TROON manager Gordon Burns was gutted after a strong first half performance ended in a 3-0 defeat to Auchinleck Talbot at Portland Park writes Stephen Bark. 

The Seasiders had a number of early chances to take the lead before the Super League Champions got a foothold in the game.
Burns told Sportscene: “To be honest with you, I can’t believe we lost 3-0. In the first 20 minutes we had three good chances to score. We were one-on-one with the keeper and we missed all three.

“Then we gave away a soft free-kick. It was silly one to give away and we’ve gone 1-0 down. We should have been 3-0 up by then.”

The South Ayrshire side have had mixed fortunes this season as an inability to put together a consistent run of form has seen them slip into the relegation play-off place.

However, at 1-0 down, Burns thought his team still had a chance in the game. He said: “At half time, I thought we could turn it round and go on and win the game in the second half.

“When Chris McKnight got sent off for a last man foul and then they score from the free-kick, it’s a big blow. It’s not easy when you’re 2-0 down to Auchinleck Talbot with 10 men.

“The boys battled well and worked extremely hard. When the third goal went in, you could understand if the heads go down. They didn’t and the boys showed a lot of character. We still created and missed two great chances to score.

“When you’re on top, especially against the bigger teams, you need to take your chances.”

The Junior leagues now take a break over the festive period and Burns feels it has come at the right time for his team. He added: “We don’t have a game for two weeks now until the New Year. It will be good break for the players.

“We’ll still be training and hopefully arrange a couple of friendlies to get prepared for the next game. If we take the first half from Saturday into the New Year then we should be more than good enough to move up the league.” It’s so tight that two or three wins can get us out of this situation.”