“I think we’re confident the game will be played this week,” he said. “The pitch is looking in good condition and fingers crossed the weather stays kind.

“We’ve had Beith watched a few times and got some information on them that we’ve been conveying to the squad over the last couple of weeks. The fact is they are favourites to win the competition for a reason.

“They have a strong, experienced squad capable of competing at the highest level in the Junior game and will prove a tough test.

“However, they aren’t infallible and we have managed to identify some areas we believe we can exploit.

“Our players will need to play well and play smart if we are to get a win.”

Gunnion knows there will be number of disappointed players when the team is announced on Saturday afternoon.

He said: “We have built up a strong squad and each week there is always a group of players disappointed not to be starting or involved.

“But that’s the nature of the game and everyone knows they need to perform well in training and in games to be in with a chance of starting.

“It’s a headache I’d much rather have than not have.”