Hat-trick and signed match ball for Raith Rovers’ cup-tie winner Aidan Connolly

Raith’s forward was the architect of their downfall with two stunning strikes, topped off with fine tap-in to seal the Stark’s Park’s side in the draw for the fourth round.

The ball was suitably inscribed by his team-mates, with messages of congratulation, and a cheeky “you’re welcome” note from team-mate Ethan Ross who set up one of his goals.

Connolly was chuffed with his match ball hat-trick, but while Talbot manager Tommy Sloan reflected on a “wonder goal” the player was more down to earth: “Hit and hope” was his summary of the two strikes from the right, one which found the top corner, and another which went in at the near post.

“It was great to get a hat-trick,” he said. “You want to win games and score goals.”

Talbot knew all about Connolly’s ability with the ball at his feet after watching him last week.

Sloan could only shake his head: “It was a world beating goal. We knew we had to close him down and push him to his right.”

Connolly replied: “I don’t have a right leg!”

Salon was more than proud of his players’ efforts, and he headed back to Ayrshire with his head held high.

“We had to have a go in 90 minutes - we really didn’t want to go to extra time against a full-time team,” he said. “We were talking about making a change to try to go and win the game, and then the boy put the ball in the top right hand corner. That goal changed everything.”

For Connolly, his scoring run is down to “working hard and not thinking too much about the game before hand. It’s an approach which is working.

Rovers had all the possession but nothing to show for it until he stepped up to the plate with an hour on the clock.

It came at an opportune time, as manager Ian Murray revealed: “Five minutes more and we’d have had to make a change in personnel and formation. We had so much of the ball today - the message from the chat in the changing room was make sure we win, and it came good.

“The goal came at the right time.”