GREENOCK get a welcome respite tomorrow from the rigours of chasing vital league points.

Yoker are the visitors to Ravenscraig for a second round tie in the West of Scotland Cup.

The first attempt to play the match in mid-December was postponed, but hopes are high that it will go ahead tomorrow, despite this week’s heavy rain and snow showers.

It’s the first of two visits from Yoker to Greenock over the next few weeks, with the sides still to meet at Ravenscraig in the league.

The Holm Park men are enjoying an excellent run in the Scottish Cup, where a week on Saturday they will play their quarter-final tie against either Camelon or Linlithgow Rose, who meet tomorrow in a fifth round replay.

But Yoker’s prolonged involvement in the national tournament has been to the detriment of their league campaign, and they have now slipped into the bottom-four relegation zone. Few would expect them to remain there once they start to catch up on their games in hand, but such a backlog can often have an adverse effect.

However, the ‘Whe Ho’, as they are affectionately known, will no doubt be giving their all tomorrow to stay involved in the West of Scotland Cup, often considered to be the second most prestigious cup competition in the junior game.

Greenock can draw encouragement from the last time the sides met, when they ran out 2-0 winners in a league match at Holm Park last September.

But manager Martin Campbell knows that might have little bearing on tomorrow’s encounter.

He said: ‘’We played very well that day and went in 2-0 up at half-time, then withstood a barrage of pressure from Yoker in the second half. But a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, and it will take another strong performance tomorrow if we are to get into the next round of the cup.

“We really want to be in that draw, as it gives us a wee break from the pressures of the league. As Scottish Cup quarter-finalists, Yoker will be given every respect, but we had a decent display against Cumbernauld last week and want to keep it going.’’ Sean Doherty, who sat out last Saturday’s game through injury, is likely to miss out again as his recovery is taking longer than hoped. But Ryan Craig, pictured, another absentee from the Cumbernauld game for family reasons, should come back into contention.

Kick-off at Ravenscraig is at 2pm. The match will go straight to penalties if level after 90 minutes.

l Greenock Juniors are sponsored by SAVEHEAT, and the Lighthouse Bar.