Irvine Meadow co-boss Colin Spence insists he’s relishing the prospect of locking horns with Auchinleck Talbot in yet another cup competition.
The West of Scotland Premier League rivals were paired together in the draw for the fourth round of the South Challenge Cup last week, with ties due to be played on February 5.
It comes after the sides squared off on first round senior Scottish Cup duty back in September, Talbot triumphing 3-1 on that occasion.
And if that wasn’t enough, they are on a collision course to meet in the quarter finals of the Scottish Junior Cup, should Talbot take care of Craigmark in a rescheduled third round tie.
But far from being sick of the sight of Tommy Sloan’s men, Spence sees it as a fantastic opportunity to learn from past results.
He said: I’m not surprised we got Talbot to be honest. We seemed to be glued together this season. It's unbelievable.
“It’s a good job they are already out the West of Scotland Cup because they way things are going we’d have got them next!
“The bottom line is if you want to win any cup, the chances are you’ll have to take care of Talbot somewhere along the line.
“I felt we were a match for them in the Scottish Cup game. When we played them in the league last month we let ourselves down in the second half and got beat 5-1.
“For me, it’s about what we can change to make a difference. We know Talbot won’t change what they do so we just need to look at ourselves and believe in our own quality.”
Spence’s immediate focus is on ensuring Meadow get their league form back on track in New Year after sticky end to 2021.
He’s been boosted by the news that defender Calum Gow has resumed full training after two years out through injury.
Winger Jamie Martin is also making good progress as he recovers from a broken ankle and could be as little as two or three weeks away from returning to full training.
One player who Spence won’t have at his disposal is Ryan Carnwath after the midfielder completed a move to Cumnock where he will be reunited with former Medda boss Brian McGinty.
Spence said: “Rhyzo was looking for more game time which we couldn’t guarantee him.
“He’s been a great servant to the club and we wish him well at Cumnock.”
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