CUMNOCK striker Scott Anson is keen for manager John McKeown’s vast knowledge of former club Wishaw to give the Ayrshiremen a crucial edge going into this weekend’s Scottish Junior Cup first round clash.

The Nock boss leads his side back to the Beltane for what is the first competitive head-to-head between the clubs since he opted to walk away from the Lanarkshire outfit almost two years ago in order to take up the Cumnock reins.

But many of the players he helped develop in his two years managerial stint are nowadays seen as mainstays of the Central First Division outfit so Anson hopes he and his team-mates can derive an advantage from their gaffer’s nous.

The hitman insisted: “Deep down I believe heart and desire are the most important factors in Scottish Cup ties but if the gaffer’s knowledge of Wishaw can help our cause then we’d be fools not to take it on board.

“What I do know right now is that the prospect of taking our scalp will have Wishaw treating this game as their cup final and we must be prepared to roll up our sleeves and respond with similar commitment.

“A lot of Cumnock supporters will make the effort to travel up for the game to give us their backing and we want to put smiles on their faces for the journey home.”

Top scorer Anson returned after a bout of suspension in last Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by Arthurlie, coming off the bench to net, however his 12th goal of the season only acted to put a better complexion on the scoreline.

He added: “Look, I want to play every game so it was disappointing not to start against Arthurlie even if I understand the gaffer’s thinking in going with the same team that ran out 4-0 winners in our previous game against Largs Thistle.

“My goal brought the score back to 2-1 and I felt we could get something out of the game but conceding a sloppy third goal killed us dead.

“Whether I did enough to earn a starting jersey through at Wishaw remains to be seen but hopefully I can get the nod because I really do think this Cumnock team is capable of a decent cup run.

“I was a beaten semi-finalist as a Bo’ness United player and would love to go one better.”

Team boss McKeown, a centre-back in his own playing days is adamant his side must tighten up defensively to avoid ending up with egg on their faces.

He said: “I don’t want to take anything away from a good Arthurlie performance but we contributed to our downfall by switching off at the wrong times.

“And we need to learn from our mistakes and quickly because Wishaw have sharp forward going players in the likes of KB Grant and Ryan Smillie who will punish us for similar slackness.

“In my time in charge Wishaw were something of a giantkiller with victories over Shotts Bon Accord and Auchinleck Talbot to their name and the guys have continued to upset the form book under Chris McGroarty who can boast wins against Pollok and of course Rob Roy in last season’s Scottish Cup.

“I’ve no doubt Chris will have his players believing they can bring about another shock result and nothing but our best will do on the day.”

Ruggy took over a Wishaw side sitting rock bottom of the Central Second Division but is not in the least bit surprised at his old club coming to the fore as a leading First Division title challenger.

He recalled: “I enjoyed my time there and had a great relationship with club officials who were amongst the hardest working in the game and would do anything for the good of the team.

“We won promotion in my second year as manager and there were terrific cornerstones in place through Barry Ely, an outstanding defender able to play anywhere across the back four, whom we signed from Wishaw Under 19’s along with goalkeeper Stuart Thomson.

“Paul McGeough arrived from Rob Roy to bolster our midfield and I also signed up Spud (Mark Daly), an experienced defender with never-say-die qualities.

“Chris has built on this foundation with some terrific signings of his own and the team narrowly lost out on promotion last time but I fancy they will go up this season.”

Word on the respective team fronts has McGroarty boasting a full squad to choose from, however Cumnock’s talisman midfielder Paul Burns is a definite non-starter though his absence it helps atone for his absence that Andy Muir has declared himself fit to play following a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, on the comings and goings front comes word of Lanark United putting star turn Alan McCrum on the transfer list at his own request.

The attacking midfielder's availability is sure to bring some signing attention and interested parties are asked to contact secretary Tam Anderson on 077210477080.