Neilston boss Kevin Muirhead hailed his team's “phenomenal effort” as they battled back from 3-1 down to earn a vital point against St Cadoc’s and give their survival hopes a massive boost.

Olly Smith put Neilston ahead from a free-kick but the visitors hit back before the break through goals from Pearse McGarvey and Ryan Thomson.

Ross Barbour made it 3-1 to St Cadoc’s just after the hour mark but Neilston responded with another free-kick from Smith before Darren Jones got his reward for tireless running as he found the leveller with just a couple of minutes to go.

The Farmer’s Boys had lost at Shotts last Tuesday in a performance that lacked energy but Muirhead believes his players put that right on Friday night.

He told Barrhead Sport: “I raised a few questions to the players in terms of their desire, hunger and focus for the rest of this season and we talked about belief.

“When I first came in, I felt as if they were a squad that never had belief and then we got a few very big results in a row and that belief came back.

“We’ve went through a bad patch where we lost a bit of that, so I asked them to go and restore that on Friday and I can’t fault any of them.

“It was a huge effort for 90 minutes against a top team that are looking to go and win the division. To be 3-1 down and get back into it right at the death was a phenomenal effort.

“I’m delighted Jonesy got on the scoresheet. He’s been putting himself under a lot of pressure to get goals and he saved us a point.”

The result leaves Neilston just outside of the relegation zone on goal difference in a battle that looks set to go to the final day, with just three points separating five teams.

Neilston face one of those sides, Whitletts Victoria, on Wednesday night and Muirhead wants a repeat performance from his troops.

He said: “It couldn’t be any tighter and it’s been like that all season. We just need to go and pick up as many points as we can and get ourselves out of the position we are in.”

Kick-off at Dam Park on Wednesday is at 7.30pm, before Neilston return to the Brig on Saturday to take on Kilbirnie Ladeside, with kick-off at 2pm.