GLENAFTON team boss Craig McEwan has experienced an amazing six months even by Junior football standards.

It kicked off with him making history by steering the Ayrshire club to the treble of Scottish Junior Cup, Super Premier Division Championship and Evening Times Champions Cup last season.

And his Glens playing charges appear to have picked up where they left off this time out given their string of memorable performances in the Scottish Cup proper bringing about convincing victories over Newton Stewart (6-0), Golspie Sutherland (6-1) and Threave Rovers (4-0) to earn a second-round tie away to Deveronvale tomorrow afternoon.

The Highland League outfit are placed a lowly 13th in their league table, however Southy is taking nothing for granted and neither are the Glenafton club officials shelling out in order to travel north tonight in the hope an overnight hotel stay will have Craig Menzies & Co better prepared for their Princess Royal Park clash.

The team boss admitted: "It’s a marvellous gesture by the Glens people and one that has everyone in our dressing room determined not to let them down.

“We have done our homework and afforded Deveronvale every respect by having them watched twice and both reports have come back very similar, so I would think we have a fair idea of what they’re about.

“Everybody says that on paper we look capable of winning with goals to spare, but my response is to say the game is not going to be played on paper and you only have to look back to last weekend’s Ardagh Glass Cup Final when we battered Auchinleck Talbot but they lifted the silverware at the final whistle.

“Failing in the manner we did was disappointing, however the thing about football is that you tend to always have a week to wait for the chance to put wrongs right and I’m looking for my players to do just that.”

Striker Chris Dallas and midfielder Ryan Borris, both substitutes in the Ardagh finale, are set to figure in McEwan’s selection thoughts given he is resigned to being without a handful of regular picks.

He revealed: “David Gray is suspended, while Cammy Marlowe is a looking at a further six weeks on the sidelines with a fractured ankle injury and Darren McGill has been unable to train this week with a groin strain and is rated extremely doubtful at best.

“On top of these absences, we have Jambo McKernan acting as best man at a wedding and Ally Park out of the country, so we are far from ideally placed in terms of playing numbers and I’d guess we will only have three available substitutes on the day.

“That said I don’t want to come across as sounding too despondent because I truly believe we have enough in our locker to get over this hurdle.”

Overseeing preparations for his side’s Scottish Cup contest ensured 40-year-old McEwan was not among a watching throng of Junior managers taking in last night’s Umbro Quadrangular Tournament clash between Scotland and the Republic of Ireland at New Western Park.

Keith Burgess made four changes to his starting line-up, with Pollok pair Ross Brash and Mark Sideserf, Jonathan Brown of Bonnyrigg Rose and Kilwinning Rangers frontman Bryan Boylan replacing injured midfielder Paul Burns as well as Bryan Young of Pollok and the Beith duo of Keir Milliken and Nikky Docherty.

Overseeing preparations for his side’s Scottish Cup contest ensured 40-year-old McEwan was not among a watching throng of Junior managers taking in last night’s Umbro Quadrangular Tournament clash between Scotland and the Republic of Ireland at New Western Park.

Keith Burgess made four changes to his starting line-up with Pollok pair Ross Brash and Mark Sideserf ,Jonathan Brown of Bonnyrigg Rose and Kilwinning Rangers front man Bryan Boylan replacing injured midfielder Paul Burns as well as Bryan Young of Pollok and the Beith duo of Keir Milliken and Nikky Docherty.

And the introduction of Brash made the key difference as he volleyed home the only goal of the game in injury time to earn Scotland a precious 1-0 victory that keeps alive their chances of winning the tournament when going up against the Isle of Man in their final game at Newlandsfield tomorrow afternoon.

In the other Quadrangular game, Northern Ireland ran out 4-0 winners over the Isle of Man.

Elsewhere on the Junior scene comes word of Maryhill snapping up goalkeeper Ryan Mailey while Hurlford United have placed highly regarded midfielder Craig Molloy, previously captain of Brechin City on the transfer list.

United gaffer Darren Henderson admitted: “Craig is a marvellous professional who wants to be playing regularly and we as a club will do everything we can to help him even if it comes to agreeing a loan deal."