AUCHINLECK AND A TASMANIAN DEVIL

Auchinleck Talbot FC, just one of those beautiful names, from a town located near Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, was founded in 1909 and took its name from the owner of the land on which they set their pitch, Baron Talbot de Malahide. Their ground is called Beechwood Park and now, has a capacity of 4,000.

Today the "Bot" were drawn against Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) in the 4th Round of the Scottish Cup. "Bot" played today with a 12.30 ko....lost 0-5 and will have to find success this season in their league, the West of Scotland Super League, Premier Division, or in less prestigious cups. 

The Australian wing-back in Hearts' squad, Nathaniel Atkinson (above) was handed a debut in today’s Scottish Cup tie at Auchinleck Talbot. The right-sided wing back joined the Jambos in early January from Melbourne City on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. 22-year-old Nathaniel, an Australian Olympic teammate of Cammy Devlin, has been a rising star in his homeland over the past couple of years, culminating in a league title and man of the match award in last season’s A-League Grand Final. Tasmanian-born, Nathaniel joined Melbourne City’s academy in 2016, plying his trade with the reserve side in 2016/17. Impressing with the reserves, he was called up to the senior side the following campaign and made his first-team debut in August 2017. His form was rewarded with a two-year professional contract in January 2018, and he would pen another two-year deal in 2020 after a move to Perth Glory fell by the wayside due to the pandemic. Last season saw Nathaniel earn rave reviews. He helped Melbourne City to win the A-League Premiership before putting in a man of the match performance in the 3-1 Grand Final win over Sydney FC, where he scored City’s first goal, which won him the Joe Martson medal for best player in the game. With three Australia U20 caps to his name, Nathaniel was named in the Olyroos’ Olympics' squad, alongside Cammy, for the 2020 games – held in 2021 - in Tokyo. He played in their 2-0 win over Argentina before putting in another man of the match display in a 1-0 defeat to Spain.

Do look at this link which is a short film about the club; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjZVUt3oao

Here is the latest Premier Division Table of the West of Scotand Football League. 2021-22. Some delightful names and real anoraks out there will show an interest in where these clubs are located and the history of their names.

PREMIER DIVISION

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Pollok	26	19	5	2	64	21	43	62
2	Auchinleck Talbot	21	16	3	2	48	16	32	51
3	Kilwinning Rangers	24	14	6	4	52	22	30	48
4	Clydebank	26	14	6	6	46	31	15	48
5	Hurlford United	23	13	5	5	41	26	15	44
6	Darvel	19	13	2	4	46	22	24	41
7	Irvine Meadow XI	22	11	4	7	37	29	8	37
8	Troon	26	11	3	12	41	45	-4	36
9	Beith Juniors	21	10	5	6	49	28	21	35
10	Rutherglen Glencairn	24	10	4	10	39	40	-1	34
11	Benburb	25	9	6	10	44	40	4	33
12	Cumnock Juniors	24	10	1	13	32	40	-8	31
13	Largs Thistle	23	8	4	11	41	42	-1	28
14	Kirkintilloch Rob Roy	21	9	1	11	31	43	-12	28
15	Glenafton Athletic	22	8	3	11	35	38	-3	27
16	Cumbernauld United	23	6	5	12	28	46	-18	23
17	Rossvale	26	7	2	17	37	65	-28	23
18	Kilbirnie Ladeside	25	6	3	16	31	56	-25	21
19	Blantyre Victoria	22	2	4	16	19	57	-38	10
20	Bonnyton Thistle	27	2	2	23	25	79	-54	8

Apologies for loss of first letter on the division table....it's a good guess game for you
Look up these clubs (above) on the www. and get some Geography on your c.v. How can you resist Benburb and Kirkintilloch Rob Roy?