Hurlford United man James Creaney insists he is unfazed at the prospect of playing in the biggest game of his Junior career against Pollok at Blair Park.

If the Govan-born 27-year-old manages to get the nod to start in the Junior Cup semi-final first leg on Saturday then it will cap a remarkable resurrection of his playing career that was on the brink of coming to an end at Alloa when he was diagnosed as having a hole in the heart condition.

He recalled: “That has to go down as the most devastating news I have ever received and all manner of thoughts were flashing through my head at the time so I don’t mind admitting football went on the back burner .

“But the remarkable skill of the doctors saw me through an operation to carry out a procedure to fit an “umbrella” stent and they declared my heart to be stronger than ever so I was able to resume playing with the Wasps before earning a move to Stirling Albion in time to feature in a Scottish Cup replay win against Hurlford .

” I knew Darren Henderson even before that game so I turned my back on other interested parties when my Stirling contract expired at the end of last season and he asked me to sign for Hurlford.

“It’s a move that I have never regretted and helped by getting off to the best possible start in beating Troon in the early season Ardagh Glass Cup Final which has only whetted my appetite for picking up a few more silverware prizes.”

James has an overwhelming desire to get his hands on the most prized gong of all as he wants to emulate his proud Dad , former Arthurlie ,Kilwinning Rangers, Cumnock and Linlithgow Rose winger Jimmy , scorer of the only goal of the game when the East Region cracks beat Auchinleck Talbot in the 2003 Junior finale .

James revealed , “ My Dad was also part of the Cumnock side that lifted the trophy in 1989 but he spat out the dummy (most probably mine as I was a one year old baby at the time) and stormed away from Rugby Park when he wasn’t picked to start the game against Ormiston Primrose .

“I was a teenager and his biggest fan during Linlithgow’s great Cup run and I never missed a game inclusive of their semi-final victory over Bo’ness so I know only too well just how tense and nervy these occasions can be .

“The tables are now turned and he’s now my No 1 supporter who is not short of advice in how I should approach this week’s semi-final however he accepts I have to go out and play my own game .”

Hurlford have the distinction of being the only Junior team in the country with a chance of winning every competition entered but James is refusing to set his sights any further than Saturday’s first leg clash.

He insisted: “Someone pointed out this fact the other week but our dressing room is simply taking one competition and one game at a time which means focusing on nothing other than Pollok.

“They are topping the table for a reason and we will be affording them every respect given they have so many top notch players in their ranks like fellow Govanite Kevin “Taz” Bradley and of course my former Dumbarton team mate Davie Winters who simply comes alive inside the opposition penalty box.

“I’ve also came up against Carlo Monti when he played in the First Division with Dundee but he was a left back in those days so it will be a bit strange to now see him operating in a Pollok forward line role.”

Meanwhile ,relegation battling Petershill have been rocked by a specialist assessment of outstanding goalkeeper Stevie McNeil’s knee injury that reckons the Sprinburn No.1 has torn his posterior cruciate ligament and will not play again this season.