CHRIS STRAIN is urging his Ardrossan Winton Rovers players to pen a happy ending to their fairytale season.

Winton face Rossvale in the preliminary round of this season's Evening Times League Champions Cup tomorrow and Strain is looking for the same level of performance they served up last weekend in knocking holders Auchinleck Talbot out of the New Coin Holdings West of Scotland Cup.

And the ambitious gaffer, who has lifted the Evening Times silverware three times during his eight years at Irvine Meadow's helm, is not ruling out the Ayrshire District League champions going on to actually win the cup itself.

He said: "Anyone reckoning our result down at Auchinleck was a fluke should look at the stats that show our players have not lost over 90 minutes since exiting the Scottish Junior Cup in a replay defeat by St Anthony's back on October 4.

"That's an amazing achievement at any level of the game and confidence is high as you might expect on the back of these winning ways and I don't believe the guys approach any game thinking they are second best.

"Rossvale are a totally unknown quantity to us but they will be given the exact same respect as if we were taking on an Auchinleck or Pollok so complacency will not be a factor in our dressing room .

"The very fact Rossvale won their league title with almost a month to spare speaks volumes about the quality in their ranks and we will be on our guard."

Strain acknowledges that emulating his Evening Times successes against Maryhill, Kilbirnie Ladeside and Ashfield will be a massive achievement.

He added: "It's looking decidedly like the winners of our game with Rossvale will be joined by a quite daunting line-up of Auchinleck, Pollok and Bellshill Athletic in the semi-finals.

" No easy game there by any stretch of the imagination and all we can do - if we make it through - is encourage the players to maintain the same composure and approach that has served them well all season."

Strain reports top scorer Ryan Caddis is a definite non-starter after being landed with a six-game suspension by West Region beaks, but the Winton boss insists young frontman Jared Willet is proving himself a more than an adequate replacement.

He said: "Jared initially came to the club as a midfielder who was not setting the heather alight, but switching to a forward line role has been the making of him.

"He has pace, works his socks off and is brave to boot as he showed when running a very strong Talbot rearguard ragged last weekend.

"It's a blow to be missing Ryan, but it's softened somewhat to have Jared playing at the top of his game and he will be kept in check by our more experienced heads John Johnston, Ben Carson (ex-Talbot) and not forgetting Gareth Turner who along with Michael Wardrope has three Evening Times winners' gongs to their names.

"We have the mix of experience and young legs to win this tie, but I'm pretty sure Rossvale will be thinking the same."

Ayrshire plays host to a number of other crunch encounters tomorrow with Petershill heading for Blair Park seeking a victory that would ensure Willie Patterson's side finish fourth top of the Super Premier pile.

Every bit as determined to pick up a three-points haul are Super First Division leaders Pollok seeking a win against relegation battling Irvine Vics to set up a potential title-winning showdown against Maybole next Saturday.

Tony McInally will be hoping for a full playing hand after the absences of Alan McKenzie, Findlay Frye and Paul Gallagher contributed to his side's shock midweek reverse at home to Largs Thistle.

Third in the table Shettleston's pursuit of the play-off place would be considerably boosted if they could return with all three points from their head to head with fifth top Maybole down at the Ladywell Stadium. Meanwhile, one hears Cambuslang Rangers club officials will be inviting applications for the team manager's post following this week's surprise parting of the ways with erstwhile boss John Doyle. Interested parties are being asked to submit their CV, along with a covering letter, to cambuslangrangers@gmail.com prior to the closing date of Friday, May 15.