KILWINNING Rangers can now shift their full focus on to Premier Division survival after the heartbreak of being knocked out of a second cup competition in successive weeks.

Buffs' hopes of reaching the West of Scotland Cup final were dashed in agonising fashion after a shoot-out defeat at the hands of Auchinleck Talbot.

Keiren Wood notched Kilwinning's goal in the 1-1 draw, cancelling out an earlier Graham Wilson penalty on Buffs' second visit to Beechwood Park in the space of six days.

But it was Tommy Sloan's side who emerged victorious when the tie went to penalties, with Talbot now set to face Clydebank in the final.

It was a devastating defeat for Chris Aitken's side, who were down to the bare bones for Saturday's match as a result of injuries - and came just seven days on from a 4-1 loss at home to Gartcairn which saw Buffs knocked out of the South Challenge Cup.

 

Those two cup defeats now leave Aitken's men facing nine cup finals - each one a league fixture, with the points up for grabs vital to their hopes of staying in the top flight.

Buffs lie six points from safety after midweek league losses to Talbot and Petershill - the former a 3-1 loss in the first of those two trips to Beechwood, the latter a sore 5-3 defeat on Wednesday at home to one of Kilwinning's big relegation rivals.

Up next in Buffs' survival bid is a trip to Ayrshire rivals Hurlford United on Wednesday, before a crunch tie with the side directly above them in the league - Arthurlie - at Dunterlie Park on Saturday, and with games on hand on all their fellow strugglers, two wins this week would make the outlook a whole lot brighter at Buffs Park.

Wednesday's game at Hurlford gets under way at 6.30pm, while Saturday's match away to Arthurlie has a 2pm kick-off.