East Kilbride are set to be reinstated to the South Challenge Cup after rivals Auchinleck Talbot allegedly fielded an ineligible player during a last 16 clash on Saturday.
Kilby fell to a 1-0 defeat in Ayrshire after Bryan Boylan's strike in 24 minutes proved the difference at Beechwood Park.
However, it has transpired that defending champions Talbot fielded goalkeeper Joshua Bradley-Hurst when he had represented Clydebank against Pollok earlier in the competition, as the Bankies ran out 4-2 winners in October.
Ironically, Kilby's Aiden McDonald also played in that clash for Clydebank alongside Bradley-Hurst and he was cup tied for the Talbot game.
Bradley-Hurst is currently on loan at Talbot from Clyde and the Sri Lankan player had a previous spell at Dumbarton.
The organisers of the South Challenge Cup - which includes teams from the Lowland League, West of Scotland League, East of Scotland League and South of Scotland League - have confirmed the allegation is being investiagted and if Talbot are found to have breached the rules, it is expected they will be booted out and East Kilbride will go through to the quarter-finals to face Lowland rivals Caledonian Braves away from home on April 1.
East Kilbride boss Kevin Rutkiewicz said: "It does look like Talbot have fielded an ineligible player. Their goalkeeper played for Clydebank in a previous round.
"Looking back on similar circumstances in the past, it looks like we would be reinstated.
"It's not the way we would want to go through in a cup but we were without five players on Saturday due to them being cup tied - two of which have been starting every game in Ally Peacock and Jamie Docherty - so rules are rules.
"Reg McLaren, Danny Connor and Aiden McDonald were also out and Aiden actually played in the game with him for Clydebank against Pollok in the earlier round.
"It's obviously a slight admin error.
"I don't know why that's not been caught beforehand but we'll just wait and see what the outcome of that is.
"It's fairly clear-cut from what I can see.
"If we do progress, we've just got to take it as a stroke of luck and hopefully we can take full advantage of it."
South Challenge Cup secretary Richard Osborne told Lanarkshire Live Sport : "The allegation is being investigated and Auchinleck Talbot have seven days to respond. That's all we can say at this time."
On the prospect of facing Caley Braves at Alliance Park next month, Rutkiewicz added: "We've had them in every cup this year so it's familiar foes.
"If we face them, Caley Braves are a team we've done well against but we know it will be a tough game.
"Both teams go into that knowing it is their best chance of silverware this season so I think it will be caution to the wind to try and get the victory."
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