Tommy Sloan says Auchinleck Talbot v Celtic is ‘biggest tie’ of his long career

Tommy Sloan was handed the “biggest” cup tie of his long and successful career when his Auchinleck Talbot side were drawn against Celtic in the Scottish Cup.

The Ayrshire side, who play in tier six of the pyramid, were rewarded for their 4-0 hammering of League Two Dumbarton at the weekend with a home fourth-round tie against the Parkhead outfit, who have won the competition a record 42 times.

It is not yet confirmed if Talbot’s compact Beechwood Park, which has a capacity of around 4,000, will host the match on the weekend of Saturday, January 17, but the tie has caught the imagination of the country.

Veteran boss Sloan, 61, who has won the Scottish Junior Cup seven times amid numerous other trophies, told the Press Association: “You don’t get any bigger than that.

“It’s great for the club, with the publicity and whatnot, it’s great for the players especially, playing against Celtic, who last week beat Feyenoord away in Europe.

“It is the biggest tie I have been involved in, there is no question of that.

“They are the champions of Scotland.

“To be honest, the Junior Cup is one we can win.

“That’s the most important competition for me whereas, we love being in the Scottish Cup but we know we are not winning it.

“I am realistic about it. The one we need to win is the Junior Cup, and we have had good success in it.

“We have a load of games before then. I will need to keep on to the players, that we need to try to win these games.

“It’s not a case of taking it easy. We need to guard against that.

“Hopefully the (Celtic) game is an incentive for them and we can keep the form up.”