Celtic visit 'bigger than The Who' for Auchinleck

Playing against Celtic on Sunday will be the biggest thing to rock the villagers of Auchinleck since The Who.

The English Mod groundbreakers played Auchinleck Community Centre in 1969 as a warm-up for their historic appearance at the Woodstock music festival.

An amazing fact when you consider all 3000 inhabitants could fit into one section of one of the stands at Celtic Park.

Even if every man, woman and child bought a ticket for what is technically the “home” end at the Sunday’s Scottish Cup fourth-round tie, they would still be outnumbered by the away support at Rugby Park.

That “home” caveat is because the game has had to be moved 15 miles away to the home of Kilmarnock after the “surrounding infrastructure” around the 4,000-capacity Beechwood Park was considered unsuitable for such a big occasion.

It is the latest “what if” in sixth-tier Auchinleck Talbot’s illustrious history.

But how is the Ayrshire village and its team of plumbers, joiners, engineers and other trades gearing up for the ultimate David v Goliath tie?

What about that Hearts near miss?

Former Talbot left-back Gordon Pope has fond, but ultimately painful, memories of the last time the part-timers came up against top-flight opposition 14 years ago.

A brave, backs-to-the-wall effort held Hearts at bay until goalkeeper Andy Leishman, who had earlier saved a penalty, fumbled as he collided with team-mate Bryan Slaven and Gordon Smith slotted the hosts ahead with six minutes left.

Throwing caution to the wind, Talbot won a free-kick and Pope was played through the Hearts defence only for the linesman to flag for offside as he was slotting home what he thought would be an equaliser five minutes into stoppage time.

“It leaves a ‘what if’,” Pope tells BBC Scotland as he watches a replay of the incident. “It is a tight decision and it’s just one of those moments in the history of the club.

“We had never played at that level [fourth round] before, so going back to Rugby Park for a replay would have been massive for the club.”

James Latta, who was captaining Talbot for the first time that day, recalls: “Most of our team had played at senior level at some point and we knew if we stayed tight and stuck to our formation, we’d have a chance depending on how Hearts played.”

However, the former defender recognises that they face an even tougher task against Scottish champions who have had a new lease of life after club legend Martin O’Neill returned as interim manager after the sacking of Wilfried Nancy.

“If you asked me that last week, it would have been a good time to play them,” Latta says. “It would have been hard before – it is going to be a lot harder now.”

Who are Auchinleck Talbot?

For Talbot programme writer Jim McAuley: “It will be the greatest day in the club’s history to play a world-renowned team like Celtic. It will be up there with when The Who played here in Auchinleck Community Centre. David and Goliath.”

McAuley knows all about that being club historian, chronicling more than 100 trophies since their establishment in 1909.

Those include 14 Scottish Junior Cups – eight of them this century – for a club who sit second in the West of Scotland League Premier Division, two points behind Troon but with two games in hand, after entering the senior pyramid.

“I would say we are the biggest weeist club in Scotland,” he says, adding that he is “absolutely devastated” that the tie has been moved.

“Down here, I think we would have had that wee chance, but at Rugby Park, I think they’ll be too much for us. In the days after, Celtic go to Bologna. We go to Pollok in the west of Glasgow.”

Despite that, McAuley admits “stranger things have happened” in football, recalling that Talbot beat Celtic 3-2 in their only previous meeting – a testimonial in 1992, albeit with visitors sending a youth side.

Can Talbot really beat Celtic?

There would have been bigger headlines this time had striker Argyll McCoist been able to play.

The 27-year-old son of former Rangers striker Ally – scorer of many a goal against Celtic – is on loan from Drumchapel United but cup-tied.

He admits that his dad has been phoning every day to check in case there has been a rule change.

Captain Neil McPherson pointed out that Talbot’s chances have not been helped by the fact their last competitive game was on 19 December and they have not even played a friendly because of frozen pitches.

He points out a dressing room split evenly between Celtic and Rangers fans have taken Monday off from their full-time jobs in anticipation of having to recover from putting their all into “a once in a lifetime” opportunity.

Forklift driver Tommy Sloan never thought he would see the day he would one day sit in the opposite dugout to O’Neill.

“They have certainly brought a man in who can do the job,” he says. “A lot of experience and it’s marvellous to be up against him in the other dugout.”

Sloan will be drawing on that day “we turned over” Ayr United in 2019 and how close they came against Hearts in 2012.

“I can still see the linesman’s face with that flag up,” he recalls. “Sportscene at night time proved it was actually onside.

“It is going to be a tough ask. If we could score first and put them under pressure for a wee while, I’d be delighted with that.

“We’re certainly going to give it a go anyway.”