NEILSTON manager Andy Whiteford is demanding his side make a fast start to Saturday’s home match with Wishaw Juniors to avoid a repeat of the last time the sides met when the Farmer’s Boys were 3-0 down in the first 15 minutes.

Whiteford’s side mounted a comeback in the second period, getting two goals back and coming close to an equaliser, but fell short in a 3-2 defeat.

With Wishaw flying high in third place in the Central District First, Whiteford knows his team can’t afford another slow start if they are to build on their recent win over Johnstone Burgh.

He said: “We got a bit of a doing in the first half. We were 3-0 down after 15 minutes which made life very difficult.

“We got it back to 3-2 and we had a few chances to equalise.

they cleared a couple of the line and we hit the woodwork twice so on another day we could’ve got a point or even a win.

“But we were slow to start and we can’t afford to do that this time.”

After being relegated from the Super League last season, just one year after winning promotion, Neilston have found life difficult back in the Central District First. They sit 11th in the 14-team league, albeit having played fewer games than most in the division.

Any thoughts Neilston fans had of an immediate return look to be a forlorn hope but Whiteford is positive about the club’s future prospects.

However, he insists Neilston have to start building for the long term if they are to regain and maintain their Super League status.

He said: “I’ve been at the club a long time now and when I first came we were up in the Super Leagues. We were unfortunate in my first season to lose the Premier Division on goal difference.

“But maybe as a club the structure has not been there to maintain that.

Unfortunately that has shown in falling down a couple of leagues.

“But we’re capable, we got promotion a couple of seasons ago. We didn’t manage to stay in that Super First, we probably should have. I think we need to build the club around trying to get promotion."

so that when we are up there we have a good base to stay there because I think that’s where the club needs to be.”

Kick-off at Brig O’Lea is at 2pm on Saturday.