West Region Premiership

AUCHINLECK TALBOT 3

KILWINNING RANGERS 1

By Murray Steele

BUFFS suffered their third league loss out of four against a Talbot side who extended their unbeaten run to nine games.

The Bot nearly got off to a flier in the second minute when Graham Wilson beat Jamie Whyte in the air and glanced the ball to the right where Stephen Wilson he drilled a shot just over the bar.

It was all Talbot early on and ex-Buffs man Calvin Kemp tried a cheeky effort in seven minutes - attempting to lob it home from 30 yards but Adam Strain claimed the ball.

Talbot came close twice in 16 minutes when Gordon Pope had Strain beaten all ends up with his rasping drive from the left that cannoned off the right hand post. It rebounded across the six-yard area where Dwayne Hyslop sidefooted it on target only for Tommy Maitland to clear it off the line.

The visitors gave Talbot a scare on the half hour when a corner was pulled back to Ben Lewis who burst into the left side of the penalty area and fired over from 15 yards.

Talbot got the opener in 35 minutes when Kemp's pass through to Stephen Wilson was partially blocked, but the ball ran through toward goal and he got on the end of it and prodded it past Strain.

Two minutes later Stephen Wilson knocked the ball past Strain, who had rushed out his area but Maitland recovered to knock it behind for a corner.

Talbot were nearly caught out a minute later when Craig Pettigrew's low drive was diverted behind.

The visitors levelled the score on the hour. Bryan Boylan found Michael Wardrope who cut inside on his right foot and bent an unstoppable shot inside Andy Leishman’s left post.

The Buffs were having a good spell and had Boylan fired over a cross that the defence could only head out as far as Lewis. He met it 18 yards out but drilled a low shot straight at Leishman.

Just when the game appeared to be drifting away Talbot hit Kilwinning with a double whammy.

They regained the lead in 75 minutes when the Buffs defence was undone by a simple ball lifted down the middle and Graham Wilson raced onto it and knocked it round Strain before slotting the ball home.

Before the dust had time to settle Talbot grabbed their third. They won a corner and when it was delivered to the back post Dwayne Hyslop rose to power a header on goal that Strain got a hand to but couldn’t keep out.

Buffs netted in 84 minutes when Marc McKenzie fired a shot for goal that took a deflection en route. Meanwhile Michael Wardrope had crumpled to the turf six yards out with no- one near him. It wasn’t apparent what had happened but as he lay prostrate in the box it became obvious he had picked up a serious injury. The game was halted for 15 minutes while he was tended to before being stretchered off.

KILWINNING RANGERS: Strain; Maitland, McLevy, Pettigrew, Whyte, Fleming, Monti, Lewis, Curragh, Nisbet, Boylan. Subs: McGuinness, Wardrope, McKenzie, McCloskey, Hill.