It was supposed to be a routine Sunday afternoon for Celtic at Rugby Park, but what we got instead was a classic Scottish Cup scare. While the history books will show a 2-0 win for the Hoops, anyone watching saw a sixth-tier Auchinleck Talbot side push a disjointed Celtic squad to the absolute limit. Sebastian Tounekti and Johnny Kenny might have got the goals, but Talbot walked off the pitch with the real credit.
Here are my five talking points from a nervy afternoon in Ayrshire.
1. The “Fairytale” That Nearly Came True
You have to take your hat off to Tommy Sloan and his Auchinleck Talbot side. Despite playing five tiers below Celtic, they looked organised, disciplined, and—for long spells—completely unfazed. Moving the game to Rugby Park for the 10,000-strong crowd made financial sense, but you can’t help but wonder if Celtic would have survived a trip to the tight confines of Beechwood Park. Talbot represented the Junior game brilliantly today.
2. A “Lacklustre” Celtic Squad Depth?
Martin O’Neill made 10 changes today, clearly keeping his main men fresh for the upcoming clashes with Bologna and Hearts. However, the fringe players didn’t exactly bang down the door for a starting spot. For a club with Celtic’s resources, being held to a 1-0 lead until the 86th minute by a non-league side is a massive wake-up call. It felt very much like the Ronny Deila era, where they struggled past East Kilbride—a win is a win, but the performance was dire.
3. The Boardroom Tension Remains
Even with the win, the atmosphere in the away end was far from celebratory. The “Sign a Player” chants were loud and clear. With the January window ticking down, the frustration toward the Celtic board is reaching a boiling point. The fans are demanding reinforcements, and seeing a struggle against Talbot only highlights why they feel the squad is thin in key areas, especially up front.
4. Balikwisha’s Missed Opportunity
Michel-Ange Balikwisha was handed a rare start—his first since September—but he looked like a player who has spent too much time in the reserves. Blazing a sitter over the bar from ten yards out summed up his afternoon. In these types of cup ties, you need your “star” attackers to put the game to bed early. By failing to do so, Balikwisha let Talbot stay in the game and dream of an upset until the very end.
5. Tounekti’s Moment of Quality
The only thing that separated this from a historical upset was a bit of individual brilliance. Sebastian Tounekti’s late strike was a “cracker”—a curled effort that finally broke the spirit of the Ayrshire men. It spared O’Neill’s blushes and ensured Celtic avoided what would have been their most embarrassing result in modern history. They are in the fifth-round draw, but they got there by the skin of their teeth.
As a Rangers fan, it’s hard not to laugh at how close they came to a disaster, but the Scottish Cup always finds a way to make things interesting. What did you make of the performance? Did Talbot deserve a replay? Let us know in the comments!
Co-Founder of Fitba Focus and MMA UK. A lifelong Rangers fan and former player, he combines over a decade of sports media experience with a deep-seated passion for the Scottish game. From the Ibrox stands to the lower-league terraces, Frankie is dedicated to providing honest, fan-led analysis of the full Scottish pyramid.
