Kirkintilloch Rob Roy boss Stewart Maxwell urges fans to turn out for Auchinleck Talbot Scottish Junior Cup semi-final

Kirkintilloch Rob Roy boss Stewart Maxwell has urged the town to turn out in force and inspire his young side as they chase a place in the Scottish Junior Cup final.
Rob Roy and manager Stewart Maxwell are one match away from a first Scottish Junior Cup final since 1977Rob Roy and manager Stewart Maxwell are one match away from a first Scottish Junior Cup final since 1977
Rob Roy and manager Stewart Maxwell are one match away from a first Scottish Junior Cup final since 1977

Rabs take on record winners Auchinleck Talbot at Meadow Park, Irvine, on Saturday in their first semi-final since 2009, also against Talbot.

Rob Roy haven’t reached their final since 1977, when they were beaten by Kilbirnie Ladeside, while the last of their three wins in the competition was 60 years ago, in 1962.

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As ever Talbot will be backed by a huge travelling support and Maxwell believes the people of Kirkintilloch can be just as important for his players

He said: “We’ve got a young team, there are teenagers in that squad and boys in their first year at that level.

"They deserve everybody to make that pilgrimage down, get a red and black scarf and support the team and give them all the tools they can to rise to the occasion. They might just do them proud on the day and then the town’s got a cup final to look forward to.”

Rab have already upset Talbot once this season, knocking them out of the West of Scotland Cup.

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But Maxwell admits he’ll have to strike a balance between using that win as inspiration and stressing that it will not necessarily have a bearing on Saturday’s match.

He said: “"I try to strike a balance between the positivity that we have beaten them and the fact that it’s a different occasion.

It’s a tough one because that game’s been and gone, We won the game but it’s a different day, different setting, different stage.

"That was the second round of a cup and it was great to beat them. But Saturday has a different feel to it. You’re 90 minutes away from a cup final and the chance to make a wee bit of history.

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"I want the lads not to miss the boat, to grab the moment and play the game, not the occasion. It’s going to be difficult for them because the occasion’s massive – cup semi-finals don’t come around that often."

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