ANDY CAMERON has undoubtedly enjoyed a steep upward trajectory since becoming St Roch's manager a little under three years ago.

The famous old Glasgow club’s stock at Junior level is at the highest it’s been in decades yet hand in hand with the massive improvements on and off the pitch comes raised expectations as the Candy Rock gaffer has discovered in recent weeks.

An astonishing near 700 crowd (their biggest home gate in years) thronged the James McGrory Stadium terracings for last weekend’s head-to-head with promotion rivals Larkhall Thistle yet it’s somewhat telling that an arguably more momentous milestone was passed without 'so much as a peep' in the previous Saturday’s 4-2 defeat of Thorniewood United.

Supporters will fondly recall raising glasses last season to toast the promoted St Roch's managing to accumulate enough points to consolidate their position in the Central First Division and avoid a “straight back down” relegation fate for the first time in 30 years.

Well…taking all three points against Thorniewood ensured Cameron and his players are yet again safe from the drop, however the loftier ambitions being harboured by Garngad folk this time around saw to it that only Cameron and a few club insiders took any notice of the achievement.

And this coming Saturday should bring a break from the pressures of chasing promotion points with St Roch's taking to the road to meet Super Premier Division cracks Rob Roy in a Central League Cup tie, however the ambitious Cameron is acutely aware of people expecting his side to come out on top against the high-flying Rabs.

He insisted: “Taking charge of a group of players is child’s play compared to managing expectations and I want to get the message across of how crucial it is for the team not to feel under added pressure going into games.

“By all means expect us to go out and compete against Rob Roy but it puts things into perspective to think we are facing a team who are fully two Divisions higher up the pecking order, were Sectional League Cup winners as well as Junior Cup quarter-finalists and are rated among the list of potential winners of both the West of Scotland Cup and Super Premier title.”

Cameron is promising to ring the changes for the Guys Meadow clash with Martin Shields set to start his first game of the season after recovering from injury and places will likewise be found for Ryan Jack and the experienced Paul Roan as well as on loan Annan Athletic midfielder Przemyslaw Dachnowitz (better known as Premmy) who is tipped for a daunting debut appearance.

Cameron added: “Dom McLaren is away back to East Kilbride and John Carter is nursing a muscle strain which may rob him of the chance to face his former team so I never had the option of naming a same again line up.

“I’ve not been in the Juniors long enough to say any fixture doesn’t matter, however our First Division run-in and West Cup tie at home to Annbank United are far higher up on my list of priorities so I’m intending to give several players the chance to stake a claim for a regular starting jersey in these games.

“It might backfire on me but the team I have in mind will be nobody’s pushovers.”

Rob Roy’s new centre-back signing Danny Boyle is set to make his debut after paperwork formalities were completed on his transfer from Auchinleck Talbot, however still posted missing is prolific goalscoring midfielder Shaun Fraser due to a troublesome knee injury.

Rabs gaffer Stewart Maxwell admitted: “We played well against Auchinleck last week but Lady Luck was not on our side in terms of game defining moments and the result is the guys have now suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.

“Stopping the rot and getting back our mojo has to be our aim and I’d like to think the players will give us a reaction against St Roch's who are a club on the up and will receive our every respect.”

In other news last night, Super Premier Division basement battlers Troon have completed the long drawn out signing of ex-Hearts and Partick Thistle midfielder Ryan Stevenson from Raith Rovers and the Troon based 32-year-old is expected to make his Junior debut in his new club’s an Ayrshire Cup tie at home to Ardeer Thistle on Saturday.