KILBIRNIE Ladeside co-bosses Stevie Swift and Mark Crilly are adamant new signing Iain Gray will not provide all the answers to the Ayrshire side's defensive woes.

The Blasties management duo's swoop to fix up the 23-year-old on a loan deal from Clyde in midweek looks set to culminate in Gray being thrown straight in at the deep end for a baptism of fire debut in tomorrow's Scottish Junior Cup last-16 clash against the reigning trophy holders Hurlford United.

His capture came about after Swift and Crilly's frustration over their team's apparent inability to put up the shutters boiled over in the wake of last weekend's 3-2 Super Premier Division defeat at home to Glenafton - their 13th consecutive league game without posting a clean sheet.

Swifty insisted: "Iain is a very mobile and competitive individual who will undoubtedly strengthen our hand but he is only one player and it's going to take everyone working as a unit for us to tighten up at the back.

"It's astonishing to think we have not managed to shut up shop since our league season got underway back in August or that only FC Stoneywood (beaten 4-0 in a Scottish third-round replay) have failed to score against us .

"Leaking goals in this manner leaves us with the worst goals against column among top-flight clubs and it's no real surprise we have slipped way down the table so Crills and I had no alternative but to move and try to stop this slide.

"We have worked hard on defensive drills and shape on the training ground but the best coaching in the world cannot legislate against the array of individual errors which have cost us dearly and improvements must be made in this respect."

Swifty anticipates a testing Cup-tie against Darren Henderson's men who have beaten Kilbirnie in their two previous head to heads this season ... netting three goals in each meeting inclusive of a 3-2 victory when they last visited Valefield as recently as early January.

Memories of that defeat made the co-gaffer wince before saying: "We played well in an attacking sense that day and things seemed to be going our way when the Hurlford striker Ross Robertson - who is a very dangerous striker - was sent off for simulation.

"I warned our players to beware of Hurlford's threat at set-pieces as I couldn't see them scoring against us from open play but hardly had the second half started than we lost goals from corner-kicks to give their experienced backline a lead to defend and unfortunately they didn't disappoint.

"These criminal lapses in concentration has been the story of our season and we really need to be switched on from first whistle to last tomorrow if we are to have any chance of booking a quarter-final place.

"Hurlford will be regarded as favourites coming to our place which is no real sleight as Darren and his players are probably most people's tip to go all the way and retain the silverware however I have no doubt our players are a match for them on our day ... and I just hope it's tomorrow."

Kilbirnie's preparations for the tie have been wrecked by an injury crisis that has left Kieron McAnespie (calf muscle) Graham Boyd (foot) and Billy Gibson (groin) unable to train and considered extremely doubtful along with definite non-starter Simon Marriot who pulled a hamstring in a recent friendly outing against Benburb.

Swifty bemoaned his lot: "No decisions will be made on the availability of any of the players until just before kick-off time, however things look bleak and right now I would gladly settle for one of the guys declaring himself fit ."

If youthful striker Boyd doesn't make it then another of Kilbirnie's loan signings, Adam Forde (Stranraer ) looks certain to partner veteran Richie Barr in attack.

Swifty added: "Adam has only been here a matter of weeks and is still bedding himself in but he has improved with every game and I've high hopes for him coming good in the scoring stakes."

Another of the leading Ayrshire hopefuls, Auchinleck Talbot, could be boosted for their fifth-round replay joust through East against Bonnyrigg Rose by the return from injury of highly-rated hitman Graham Wilson who was a notable absentee in last weekend's 1-1 first game stalemate at Beechwood Park.

Also making the trip as part of the visiting party is ex-Johnstone Burgh and Rangers Youth frontman Lee Cochrane who has been signed up by Bot boss Tommy Sloan and could figure on the substitutes bench at New Dundas Park.

Meanwhile, Troon's hopes of making it through in their fourth-round replay encounter at home to Camelon could rest heavily upon how striker David Gillies fares in his appeal against being red carded in last week's high scoring 3-3 affair with last season's beaten semi- finalists.

The Ayrshiremen were leading 2-0 and looking a good bet to win at Carmuirs Park until Gillies was sent packing for challenging the Camelon keeper for a through ball.

Troon boss Jim Kirkwood said: "David believes he was been punished for nothing more than an attempt to score a goal and is looking to maintain his record of not being sent off in the past eight years."