SEVEN Ayrshire sides set out on the road to Hampden as the Scottish Cup reached the second preliminary round stage on Saturday…and five of them are now looking forward to some tough tests when the first round proper is played at the end of this month.

Stephen Swift’s Cumnock Juniors side face the longest journey of the lot in round one after being handed a trip to a Brora Rangers side who currently lie in second place in the Highland League.

The Nock had looked in grave danger of a shock exit on Saturday when they went in at the break trailing to a Dean Fyfe strike away to Creetown, but a red card early in the second half for the home side handed the initiative to Swift’s men, and Thomas Orr levelled two minutes after the sending-off before Josh Jack and Dylan Dykes completed the win late on, the latter from the penalty spot.

Auchinleck Talbot will also hit the road in the first round later this month, though Tommy Sloan’s men won’t have quite so far to travel: they’ll head to Coatbridge to take on Albion Rovers after a second-half Connor Boyd hat-trick turned a 1-1 score at the break away to Haddington Athletic into a 4-1 win for the Beechwood Park side.

Auchinleck Talbot won 4-1 away to Haddington Athletic to set up a Scottish Cup first round tie away to Albion Rovers.Auchinleck Talbot won 4-1 away to Haddington Athletic to set up a Scottish Cup first round tie away to Albion Rovers. (Image: Craig McGhee/Auchinleck Talbot FC)

If it was late drama you were after, though, Pennypit Park was the place to be on Saturday as Irvine Meadow scored twice in added time at the end to snatch a 3-2 win from the jaws of defeat away to Preston Athletic.

After relegation last season and a disappointing start to this one, Medda’s fans haven’t had too many reasons to be cheerful of late, and they trailed 2-1 when the clock ticked into stoppage time in Prestonpans – only for Lewis Neilson to level in the second of those added minutes and Tam Cruden to snatch the winner 60 seconds later, earning Ben Carson’s side a trip to Fife to face Burntisland Shipyard.

 

 

The honour of the biggest win of the day on Saturday goes to Dean Keenan’s Girvan side, who had seven difference scorers as they steamrollered St Cuthbert Wanderers at Hamilton Park: Antonio Sisi led the way with a hat-trick, while Jack Taylor, Scott Dempster, Aiden Kerr, Calum Thomson, Kori Howard and Ryan Kennedy were also on target as the Seasiders earned themselves a trip to Clydebank in round two.

The last Ayrshire WoSFL side in the hat for round one are Darvel, who banished thoughts of their poor start to the league campaign as they earned a first round trip to Musselburgh Athletic after easing past Premier Division rivals Pollok 3-1 at Newlandsfield; all the Vale’s goals came in the  first half, from Ross Barbour, Aiden Gilmartin and Leon Murphy.

Two of Ayrshire’s teams, though, fell at the first hurdle on Saturday: Bonnyton Thistle’s loss at home to East Premier side Dunbar United was perhaps not too much of a surprise, though the Kilmarnock side emerged with much credit from their 1-0 defeat; the same, sadly, couldn’t be said of Glenafton Athletic, who tumbled to a shock 4-2 loss at home to Third Division Threave, with the 3-0 half-time deficit proving too much for Ryan Caddis’s side to overcome.

Beith Juniors won 4-0 away to Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts in the second round of the Junior Cup.Beith Juniors won 4-0 away to Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts in the second round of the Junior Cup. (Image: Stephen Kerr)

Saturday’s fixture list featured cup action on three fronts: Beith Juniors, whose own Scottish Cup run was ended in the very first preliminary round against Bo’ness Athletic two weeks earlier, turned their attention to the Scottish Junior Cup, and began their journey with a 4-0 win in Fife against Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts, although Chris Strain’s men had to wait until the second half before the floodgates eventually opened, with Carlo Monti netting a double and Jordan Stuart and Fraser Malcolm also finding the net.

Whitletts Vics, though, took the ‘revolving door’ exit from the Strathclyde Demolition Cup after tumbling to a surprise 4-3 defeat away to Port Glasgow; Mick McCann’s Second Division side trailed 4-1 to their bottom tier hosts at the break, and though Louis Kerr and Jordan Boyd reduced the leeway in the second half, Vics were unable to force a late leveller.

For the Ayrshire sides not in cup action on Saturday, there were league points at stake across all four divisions of the WoSFL, and it was Largs Thistle who were the big winners, moving up to fourth in the Premier Division after goals in the final quarter from Will Sewell and Cory Hughes secured a 2-0 win over Shotts Bon Accord at Barrfields.

By contrast, Hurlford United’s early season struggles continued with a 2-0 loss at Gartcairn, Kamil Krol and Mark McGuigan finding the net for the hosts at MTC Park.

 

 

It wasn’t a great day for the three Ayrshire sides in First Division action, with Kilbirnie Ladeside, Ardrossan Winton Rovers and Maybole all tumbling to defeat; the Blasties were the only one of the trio to even score, Alan Frizzell hitting the target in their 3-1 home defeat to Renfrew, while Winton were beaten 1-0 at St Roch’s and the Bole lost by the same score at home to Rob Roy.

Muirkirk Juniors, by contrast, continued their excellent start to the Second Division campaign with a seventh straight win; Daryl Airdrie bagged a hat-trick in the 6-2 win away to St Anthony’s, with Gerard Burns, William Dawson and Alan Semple completing the scoring for the Burnside Park men.

Muirkirk made it seven wins on the spin after defeating St Anthony's 6-2 at McKenna Park.Muirkirk made it seven wins on the spin after defeating St Anthony's 6-2 at McKenna Park. (Image: Muirkirk Junior FC)

Ardeer Thistle were knocked off their perch at the top of the Third Division; their loss at home to Irvine Vics was their visitors’ first league win of the season, with Vics clearly taking inspiration from their Marymass Trophy triumph eight days earlier as Dylan Boyce and James Maxwell turned a 1-0 interval deficit into a 2-1 victory.

Dalry Thistle came from behind to secure a point against Vale of Leven at Kilwinning Sports Club, Aiden Catlow hitting the leveller for Chris Wilson’s men.

Greg Miller bagged a hat-trick as Kello Rovers climbed to fifth place in the Fourth Division courtesy of a 4-1 defeat of West Park United at Nithside Park, with Archie Scott also finding the net, while Eglinton’s 5-0 win at BSC Glasgow featured five different goalscorers, with Kris Chisholm, Finlay Frier, Stuart Hannah, Marc Walker and Stuart Anderson all on target.

Saltcoats Victoria, though, stumbled to a third successive defeat, this time against an impressive East Kilbride Thistle team who eased to a 5-1 win at Campbell Park despite playing the last 55 minutes a man short.