Juniors: Rossvale clinch signing of former Celtic star Bobby Petta and could pitch him into Scottish Cup clash with Hurlford United

And he could come into the reckoning for a baptism of fire when the ambitious Bishopbriggs side head through for a ETHXenergy Scottish Junior Cup last-16 clash with Hurlford United this Saturday.

The offer of sponsorship from local company Clyde Process Valves enabled Rossvale gaffer Martin Lauchlan to conclude signing formalities with 41-year-old Petta yesterday and the team boss was understandably all smiles afterwards.

He said: "Our young side is full of energy and quick all over the pitch but sometimes you need to slow things down and it’s in this respect we see Bobby exerting the same kind of calming influence as Robbie Winters did last season.

“But nobody should be fooled into thinking he is coming here to take things easy because Bobby is one exceptionally fit individual who will not shy away from putting in a shift for the team. and we cannot wait to see him in a Rossvale jersey.

“And his enthusiasm over coming here has him offering to get involved on the coaching side to help develop some of the younger players coming through the club ranks.

“It would be marvellous to unveil him down at Hurlford, but that opportunity might be denied us by red tape given that Bobby previously played for Adelaide Rangers in Australia and will require International Clearance before he can turn out with us.

“These paperwork matters have been known to drag on a bit and we can do nothing other than keep fingers crossed and wait to see how things pan out.”

Lauchlan will be hoping his playing charges can give a better account of themselves on their latest trip into the Ayrshire heartlands following last Saturday’s 3-1 New Coin Holdings Cup defeat away to Cumnock.

He said: "We lost but it’s no lie to say we were forced to play in a style totally alien to us by a quagmire of a pitch that was debatably playable.

“I was sinking into the ground standing in the dugout area while the ball was continually sticking as the guys attempted to play their normal passing game so we had no choice but to play long and put the ball behind the Cumnock defence.

“Ultimately they deserved to win after coping with the conditions better than us however if the Blair Park surface is in good condition then I’m sure we’ll give a good account of ourselves.

“ Hurlford took the opportunity to run the rule over us on Saturday but postponements have prevented me doing likewise since the cup draw and all I know about them is my former St Johnstone team mate David McLune is likely to figure in their midfield.

“But you can rest assured that I’ll be making use of my extensive contacts in the Juniors to know everything there is to know about Hurlford before Saturday.”

Meanwhile, surprising to hear there has been a lack of interest shown in Bishopbriggs-based Chris Hall recently placed on the open to transfer list by Irvine Meadow.

The one-time Knightswood Juveniles star turn hasn’t featured competitively since being injured in an early October clash with Pollok, but is now vowing to play through the pain barrier to prove he deserves a place in new manager Davie Greig’s plans.

Last night the 25-year-old striker revealed: "A groin injury sustained in the Pollok game was diagnosed initially as a strain, but it didn’t respond to treatment or rest and eventually I paid to see a specialist who referred me to Ross Hall for an MRI scan.

“The results only came through last week and showed I have a small hernia which doesn’t need surgery and more importantly will not get any worse through training and playing so I’m now working on bringing my fitness back up to scratch.

“My groin can be uncomfortable during exercise and painful afterwards but all my focus is on getting back in a Medda jersey and doing what I can to help us avoid relegation which is an experience I didn’t enjoy at Ashfield.

“If I can contribute to us staying up then Davie might be persuaded to keep me at the club which would suit me fine as I’ m settled."