The ‘back to the future’ signing of feted striker Paul Maxwell could turn out to be a masterstroke by Ashfield team boss Robert Docherty?

Few players in the Junior game nowadays command such instant respect as Maxi.

And fewer still can claim to possess the same insider knowledge about what is needed to help spearhead a club’s journey from the lower reaches of the Central Second Division to the West Region’s top tier.

That’s because the Milton born and bred 33-year-old has been down this road before with the famous old Glasgow club he first joined in 2003 when snapped up by then Saracen Park manager Willie McGarrigle after impressing as a trialist …playing in a game against Ashfield.

Things really kicked off a season further down the line with the arrival of wizened gaffer Stevie Rankin at the helm and Maxi was to find himself an integral figure - other than a six-month stint with Dumbarton - as part of an Ashfield side embarking upon a near fairytale rise up through the various divisions that saw the Possil outfit re-established as a major Junior force.

But the happy ending proved to be all too brief after big guns Irvine Meadow enticed away Rankin and No.2 Murdie McKinnon.

Those departures then sparked a mass exodus of Ashfield players bound for the same Ayrshire climes.

Maxi said: "It’s no secret that I was reluctant to leave a club where I had enjoyed so many wonderful times but I did walk away out of a sense of loyalty to Stevie Rankin whose management had helped develop me as a player.

“Irvine Meadow is a great club with a terrific support and moving there was a dream initially as the team hit the ground running and made it all the way to the Scottish Junior Cup semi-finals only to lose out against the eventual winners Hurlford United.

“But the following season was the total opposite as I tore my cruciate ligament early on and had still not made a full recovery a year later when things started to turn sour behind the scenes culminating in the sackings of Stevie and Murdie.

“After that, the break-up of our team was inevitable and a lot of the guys signed for other Junior clubs with Gary McCann moving to Pollok probably the most high profile of them all.

However, I turned down several approaches and decided to take some time away from the Juniors by turning out for Possil YM under my good mate Kevin McDonald.

“The plan was for me to play and help out on the training ground but unfortunately Kev’s commitments led to him taking more and more of a back seat and I ended up managing the team.”

Possil Y.M’s penchant for testing themselves through playing friendly matches against Junior opposition included an encounter with Ashfield where Maxi’s introduction to counterpart Docherty was the spark which led to regular telephone conversations between the pair until the end of season.

He added: "Robert asked if I would be prepared to take up a player-coach role at Ashfield and I didn’t hesitate in accepting his offer as the prospect of returning to Saracen Park is one that truly excites me.

“I’m not going to pretend to be the player I was at my peak but hopefully my experience gleaned over the past 14 seasons can be put to to good effect both in the dressing room and out on the pitch.

“And I’d like to think my bringing a greater Junior nous to the table might also help Robert and his No.2 Alan Logan who are outstanding football coaches but are not as steeped in this level of the game as myself.”

Maxi’s vast array of contacts has brought him to approach over 60 potential signings over the past few months and though left disappointed more often than not, he is delighted that a quartet of older heads have answered his call to arms.

He said: "Pre-season training has been underway for a couple of weeks and we are regularly working with 25 or so players looking to unearth prospects such as young goalkeeper Mark Quinn who has put pen to paper after playing under me at Possil YM. last season.

“Also on board is my former Ashfield team-mate, Gordon Passmore who was on the books of Dunipace at the end of last season and it’s no lie to say he’s looking in better condition now at 38 years of age than he did back in 2003.

“Another player from that same era, John Gaynor, dropped out of the picture after a leg break in a Scottish Cup tie against Neilston sidelined him for two years, and he is really looking the part.

“But this is not just an old boys network because we have also persuaded the experienced pair of Paul Doyle and Paddy Cullen to sign here from Rutherglen Glencairn which hopefully will work in our favour after last week’s New Coin Holdings West of Scotland Cup draw landed Ashfield with a home tie against the Glens.

“Cup runs are always welcome however our number one aim is to move up the leagues and we’ll never have a better chance than the coming season when the step up places are a part of league reconstruction plans.

“Ashfield finished fourth bottom last time out but it’s not beyond us to bridge the gap and be a whole heap of points better off come next May.”

The West Cup draw was kind to holders Pollok, pitted away to Royal Albert while beaten finalists Cumnock will receive a stronger test of their mettle when hosting the visit of the improving Glasgow Perthshire.

Glenafton v Girvan stands out as the only all-Super Premier contest taking place.

However, tie-of-the-round status undoubtedly belongs to the clash of fierce Ayrshire rivals Kilwinning Rangers and Irvine Meadow at Hannah Park.

New Coin Holdings West of Scotland Cup first round draw: Petershill v Whitletts Vics, Blantyre Vics v Beith, Shettleston v Rossvale, Cambuslang Rangers v Muirkirk, Largs Thistle v Bellshill Athletic, Lugar Boswell v Clydebank, Neilston v Port Glasgow , Forth Wanderers v Thorniewood Utd, St Anthony's v Annbank Utd, Renfrew v Larkhall Thistle, Dalry Thistle v Darvel, Glenafton v Girvan, Benburb v Lanark Utd, Maryhill v Ardrossan Winton Rovers, Shotts Bon Accord v East Kilbride Thistle, Kello Rovers v Troon, Arthurlie v Saltcoats Vics, Auchinleck Talbot v Carluke Rovers, Cumnock v Glasgow Perthshire, Vale of Clyde v Wishaw, Kilwinning Rangers v Irvine Meadow, Yoker Athletic v Maybole, Rob Roy v Irvine Vics, Craigmark v Cumbernauld Utd, Royal Albert v Pollok, Ashfield v Rutherglen Glencairn, Dunipace v Gartcairn, St Roch's v Newmains Utd, Kilbirnie Ladeside v Johnstone Burgh, Hurlford Utd v Lesmahagow, Kilsyth Rangers v Vale of Leven, Ardeer Thistle v Greenock.