ALTHOUGH results on the pitch may not have gone as they would have liked, Prestatyn Town can be highly encouraged by the start they have made to the JD Welsh Premier League season.

Manager Neil Gibson has urged his side to start believing in themselves, and they can certainly take plenty of heart from their opening three fixtures back in the top flight.

Despite suffering two defeats, these have come from big-spending sides with lofty ambitions in the form of Connah’s Quay and Bangor City, which is no disgrace in the grand scheme of things and in terms of their clash with the Citizens they were certainly not overawed and may have taken something from the game had it not been for James Stead’s sending off.

Their opening day thrashing at the hands of Andy Morrison’s men was the wake-up call they perhaps needed in the early stages, and they showed how much character is present within the dressing room with their last-minute victory over Barry Town United, and it is vital that the Seasiders pick up points against teams that are expected to be around them when the final league placings are settled next May.

After cruising through the Huws Gray Alliance last term it was clear that this was not going to be the case this time around, with financial constraints at the Motion Finance Stadium restricting them in terms of player recruitment which puts them at a distinct disadvantage from the outset against the majority of other sides operating within the division.

Losing striker Jordan Davies was a huge blow and with just one goal from their opening three games Gibson will be hoping that someone steps in to fill the breach sooner rather than later, and it is unclear whether or not there are funds available to bring in someone who has a proven track record of top flight goals.

At the other end things look far more promising, with the defence coping extremely well in the face of extreme pressure from high quality opposition, something that will stand them in good stead as they continue to re-establish themselves as a WPL force.

Skipper Dave Hayes looks to have put his injury troubles behind him if his recent efforts are any indication, while goalkeeper Carl Jones has also emerged as a bright spot in the early stages of the campaign.

This is a results business and Town must start putting points on the board to avoid further complications down the line, and their next five league fixtures against Llandudno, Cefn Druids, Newtown, Cardiff Met and Carmarthen Town are all winnable games in this squad performs to the level they are capable of.

There is no room for error at any stage of the WPL season, and Town must now accept they deserve to be in the division to avoid falling out of it.