JOHN FLEMING, the Scottish Football Association's head of referees, believes the introduction of vanishing spray will "enhance the reputation of our game".

The spray, used to help mark the required distance of 10 yards between the ball and opposition at set pieces, was a popular feature at last summer's World Cup finals in Brazil and has since been deployed in 13 European countries. It will be used in Scottish domestic football for the first time this weekend in the William Hill Scottish Cup, before being rolled out across all of the country's senior leagues and cup competitions. Fleming believes it will become a welcome addition.

"Vanishing spray is a simple yet effective tool which will aid our referees in their management of set piece situations," he said. "Based on the current application and widespread use around the world, vanishing spray will undoubtedly enhance the reputation of our game."

John Beaton will become the first referee to use it when he takes charge of the Saturday lunchtime tie between Dundee and Celtic, a match that will be broadcast live on television.

"I'll be the first to use it so there's a wee bit of history there," he said. "I think it will be useful. In terms of management we are always trying to be pro-active so this is another opportunity for us to do something to help the players before they make a mistake. I don't think we have a huge problem with players breaking out of the wall but you know players will try to steal a yard here or there and as they edge forward it's difficult for us to detect that.

"I have no doubt that Sky will be measuring it on the cameras to make sure we've got our distances right but it's as close as you're going to get with the human element added to it."