Although the end is in sight, with just two fixtures remaining, O’Dea insists that the hard work for his players won’t stop in the coming weeks.

“We want to be playing as many games as possible, and top level games,” he said. “It’s irrelevant if it’s a cup final or not. Every day and every game for these boys is an opportunity.

“That’s what the Glasgow Cup final will be, another opportunity. We are delighted now that they will get that opportunity to show what they are worth.

'I thought there were a lot of good performances, and hopefully we can now build on that.'

“We aren’t coming to the end of the season, that isn’t the feeling we’ve got. These boys aren’t finishing anything this year, it’s about continuing on the work.

“They’ll get a break soon, but it doesn’t have a feeling of it coming to a finish. It’s actually gearing up if anything.”

On Saturday afternoon, the Bhoys will play their final Lowland League fixture of the season as they take on East Stirlingshire at the Excelsior Stadium.

With the Hoops still vying for positions at the top of the table, O’Dea praised his squad’s mentality as they look to round of their competitive games in a strong fashion.

He said: “That’s the mentality of the group now. We believe our next game will be our strongest, because ultimately we are trying to develop everyone.

'We are trying to develop the squad, and then most importantly the individual. We’ve seen players now dip into the first team, and when they come back it’s noticeable.'

“There is a change in them, which is fantastic to see. We are really pleased with the group as a whole, and the mentality of them for the whole year has been exceptional.

“But the work is nowhere near done. There is a long way to go, and we certainly won’t be freewheeling into the end of the season. We’ll be attacking every game as hard as we can.”

Darren O’Dea: The mentality of the squad is exceptional