Auchinleck Talbot Relocates Scottish Cup Tie Against Celtic
Auchinleck Talbot has made the "difficult and extremely disappointing" decision to relocate their Scottish Cup fourth round match against Celtic to Rugby Park in Kilmarnock.
The club, which competes in the West of Scotland League Premier Division, expressed concerns regarding the capability of the local infrastructure to handle such a high-profile event. This decision came after consultations with the Scottish FA and Police Scotland.
Beechwood Park, the home ground of Auchinleck Talbot, has a capacity of 4,000, while Rugby Park can accommodate 15,000 spectators, providing a more suitable venue for the anticipated crowd.
The match, featuring the sixth-tier team against the 42-time champions, is scheduled for Sunday, January 18, and will be broadcast live on Premier Sports.
In an official statement, Auchinleck Talbot noted: "After numerous meetings and extensive discussions with East Ayrshire Council, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Football Association, we have made the difficult and extremely disappointing decision to move our Men’s Scottish Cup fourth round tie against Celtic to Rugby Park."
"While Beechwood Park meets and exceeds some SFA Club Licensing Entry Level criteria, we could not overlook concerns regarding the local infrastructure's ability to manage an event of this magnitude, which has drawn worldwide attention to Auchinleck and Auchinleck Talbot F.C."
The club expressed gratitude to East Ayrshire Council Events & Resilience, Police Scotland, the Scottish Football Association, Celtic F.C., and Kilmarnock F.C. for their support throughout this process.
Additionally, BBC Scotland will broadcast two fourth-round ties. Dunfermline Athletic will face Hibernian at East End Park live on BBC One Scotland on Saturday, January 17, at 12:30 GMT, while Aberdeen will host Raith Rovers on the same channel on Sunday, January 18, at 14:30 GMT.