This Scottish Cup 3rd round tie was a welcome break from league action for Ian Murray’s side and an opportunity for Rovers to put recent defeats behind them.

The starting line up saw Ryan Nolan’s return, with Liam Dick taking a seat on the bench.

This first ever meeting of the sides may have been historic but the first half was far from memorable.

Talbot had the first chance when Nolan played the ball to Brown and the skipper slipped, Boylan nipped in to gather the loose ball and fire a left foot shot goalward but it was little trouble for Jamie MacDonald.

Seeing an Auchinleck player in the Rovers half was to be a pretty rare sight in the first period with much of the half seeing Rovers trying relentlessly to penetrate a resolute black and gold wall.

Brad Spencer had a shot blocked and a Dylan Easton cross was headed just wide by Ryan Nolan before Lewis Vaughan, eager to get his name on the score-sheet since his return, sent a shot harmlessly over the bar.

Lewis Vaughan fires in a shot

Sam Stanton and Aidan Connolly also had shots blocked.

Talbot had a chance when a clearance was punted into the Rovers half, Connor O’Riordan’s first touch from a Brad Spencer header was a bit heavy and Boylan was there once again to pick up the loose ball and charge towards goal before Ryan Nolan came to the rescue with a brilliant block to stop the Talbot number 10 in his tracks.

The half ended goalless with Rovers having had plenty of chances but little beyond the 6 yard line and credit to the visiting defence who were resolute and proved they weren’t going to make it easy.

The second half got under way with Scott Brown seeing a shot deflected over the bar for a corner, but Rovers stepped it up a gear and the deadlock was eventually broken in 63 minutes when Aidan Connolly sent the ball down the right wing to Scott Brown who played it back to just inside the box where Aidan Connolly took a touch before sending a trademark screamer into the top corner past Leishman in the Talbot goal.

Aidan Connolly opens the scoring

Minutes later a Talbot player almost made it onto the score-sheet but at the wrong end. Scott Brown fired a great cross into the box where it was met by the head of Taylor who almost scored a goal any striker would be proud off when he sent a header crashing off his own bar with Leishman beaten.

Rovers continued to press, and it wasn’t long before their lead was increased, Vaughan had a run into the box halted but it was only cleared as far as Connolly on the right wing, he cut into the box and, with the ball now on his preferred left foot, he sent yet another shot goal-ward and a deflection made sure it hit the net.

With 3 minutes left on the clock the scoring was completed when Kyle Connell raced to keep the ball in play at the left bye-line, he played it back to Ethan Ross, who could’ve had a shot himself but instead elected to square  it to Aidan Connolly to tap home to complete a well deserved hatrick.