Chris Strain (left) and manager Chris Strain senior look forward to Saturday

By Phil Goodlad

When Irvine Meadow take to the field at Easter Road it will be the stuff of dreams for the part-time players that make up the Ayrshire side.

As full-time workers playing Junior football they are more used to playing against fellow plasterers, carpet fitters and office workers than international professionals.

And forget crowds in their thousands - home games at Meadow Park hardly create stampedes. But at 3 o'clock on Saturday all that will change. Running out to face Hibernian, who sit third in the Scottish Premier League, the players of Irvine Meadow will live the dream.

''To be honest I still can't believe it," postman Emilio Jaconelli told BBC Scotland.

"It's one of these things you dream about but never think will happen. I can't wait.''

Had things turned out differently it may have been Emilio and his SPL side welcoming a non-league outfit. Bad luck and changing circumstances saw the striker play for a few sides after being released from Kilmarnock.

Now his football only comes at the end of his shift.

''After a day's work and going to play a game you are tired but once the adrenaline kicks in you get through the game," he added. "Saturday nights after working from 6am and playing though I end up falling asleep on the sofa!''

Up the road from Emilio's postal round and Chris Strain faces a similar problem.

The Irvine Meadow midfielder, son of manager Chris Strain senior, is a full-time banker and he also can't wait for the biggest game of his life and that of his 113-year-old team.

''I've played part-time football for a number of years so I'm used to balancing work and playing," he explained.

"It has been difficult this week as people just want to speak about the game but it's just a case of doing the job and then focussing on the match.''

Part-time Meadow relish trip to Hibs

Given his head for figures Chris knows people are expecting Hibs to lodge a hefty score against his side akin to a balance sheet.

Yet he is approaching the match in the type of pragmatic style his profession would be proud of.

''It's obviously going to be very difficult," Strain added. "Hibs are a top quality side. You don't want to go there and disgrace yourselves but hopefully we can go there and spring a shock."

The arctic weather has not helped the club's preparation, with their last competitive match being played on 5 December.

However, the players were given the chance to shake off some rust in a closed doors game against St Mirren last weekend and there was another taste of the big time on Thursday when they trained at Rangers' Murray Park, which sure beats the local school where Wednesday's session took place.

The team who beat Brora Rangers, Selkirk and Arbroath en route to Edinburgh, have also been working out on Irvine beach, with playing fields frozen.

It's not just the players who can't wait for the visit to Easter Road. Irvine has been gripped by Scottish Cup fever.

An empty building in the middle of the town has been taken over as the official club shop, while shop windows are decorated with daily hand written bulletins on ticket and bus seat availability.

The local bakers have brought out their own special pie for the big match. The spicy 'Medda' pie presumably a good source of heat as well as a hearty half time snack.

Sometimes the cliché is used too much. Sometimes it's unavoidable. The romance of the cup.

It's what dreams are made of.

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