CUMNOCK boss Paul Burns is hoping for a repeat of their West of Scotland Cup heroics from 2017.

His side face arch rivals Auchinleck Talbot at Beechwood Park on Saturday – the scene of Nock's 1-0 semi-final win in May 2017.

Burns – who scored Cumnock's second in their defeat to Pollok in the final that year – was upbeat about the chances of a cup upset.

He told the Chronicle: "It's a big game. We're under no illusions but it's a big opportunity for the boys to go out and show what they are capable of. Hopefully we can progress – that's the aim.

"We've got to give them respect. We were unlucky last time, I thought the boys were brilliant and deserved something from the game but we were a bit naive and switched off at points.

"It's a learning curve for us, we just need to keep at it."

Nock go into the derby on the back of a 2-0 loss to Kilwinning Rangers at Townhead Park and Burns knows his side will have to be at their best.

He added: "[The Buffs game] was a bit disappointing. We went in with a game plan but when we had the man sent off, we were up against it. We got in at half time 1-0 down and we were still in the game but then we had the man sent off and the boy scored their second goal. Credit to the boys, they stuck at it all game.

"The squad is shaping up well. I'm hoping to add a few new faces and put our stamp on it. It's a tough league, we're sitting on 24 points and we we're going to need to accumulate a few more.

"Everyone is capable of beating everyone else on their day, there are no bad teams in this league."