Neilston’s resurgence shows no signs of slowing down after they pulled off an impressive second win in a row against the WoSFL First Division leaders.
Having beaten title hopefuls Gartcairn 1-0 the weekend before to knock them off top spot, the Farmer’s Boys welcomed Drumchapel to the Brig O’Lea Stadium on Saturday – the side that took over at the league summit.
The odds were stacked against Neilston, facing an in-form side who at the time of kick-off had only lost three league games all season.
But Kevin Muirhead’s team again proved they are an increasingly formidable side in the league, keeping another clean sheet and bagging all three points thanks to striker Darren Jones’ clinical finish.
Having jumped up to sixth spot in the league on the back of three straight wins, Neilston could be forgiven for daring to dream of sneaking into a promotion spot.
Manager Muirhead is adamant he’s simply focused on keeping the club’s standards at the heights that have seen them turn things around after a difficult campaign so far.
Muirhead told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “It was another fantastic result and performance. We knew we were heading into three hugely difficult league games against the sides at the top of the table, so to win the first two is a brilliant achievement from the boys.
“This team continues to show great quality, as well as a desire to work hard. The miles covered against Drumchapel was just incredible.
“We’ve only conceded once in our last 270 minutes against some of the best teams in the division, and that was direct from a free-kick.
“The boys defended like their lives depended on it and their response to us coming in as a new management team has been exceptional.
“We took everyone at face value when we came in, we didn’t have any preconceptions about any player. It was a fresh start for everyone and I think that has kicked everyone on, knowing they can get in this team if they work hard enough.
“Looking back on the St Roch’s game, it could have been four wins in a row the way we played that day as well.
“We came in and the focus was on avoiding relegation. Now the focus is trying to consolidate our position and aiming to finish as high up the table as we possibly can.”
Neilston’s attention switches away from the league this weekend as they take on Rossvale in round three of the West of Scotland Cup.
Rossvale dished out the defeat that ultimately resulted in former co-bosses Chris Cameron and Derek Carson leaving the East Renfrewshire club.
And Muirhead also has his own personal incentive for getting some payback on Rossvale when they visit the Brig O’Lea Stadium on Saturday.
Muirhead said: “I think the players might have a wee point to prove against Rossvale. You always want to show you’ve become a better team after getting beaten by anyone.
“Rossvale also put my old team Muirkirk out of the cup on penalties, so we’ve probably all got that little extra motivation to do well on Saturday.
“It’s always something to be excited about, going deep into a cup competition. You can always dream about going far in any cup and the way we’re playing we’ve certainly got a chance of that.
“The pressure on the boys to perform is coming from the bench. Every player knows they need to stay at the top of their game or they could be the one sitting out the next game. That’s a great position to be in as a manager, even though you do get a few more selection headaches!”
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