Larky55

If your following the Talbot story heres Saturdays article as I don't think the Talbot v Kilbirnie game will be high on your to do list.

1932/33 THE WILDERNESS SEASON

With the South Ayrshire Junior League a distant memory Talbot, Glenafton and Kello were left with no league football. The clubs approached the North Ayrshire dominated Western League in the hope that they could gain entry as it was the nearest functioning league that was hopefully open to them.

Their hopes were quickly dashed as they received a hostile reception from a vast majority of the clubs with one in particular (When I researched this article the club in question was not mentioned) were against the idea of their southern cousins joining their league. Kilwinning Rangers were to become a friend and lobbied hard to gain entry for the three clubs but stories of break-ins, travelling costs and other irrelevant fabrications were bandied about and by the time the Western League was about to start the three clubs had their hopes dashed by a resounding “NO”.

Where the SJFA stood in this debacle is uncertain as it was supposed to be their duty to provide league football and here it had three clubs that stood loyal to the association during the “Intermediate Dispute”. Maybe the fact was the Western League was built on the back of this dispute as the Western League started out as the Western Intermediate League and its members when the Talbot, Glens and Kello went cap in hand were much the same clubs.

Thankfully the clubs didn’t go to the wall but football was to become scarce for the people of Auchinleck in a Junior fashion, however the Juveniles in the town were reaping the benefit. In all Talbot played eleven competitive matches and boosted it with a three friendly’s and a benefit match.

The season started in mid august 1932 with two friendly matches against Lugar Boswell who had dropped to Juvenile football. The first match at Beechwood saw both sides draw 3-3 with Caulfield, Dick and Babbington scoring for the “Bot” while the following Friday night Talbot ran out easy 4-1 winners with all Talbot’s goals scored by Ewing. On the 27^th Talbot had a visit from Saltcoats Victoria on friendly business. The “Vics” were a powerful outfit having lifted the Scottish Cup seven years previous and in this particular season the won the Western League Cup. Whether Talbot had invited Saltcoats to Beechwood to butter up the North club well that we will never know but the Talbot on that particular day gave a good account of themselves losing by the odd goal in three with right winger Ewing getting Talbot’s counter.

By the 3^rd of September Talbot embarked on their first competitive match  in the Ayrshire Cup when they travelled to take on Glenburn Rovers from Prestwick at Berelands Park which was situated where the school now stands. Talbot drew the match 2-2 with Frew and Campbell scoring however the match was marred by a horrendous injury to Eric Campbell.

 Talbot acted quickly and arranged a visit from Kilmarnock for a benefit match for Eric Campbell. Talbot lost the game 2-0 but the gate receipts realised a healthy £10 which was to alleviate any hardships occurred.

The following Saturday Talbot were on their travels again this time to Dalry to take on the local Thistle. Like the week before the game panned out with a 2-2 draw with dick grabbing a brace. The game was decided the next Saturday when Talbot in front of a partisan crowd won by two goals to one with Ewing and  Hay who was brought into to replace Campbell scoring Talbot’s goals.

With the Scottish done and dusted Talbot faced Glenburn in the Ayrshire Cup replay and were sunk 3-1 by a spirited Rovers side who were actually to go down the tubes at the end of this particular season.  October was to provide Talbot with just one match this being the Scottish Cup second round and unfortunately they were paired with fellow strugglers Kello Rover at Beechwood. The game finished with a 1-0 win for the visitors and saw Talbot enduring a four week lay-off until they once again came up against Glenburn this time in the Mauchline & District Cup. This turned out as a repeat of the first game with a 2-2 draw with Dick and Hay scoring; also the game was played at Ayr United’s Somerset Park for some reason or another.

Talbot then traveled to Darvel on Cumnock Cup business drawing 1-1 with Hay on the score card, but this was to be Talbot’s last competitive match until the 11^th of February 1933 where once again Glenburn turned them over by 3-1 in the Mauchline Cup replay, Baird being the Talbot scorer.

From then on in the season collapsed around Talbot a 3-1 defeat at Troon Athletic down at Portland Park in the Ayrshire Consolation Cup was followed up with a resounding 3-1 victory over Darvel in the Cumnock Cup, but they were to bow out of their last foray into this competition when they were beaten at home 2-0 by Kilwinning Rangers.

Amazingly the team stuck together the full season even though the football was limited, but by the start of the next season only a couple of them stayed to help Talbot on their Western League debut.