Alan Cotton today revealed only a club of Pollok's standing could have lured him back into the Junior game.

John Richardson's new No.2 slipped quietly into the dugout as Lok clinched a place in the last 16 of the Emirates Scottish Cup with a last-gasp 3-2 win over Beith at Newlandsfield.

Now the former Dalry and Lugar gaffer is excited at the prospect of leading his first training session with the Pollok squad tomorrow night.

He said: "I had taken a sabbatical since the end of last season and vowed never to come back into the Juniors after my experiences at Dalry but, having a club of Pollok's stature chapping at your door is not something you are going to ignore.

"They are one of the true giants at this level and that belief was only underlined at the weekend when nearly 900 fans took in the game against Beith.

"Another major factor in my decision is the manager. John's enthusiasm is highly infectious as I discovered last week when we met up for an informal chat, and I ended up being reeled in by his ambitious plans and ideas for Pollok.

"He also comes across as a tremendous ambassador for his club, so I'm more than happy to work away in the background and do what I can to support him on the coaching side of things.

"Pollok's set-up behind the scenes is top-notch and John has built a fabulous dressing-room spirit which I detected from the moment I walked through the door.

"Working with players of top quality is where I belong and that's what Pollok have in abundance, so I am relishing the prospect of making a success of my new role at the club."

Cotton revealed he has worked alongside St Mirren boss Danny Lennon both at Cowdenbeath and at St Mirren.

He was first-team coach at Central Park when Beath won promotion to the First Division and it was his coaching skills which helped develop the likes of Darren McGregor, Paul McQuade, Jon Robertson and Gareth Wardlaw, who all stepped up to play under Lennon at the Paisley club.

He added: "There is no real difference in taking a training session at Lugar, Dalry or Pollok, however the response from the players is crucial and in that respect I have landed lucky.

"Carlo Monti is clearly a special talent, but he also has an appetite for hard work, while older heads such as Brian McGinty and Paul Lovering are hugely influential about the dressing-room and are great at encouraging the younger lads.

"I was only introduced to the main thrust of players on Saturday, but they have gone out of their way to make me feel really welcome and already the ribbing has started, which is a sure sign that everything is going well.

"I'm looking forward to my first training session tomorrow night, and hopefully they will then be better prepared for facing Clydebank in what is shaping up as a tough Super Premier game this weekend."

Cotton has enlisted sports scientist Billy McKie to help him out with his Newlandsfield coaching sessions.