SHETTLESTON striker Scott Anson, exhibiting a sense of humour to show he is not feeling nervous heading into this weekend's Dyslexia Scotland Junior Cup quarter-final date with Auchinleck, quips that a winner's medal is one of the inducements offered to Talbot players at re-signing talks.

The bustling frontman needs no reminding of the Bot's record 10 trophy triumphs in Junior football's showpiece competition following an inglorious 2012/13 season spent with arch-rivals Cumnock during which he suffered three defeats at the hands of the black and gold brigade.

He was reduced to looking on enviously as Tommy Sloan's men lifted the Scottish and Evening Times Cups as well as being crowned Super Premier Division champions after going through their entire league season undefeated.

"We derived little satisfaction from beating Talbot 1-0 in the Ayrshire Cup semi-final after the momentous season they enjoyed, particularly when we went on to lose in the final against Largs Thistle," he recalled.

"Just about every team in the country were second best to them that season, yet Cumnock's supporters found it hard to accept not least because the Talbot fans were not slow to rub their noses in it whenever the teams met.

"Yet, though my highspots were few and far between, I can honestly say the atmosphere was utterly fantastic and they were great games to play in ... other than the results of course.

"I'm just hoping to get the nod for Saturday's starting team and maybe get a bit of my own back."

The 25-year-old was given an up-to-date reminder of Auchinleck's strengths when he took in their 3-0 defeat of Shotts Bon Accord last weekend.

He admitted: "There's been a whole raft of changes to their line-up since I played down in Ayrshire with a lot of younger guys holding down places, however the excellent strikeforce of David Gormley and Keir Milliken is still going strong and they both scored goals against Shotts.

"I was also very impressed with the midfielder Dwayne Hyslop, while at the back, Mark Campbell is a veritable ball-winning colossus as well as an aerial attacking threat at set-pieces.

"Sparky looks a far more confident player than when he and I had our share of meaty tussles back when he was at the centre of Irvine Meadow's defence, yet I'd openly relish the opportunity to pit my wits against him again."

Scott insists he and his team-mates cannot afford to go into Saturday's last-eight clash fearing the Ayrshire cracks - no matter how scary their cup record of the past 29 years is.

He acknowledged: "Talbot very seldom slip up when they get to the cup's latter stages, but if we go into the game

worrying about them then we are as good as out already.

"The key is to defend well and keep things tight while also looking to impose ourselves in an attacking sense and I'd like to think we can play the game as we want to do it and not as they force you into doing.

"Maybe the absence of experienced midfielder types Steven White and Colin Spence will help us in that respect, though I've no doubt their replacements - youthful or not - will be of a more-than-decent quality in their own right.

"You don't wear an Auchinleck jersey if you're just a run-of-the-mill player."

Anson's impact in coming on as a substitute in Shettleston's 2-0 fifth-round defeat of fancied Newtongrange Star - he scored one goal and had an assist in the other - has Town supporters tipping him to feature from the start on Saturday afternoon, but the hitman is refusing to take his place for granted.

He said: "The gaffer Hugh Kelly raised a few eyebrows ... mine most of all I should add ... when leaving me out against Newtongrange, but Calum McRobbie (signed from the amateur ranks) had a really good game and none of us in the dressing room would dare to second guess how he will approach the Auchinleck tie.

"But we certainly won't be sitting back in defence because Shug has always maintained there are goals in our team from the trickery and creativity of Chrissy McCormick, Bob Campbell and Rikky McIntosh, so he'll willingly have a go and see if we can score more goals than Talbot.

"We have another attacking threat in club skipper Brian McEwan, now back in full training after ankle surgery, but realistically the game's probably coming a few weeks too soon for him.

"It has all the makings of a cracker of a game and Saturday cannot come soon enough."

Elsewhere, a surprise development at Neilston sees experienced midfield playmaker Chris Cameron made available for transfer with interested parties asked to initially

contact club secretary Mark Kirkland on 07900 202569.