Wishaw showing at Largs Thistle provides positives for boss ahead of crucial league games

Wishaw crashed out of the West of Scotland Cup at the first hurdle, but boss Martin O’Neill was pleased with the performance as his side pushed top-flight Largs Thistle all the way.

Their West of Scotland Premier Division hosts needed an 84th minute winner to see off Wishy at Barrfields Stadium on Saturday, and recently-appointed O’Neill was frustrated to see a late penalty claim turned down.

It is back-to-back defeats for the Beltane Park side, but O’Neill says there will be plenty of positives to take into Saturday’s league clash at home to Kilsyth Rangers, where Wishaw will be looking to climb away from second-bottom in the Second Division.

He said: “The boys did very well. They were well-organised, showed lots of commitment and created chances. All the indicators are very positive now.

“But I said to the boys that we need to start turning these performances into points from Saturday onwards.

“We were also a bit unfortunate not to get a penalty in the last minute to equalise. AJ Campbell came off the bench, we put a few bodies in the box, and he has gone down and been booked for simulation.

“Most of the Largs players seemed to think it was a penalty but it wasn’t to be.

O’Neill added: “Any positivity we have right now is due to hard work and determination, so we’ve got to maintain those elements. After that, it is up to the players to perform when they have the ball.

“We are disappointed with the result but encouraged by the performance.”

Saturday’s clash will be Wishaw’s last home game until December 9, with a run of four away fixtures in November.

O’Neill said: “We are on the road a wee bit over the course of November so we are looking forward to a home game with Kilsyth. There isn’t much in the league. Everyone can