A WORRYING aspect for Junior defenders is that Petershill ace Michael Daly is beginning to feel at home in his Springburn surroundings.

The 29-year-old's career kicked off as a teenage prospect playing in the first team at Alloa under Tom Hendrie (recently-appointed manager of Whitburn Juniors) and he went on to see service with Sauchie, Camelon, Kilsyth Rangers, Queen's Park, Annan Athletic and Clyde during Jim Duffy’s stint at the helm.

The birth of daughter Ava compelled him to reconsider his journeyman ways and look for a club closer to his Cambuslang home so Michael jumped at the opportunity arising to move to Petershill on loan midway through last season.

He recalled: “It was a bit of a culture change dropping into the Junior ranks again after so many years trawling around with various Senior clubs but I was immediately taken by the enthusiasm and forthright style of the Peasy management team Willie Patterson and Paul Kelly.

“They tell it as it is and are very knowledgeable about the game and I thoroughly enjoyed playing here to the extent that I did not hesitate making my transfer a permanent one during the close season.

“It’s an arrangement that suits me down to the ground particularly being able to spend more time around Ava (now aged one and a half years) and I’m feeling happy and more settled than at any other time in my playing career.

“Of course I still have to prove my worth but I feel there are definite signs of me making steady progress as I get to know my team mates and opponents alike .

“Fitness levels are the only perceivable difference I’ve found since being reinstated but there no lack of quality players and direct opponents such as Danny Boyle (Rob Roy), Martin McGoldrick (Auchinleck) and Chris Robertson (Hurlford) are as good as most centre-backs in the lower Scottish Divisions.”

Petershill finished fifth top of the Super Premier Division standings last season but pundits have not been slow to predict they will struggle to match this lofty position following the close season departures of star turns Ross McCabe, Richie Burke, Graeme Girvan and Mark Lamont.

Michael though believes Patterson and Kelly’s rebuilding work has left the Peasy stronger than before and ready to silence their doubters.

Ahead of today’s Euroscot Eng Cup must-win clash away to Bellshill Athletic, he insisted:

“Any club would miss a player of Mark’s match-winning qualities who looks certain to step back upstairs and have another deserved crack at the Senior game.

“The other guys were also great to have around the place, however Willie and Paul have worked wonders to bring in quality replacements with Jamie Brough in defence and Chris Craig, who has played up top alongside myself, really catching the eye with their displays up to now.

Bellshill will be playing their first game today at their new home ground of Rockburn Park which has been passed as playable by West Region beaks.

Michael added: “One or two whispers reckon the playing surface is not the best but we have a very versatile playing squad so I’m pretty sure the gaffers will make sure our mindset is right going into the game.

“A tough fixture list could be looming and we could find ourselves playing four games in seven days as a win over Shettleston on Monday night would land us with a quarter-final against Pollok just two days later.

“That would be a prospect to relish as I remain friends with John Sweeney while big Paul Gallagher and I have experienced some bruising head to heads in our Senior days.”

Meanwhile, St Roch's gaffer Andy Cameron is not totally ruling out his young side’s hopes of figuring in next week’s quarter-finals after putting right a reported error in last Wednesday night’s scorecard against Thorniewood United.

Official sources had the Lanarkshire outfit as having won 3-2 when truth is the Candy Rock had come good through a brace of goals from reinstated Albion Rovers frontman T.J. McLuskey and a Baboucarr Mussa counter that moved the Garngad club into a share of top spot in Section Four.

Laughed the team boss last night: “I would class our qualification chances as somewhere between remote and slender at best seeing as we need an entire sequence of results to go our way.

“However as things stand Bellshill managing to avoid defeat at home to Petershill tomorrow allied to a win for ourselves against Shettleston would leave us sitting atop the pile.

“And were the Peasy and Shettleston to draw on Monday night then we would be the ones going through to face either Pollok or Neilston.

“We’re not kidding ourselves about the likelihood of all these bricks falling into place but the very fact Shettleston will need to go on all-out attack tomorrow to try and peg back Petershill’s superior goals differential could actually work in our favour.“

Only one clear cut Euroscot Eng Cup last-eight pairing is known ahead of today’s ties …promoted Rob Roy hosting the visit of relegated Clydebank …with the remaining quarter- final shaping as Gartcairn or Wishaw v Larkhall Thistle, Pollok or Neilston v Petershill or Shettleston or St Roch's, Greenock v Vale of Clyde or Rutherglen Glencairn or Blantyre Vics.

Troon v reigning Ardagh Glass Cup holders Glenafton looks to be the only definite down in Ayrshire while last season’s beaten finalists Auchinleck Talbot will be hosting either Girvan or Maybole.

The top half of the draw has Hurlford United and Irvine Meadow having qualified from Section Two but it really is anyone’s guess as to their likely opponents from the highly-competitive Section One where the quartet of Kilwinning Rangers, Kilbirnie Ladeside, Beith and Largs Thistle continue to have everything to play for.