Paul Maxwell says he hasn’t given a second thought to making the Irvine Meadow centre-back position his own.

The seasoned Junior striker was pitched into an unaccustomed central defensive slot from the bench when the Ayrshiremen recently ran out 5-4 winners against Johnstone Burgh.

The role reversal happened after Michael Keenan was red-carded in the New Coin Holdings West of Scotland Cup clash and Maxi played out the closing 25 minutes in defence.

He admitted to a few anxious moments but an otherwise assured display alongside former Aberdeen and St Johnstone mainstay Kevin Rutkiewicz has left Medda supporters eager to discover how Maxi will handle the occasion if he again features at the heart of the Super Premier Division bottom club’s rearguard in this weekend’s crucial head-to-head away to league leaders Pollok.

The 32-year-old scoffed at the very suggestion when looking forward to the Newlandsfield clash last night.

He said: "Truth is I only played at the back because of a unique set of circumstances .

“Grant Evans was already a non-starter with a hamstring injury when Marc Twaddle revealed he was calling time on his playing career in the run-up to the Burgh game.

“The natural replacement was Michael, but his subsequent sending-off with the scoreline poised at 4-3 in our favour left the gaffer Davie Greig with little option other than to turn to myself to act as a defensive ball winner.

“The prospect didn’t bother me in the slightest as I’ve always been someone who has come back to defend set pieces and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

"Although a lot of credit belongs to Kevin, who made it easy for me playing at my shoulder and using his experience to talk me through where I should and shouldn’t be positionally.

“For that reason I wouldn’t lose sleep if asked to play at the back against an in-form Pollok even though they have strikers in Davie and Robbie Winters, currently playing at the very top of their game and prompted by Carlo Monti operating in a deeper role.

“But then maybe my bravado can be put down to knowing there is a better than 50/50 chance of big Grant declaring himself fit for the game after showing no ill-effects to training along with the guys this week.

”And if the decision is made not to risk the big man then Davie still has the decent option of calling on Chris Wilson to play infield alongside Kevin.

“I’m not looking to talk myself out of a starting jersey and the gaffer knows he can use me wherever, but me getting a game is nowhere near as important as Irvine Meadow picking up three points.”

Maxi went on to reveal a backline role is not totally alien to him as he had formerly been a promising centre-half during his formative years with highly regarded nursery West Park Boys Club.

He recalled: "It’s ironic to think I played in defence right up until an Under-17’s game against local rivals Rossvale Boys where we were losing 2-0 and the manager put me up front in a last throw of the dice.

“We won 3-2 and I scored a hat-trick and never played anywhere other than striker until a Central League Cup tie against Petershill when I was on Ashfield’s books.

“Stevie Rankin was worried about the aerial ability of Andy Thomson so I was asked to play alongside Jim Beattie to try to nullify his threat and I must have made a decent fist of it because the then Peasy manager Stevie Easton signed me in the close season.

“But I had visions of teaming up with Stevie Dallas so when he asked me to play in defence, I handed over my signing on fee to pave the way for a return to Ashfield and we ended up promoted that season.

“I’ve never thought of myself as a defender ever since …and still don’t.”

Elsewhere in the top flight comes news of Auchinleck Talbot’s top-of-the-table clash with Rob Roy kicking off at the earlier time of 1pm because of a fund-raising speakers night being held by the Kirkintilloch outfit.

Meanwhile, reigning Scottish Junior Cup holders Auchinleck Talbot head up a seven-strong West Region contingent of clubs whose names will go into the hat when the ETHXenergy Scottish Junior Cup quarter-final draw takes place later today on the PLZ Media show.

Sponsors chairman Thomas Montgomery will oversee the pairings being made by Scottish footballing figures Alan Rough and Gordon Smith.