PRESTON Athletic boss Stevie McLeish has predicted that the club’s season will be like a bag of Revels.
The county side came from behind to pick up three valuable points away to Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts on Saturday.
Kris Renton’s hat-trick helped McLeish’s men to pull away from their opponents and keep out of the relegation zone.
The weekend’s match was McLeish’s 10th in charge, having won four and lost four of his opening nine.
The manager said: “Obviously, I would have liked 10 wins out of 10!
“It’s a squad that is very young and it will be up and down.
“It is going to be like a bag of Revels – we’ll get some wins, some defeats and the odd draw.
“We have just got to focus on the next game and take it from there. If we look any further, we are being foolish.”
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The result means Preston remain 13th in the East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) First Division standings.
But while they are just six points off the bottom, they are also only six points away from seventh in the table.
McLeish said: “Like any league, there is a three-game swing. Three wins and you will shoot up the table, and three defeats and you will shoot down.
“It is snakes and ladders this season.”
The Pennypit side finished seventh in the table on 41 points last term.
McLeish has targeted improving that points tally but, with 13 points from 13 games, he knows the club’s form will need to improve.
There were signs of that at Dalgety Bay on Saturday as Preston held the upper hand for much of the first half.
READ MORE: Preston Athletic look to get back to winning ways at Leith
However, “a mad” five minutes saw Renton’s opening goal cancelled out and the Fife side holding the lead going into the interval.
The former Norwich City, Tranent and Musselburgh striker would go on to turn the game back in Preston’s favour by wrapping up his treble after the break.
McLeish, who previously managed Musselburgh Athletic, Haddington Athletic and Tranent, praised the experienced frontman for his impact.
He told Courier Sport: “Kris is a big player for any club at this level.
“He is a great influence in the place and the players look up to him.
“He can be negative about himself but he is such a big focal point and brings people into the game.
“He has a calm head on his shoulders and is a massive part of what we do.”
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