YOKER Athletic player/manager Steven Reilly admits his side now face a battle to maintain their Super League status.

Three defeats in a row have taken Reilly’s men from a comfortable mid-table position to just one point above the relegation zone in the Super League First Division.

A 4-1 home defeat to Rutherglen Glencairn on Saturday has deepened concerns at Holm Park.

After a positive start to the season, Reilly had his sights set on a promotion challenge. But he conceded he has now adjusted his targets and believes an improvement on last year’s league position would represent progress in his first season as a manager.

Last season Yoker only secured their place in the league on the last day of the campaign, but Reilly insists they can avoid such a nerve-wracking finish this term.

He said: “The last three weeks have been poor from us.

“Last week was a better performance but this week it was back to square one. You go two or three games without winning in this league and you are in trouble.

“Two weeks ago we were sitting six points behind third place, now we’re a point clear of the relegation zone.

“We are now in a relegation battle, but to the same extent if we win a few games we’ll find ourselves comfortably mid-table. So I’m not giving up hope in that sense but our battle is now to remain in the league, the play-offs are beyond us.

“I’ve said to the boys to stick together and make sure they stay in the league and hopefully we can go a step further than last year and be comfortable, that would be progress.”

Reilly was forced to put himself back in the starting line-up on Saturday, such were Yoker’s injury problems.

Reilly hopes to have some key men back for the trip to Cumbernauld United on Saturday, a game the manager believes is now their biggest of the season.

He said: “We’re down to the bare bones injury-wise which doesn’t help, we had four or five first team players out on Saturday. I was back playing after 10 weeks out and Martin Hardie came off the bench late on in the game. That was something we were trying to avoid, having two of the the management team playing but that’s how depleted we are at the moment.

“We’ve conceded 10 goals in the last three games which is poor. It’s not been down to teams cutting us open it has been our own fault.

“The Cumbernauld game now becomes a must-win for us to give us a bit of breathing space and halt this run.”