Auchinleck Talbot supporters planning to boycott Celtic cup-tie

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·28 December 2025

Auchinleck Talbot supporters planning to boycott Celtic cup-tie

Auchinleck Talbot supporters are reportedly planning to stay away from their upcoming Scottish Cup tie against Celtic…

Dumbarton v Auchinleck Talbot , Scottish Cup Third Round at Marbill Coaches Stadium in Dumbarton on 29 November 2025 Auchinleck Talbot’s players celebrate with their fans. Photo IMAGO Andy Scott

The Scottish champions are due to face the West of Scotland Premier Division side in what would be a landmark occasion for the junior outfit. However, the occasion next month has been overshadowed by anger among sections of Talbot’s support.

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According to a report from The Scottish Sun, a number of fans intend to boycott the match after it was confirmed the fixture will be staged at Rugby Park, rather than Talbot’s home ground.

The venue switch was agreed amid concerns that Beechwood Park – which has a capacity of around 4,000 – would be unable to safely accommodate the scale of the cup tie. That decision has provoked frustration among fans of the Ayrshire side, who believe their club has surrendered a valuable playing in their own ground for money.

Dumbarton v Auchinleck Talbot , Scottish Cup Third Round at Marbill Coaches Stadium in Dumbarton on 29 November 2025 Auchinleck Talbot’s players celebrate with Kyle McAvoy 24. IMAGO Photo Andy Scott

Talbot supporters have also highlighted a previous high-profile Scottish Cup encounter against Hearts as proof that big encounters have been successfully hosted at Beechwood Park in the past.

Speaking on the decision to move the game to Rugby Park, Talbot hero Kenny Paterson said: “I’m not disappointed that the game’s been moved to Rugby Park — I’m devastated. The vast majority of Talbot fans feel the same way.”

“I haven’t come across a single fan who’s happy with the move. I’m devastated to the point where I’m not going to the tie and I know many people who are doing the same. I’ll go to the social club and all the money I’d have spent going to Kilmarnock will at least go straight to Auchinleck.”

“If a ticket is £25 I’ll spend £25 at the bar watching it there. I was at our game last week and the Celtic cup tie was hardly mentioned. One guy said to me it had become the tie from hell. People just wish it was over so we could concentrate on the Junior Cup and the league.”

Dumbarton v Auchinleck Talbot , Scottish Cup Third Round at Marbill Coaches Stadium in Dumbarton on 29 November 2025. Auchinleck fans celebrate with their team. Photo IMAGO Andy Scott

Paterson added: “It would have been a moment of history to host the champions of Scotland at our ground — something you’ll probably never see again. Auchinleck showed when we played Hearts in 2022 that we could cope with games like this. The whole thing stinks. The club has spent hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds making sure we had the licence to play in the Scottish Cup.”

“But the word is that the club’s committee were told that the authorities’ view was that we might have handled Hearts without a problem, but Celtic or Rangers were entirely different.”

“I know there are people on the committee who feel they were forced into a corner about it all.”

Conor Spence

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