Interview: Sloan's pragmatism tempers Auchinleck Talbot's shot at glory

Tommy Sloan keeps hearing the same comment.

"This is a good time to be playing Hearts," people say to the Auchinleck Talbot manager, and he can only smile and respond each time with an observation of his own. "If this is them in turmoil, I hope they don't get it sorted out," he says, "or we will be in bother."

The Tynecastle side are unbeaten in four games, which includes a 4-0 defeat of Dunfermline and Monday's 3-1 win over Hibernian at Easter Road. Eggert Jonsson has joined Wolverhampton Wanderers and other first-team regulars are certain to leave now that the transfer window has opened, while the squad's December wage has still to be paid, but the turmoil won't be enough to substantially narrow the gap in competitiveness between the Clydesdale Bank Premier League side and the junior team they will face on Saturday in the William Hill Scottish Cup.

Auchinleck's visit to Tynecastle will be the highest-profile game of the club's history. They have won the Scottish Junior Cup nine times, but there is still a sense of significance about one of the biggest, most successful junior sides meeting a top-flight club. Sloan has noticed a rise in tempo among his players in training since the draw for the Scottish Cup fourth round was made, but his own focus has remained on the Stagecoach Super League, with their previous two games bringing a loss to Arthurlie and a draw with Petershill.

"It's a pleasant distraction," he said of the Hearts tie. "It's making our training quite competitive, because there are a lot of positions up for grabs when we go to Tynecastle. But we could win the league in the west of Scotland, and we can win the Junior Cup; this is a competition we won't be winning. We want to put on a performance, we're going to take a big support there and we want to give them something to shout about."

Auchinleck expect to take up to 4000 supporters to Tynecastle, and they will generate a raucous atmosphere. The tie will demand a change in attitude, since fans expect their team to be bold and attacking in the junior game.

"We've always played with at least two strikers, but we've not played this calibre of opposition," Sloan said. "I know Rangers and Celtic at times go to Tynecastle and play one striker. So do we go there a bit more negatively? It's not something that we're used to. Hopefully I can try something different in a practice match. Realistically, we're going to surrender possession to Hearts for most of the game, but we need to make it count when we have it. At junior level, we set out to attack every team. These are different circumstances and I'll need to be more cautious."

Auchinleck have featured in the Scottish Cup before, losing two years ago to Stirling Albion in the third round. This is the first time they have reached the fourth round of the competition, though, and Sloan is adamant that his players will not succumb to naivety.

He believes that the best of the junior sides perform at a level that is comparable to second division sides, but is acutely aware of the dangers that lurk in the trip to Tynecastle.

"There's not a lot wrong at Hearts," he said. "The financial thing is something, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the players. The prospect of a positive result is a long shot, we're realistic that way. [Winning] would be amazing, but if you think that way, you finish up with a 7-0 or 8-0. We need to make sure that we're up for it and ready to fight for the full 90 minutes."

Yet for all its significance, the game against Hearts is only a momentary distraction for Sloan and his players. They are challenging for the league title, and will play Musselburgh Athletic – who they defeated in last season's final – in the fourth round of the Scottish Junior Cup. It is these domestic issues that are of greater concern to Sloan.

"The way into the Scottish Cup is to win the league or the Scottish Junior cup," he added. "We want to be in it next year again, which isn't easy. We need to keep in touch with the teams at the top."

Taken from the Herald