletic 2-1 at Bellsdale; Hugh Kerr’s early strike had Glens in front at the break, but home skipper Paul Frize levelled just past the hour and then, after a second yellow for Glens’ Jared Willet, the captain repeated the feat with the winner five minutes from time, Carlo Monti providing the assists for both goals.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/O4gXZvEhD1">pic.twitter.com/O4gXZvEhD1</a></p>— Beith Juniors FC⭐ (@BeithJuniorsFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeithJuniorsFC/status/1827359210121650587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Elsewhere, Largs Thistle let a lead slip from their fingers no fewer than three times away to Benburb, with Will Sewell’s brace and a Blair Devine strike not enough to earn Stuart Davidson’s men full points as the New Tinto Park men hit back each time to claim a 3-3 draw.
The new look on the pitch and in the dugout at Cumnock is taking a little while to come together, with Stephen Swift’s side firmly in mid-table after their 1-1 draw at home to Gartcairn; Dylan Dykes converted a low cross to give Nock the advantage midway through the first half, only for Mark McGuigan to level eight minutes later, though a disallowed goal and a late Gartcairn red card may have left Swift thinking his players should have had more than a single point.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FULL TIME: 5 goals from The Buffs as Blair MacIntyre scores the perfect hat trick to send the fans back down the road happy. Eva Bembo grabbed a double to complete the scoring as it finishes 5-1 at the KG Stadium <a href="https://t.co/LFMxpvV5NY">pic.twitter.com/LFMxpvV5NY</a></p>— Kilwinning Rangers (@steadythebuffs) <a href="https://twitter.com/steadythebuffs/status/1827358967518879906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As with the top flight, you have to go down to fourth place in the First Division standings to find the leading Ayrshire contenders in the form of Kilwinning Rangers, for whom Blair Macintyre bagged a fine hat-trick and Eva Bembo a brace in Buffs’ most impressive performance of the campaign so far, a 5-1 win away to Blantyre Vics.
Just a point further back are Maybole Juniors, who held off a late charge from Vale of Clyde to win 2-1 at Fullarton Park thanks to goals from Gerard Clark and Aaron Miller; the Bole are tied on 10 points with Kilbirnie Ladeside, who lost by the same score against a Cumbernauld United side who finished with nine men at Guy’s Meadow, with Ryan McCubbin’s late strike not quite enough for the Blasties to steal a point.,
Ardrossan Winton Rovers, meanwhile, picked up the first ‘home’ win of their temporary tenure at Valefield Park, with an own goal and a Ryan Wilson strike earning a 2-0 win over Thorniewood United as Gavin Friels' men begin to find their feet in the second tier.
A tough start to the season for Irvine Meadow, though, hit a new low when they were beaten 2-1 by Irvine Victoria in the annual Marymass derby on Friday night, with Alessandro Savarese’s late penalty in a torrential downpour earning Vics, who only have one Third Division point to their name so far, a rare win in the ‘friendly’ fixture and turning the heat up on Medda boss Ben Carson.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Game 28: Irvine Meadow 1-2 Irvine Victoria. A rare and deserved Marymass derby victory for <a href="https://twitter.com/IrvineVictoria?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IrvineVictoria</a>. Vics took the win thanks to a late penalty taken the middle of a thunderstorm. A night to forget for <a href="https://twitter.com/Medda1897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Medda1897</a>, who went down to ten men late on.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/davesfootballtravels?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#davesfootballtravels</a> ⚽️ <a href="https://t.co/xYrBPUxmAy">pic.twitter.com/xYrBPUxmAy</a></p>— David Stoker (@davidstoker_lfc) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidstoker_lfc/status/1827086263670772222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The only Ayrshire side still boasting a 100 per cent record a month into the new campaign are Muirkirk Juniors, whose impressive start to the Second Division season was extended on Saturday after William Dawson’s strike earned the Burnside Park men a sixth straight victory by a 1-0 margin at home to Kilsyth Rangers.
Whitletts Victoria lead the charge behind the leaders thanks to a 7-1 thrashing of Forth Wanderers at New Voluntary Park, with Louis Kerr, Michael Moffat and Jordan Boyd each weighing in with a double and Dylan Howarth also finding the net.
At the other end of the table, Bonnyton Thistle tumbled to a 2-1 defeat away to Larkhall, while Craigmark Burntonians' sorry start to the campaign continued with a 5-0 loss away to Yoker, leaving the Dalmellington side still without a point, having now conceded 36 goals in their first six matches.
Goals from David Henry and Greg Kean, the latter a penalty-spot winner with just three minutes to go, earned Ardeer Thistle a 2-1 win away to Wishaw that sends Sean Kenney’s men to the top of the Third Division standings.
Lugar Boswell Thistle missed the chance to grab a share of the lead when they were held to a goalless draw away to Kilsyth Athletic, while Girvan emerged empty-handed despite taking the lead at home to Greenock, with Ryan Kennedy’s strike midway through the first half proving to be a false dawn as the visitors ended up 3-1 winners.
Saltcoats Victoria also fell to defeat against Inverclyde opposition, with the Campbell Park side tumbling to a 3-0 Fourth Division loss away to Port Glasgow, while Marc Walker’s late strike for Eglinton proved no more than a consolation as The Jousters lost 2-1 at home to Rossvale.
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