Forget about romance, Auchinleck Talbot should cash in on Celtic windfall

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The Celtic Star

·3 December 2025

Forget about romance, Auchinleck Talbot should cash in on Celtic windfall

Forget about the romance of the cup, Rugby Park is best all-round solution for Auchinleck Talbot v Celtic Scottish Cup clash…

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

Celtic were pitted against West of Scotland Premier League side Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup fourth round draw, and it’s fair to say that it’s a game that’s captured the imagination of the country.

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Junior football’s famous Auchinleck Talbot

A rather famous non-league side, the record Junior Cup winners, taking on the Champions of Scotland, and record Scottish Cup winners, what’s not to like? Rumblings have already started regarding the venue of the fixture, and of course many supporters of the home side would love Talbot to play at the familiar surroundings of their home stadium Beechwood Park.

Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Beechwood Park capacity is 4000

There’s nothing wrong with that of course, as by all accounts Beechwood boasts a terrific surface, and holds a capacity of 4,000, but common sense tells you that it would be a tie better played elsewhere, most notably thirty minutes up the road at Kilmarnock.

Rugby Park capacity is 15,500

Yes, Killie have the dreaded plastic surface, but they also boast a capacity of 15,000, something that would accommodate the many thousands that populate the town of nut just Auchinleck, but other Ayrshire towns, many of whom will want to be part of such a historic fixture.

Celtic supporters at Somerset park Ayr, July 2024. Photo

Somerset Park capacity is 10,100

Or they could make the shorter trip to Somerset Park in Ayr and with Scott Brown’s away at Tannadice to face Dundee United in their own fourth round tie, the stadium is going to be available. Somerset Park has a capacity of just over 10k so that’s 5k less than the numbers that Auchinleck Talbot could possibly achieve at Rigby Park.

Celtic too will bring supporters by the droves, and with the game no doubt being beamed live on TV, it will be an even bigger money spinner for the non league outfit.

Forget the romance of the cup, move the fixture to Kilmarnock or Ayr , it’s in everyone’s best interests after all.

Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Empty Seats policy at Kilmarnock, St Mirren, Hibs and others

If this cup-tie does move to Rugby Park that the Auchinleck Talbot v Celtic match will have a much higher attendance than when Kilmarnock host the Hoops due to the absolutely bonkers preference for clubs like Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Hibs to prefer empty seats rather than paying customers. We saw this again at Easter Road at the weekend where Celtic could have filled that entire stadium- as indeed theRangers could and Hearts do.

Easter Road, Sunday 30 November 2025. Hibs v Celtic, Scottish Premiership.

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Celtic in the Eighties and Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style both by David Potter. Photo The Celtic Star