BLANTYRE VICS will roll up the sleeves and get back into action tonight when hosting the visit of Ayrshire District League champions Ardrossan Winton Rovers in the first of this season's Evening Times Champions Cup semi-finals.

The Ayrshiremen are by a long way the fresher side coming into the contest, having not played for fully a month since losing on penalty-kicks in their preliminary Evening Times Cup clash against Rossvale - a result later overturned in their favour when it was revealed the Bishopbriggs-based club had fielded an ineligible player - however Castle Park gaffer David Greig believes his players will be up for their latest fray.

Earlier today he said: "Tonight is our 44th competitive game of what has been a truly momentous season in which the players have won the Second Division title and made it into the semi-finals of three cup competitions.

"That in itself is a success story but I would not bet money against them making it a 47-game season because the shared desire among the guys to be winners and put this club's name back on the Junior football map burns as strong as ever within our dressing room.

"Tiredness, injuries, holidays and suspension are all beginning to affect us with Kevin "Paddy" Macklin, Ryan McGarry and Wasso Ferguson all posted missing against Ardrossan, but we will still have 17 players ready to give it their best tonight.

"One of them is Dennistoun Vale amateur goalkeeper John Paul Cassidy who played his first game for us filling in for Paddy against Carluke at the weekend and he came up trumps in pulling off a couple of outstanding saves when the scores were still tied at 0-0.

"I'll have no qualms penning his name on to the team sheet tonight and the same goes for Brian Caldwell who hasn't had a lot of game time yet came in on Saturday to play superbly and notch a goal in the process."

Greggy believes his players will not need motivating ahead of their latest cup clash.

He added: "We came into the competition last season as Second Division title winners and took an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at the hands of Irvine Vics on a day that everything that could go wrong ... went horribly wrong and then some.

"We never envisaged having this chance to make amends just 12 months later but it's one we want to take."

Suspension rules out Ardrossan top scorer Ryan Caddis, but team boss Chris Strain reports a clean bill of health otherwise.