Wishaw boss Mark Daly insists his side remain committed to the West of Scotland League ahead of Saturday’s deadline for clubs to pull out of the setup without sanctions.
The league kicked-off on October 24 with the caveat that teams could drop out if they still had reservations about playing on during the grip of the global pandemic.
Local rivals Shotts Bon-Accord dropped out last month and Larkhall Thistle became the latest side to quit last week when they pulled out of Conference C due to the health risks from Covid.
Thistle say they would have faced a 12 point deduction next season if they had quit after the November 14 deadline and would also forfeit a ‘good behaviour bond’ which they paid when the league was formed.
That punishment would also apply if Wishaw chose not to continue their Conference C campaign after this week. But ahead of Saturday’s trip to Vale of Leven, Beltane boss Daly insists the Wishy are going nowhere.
He said: “We’ll definitely still be playing – we are not pulling out.
“Whether our opponents do or not on Saturday, I don’t know.
“But our feeling is the boys just want to play and everyone feels they have a duty to the boys now to give them that platform.
“We’ve put too much hard work in and too much time to pull out.”
Clubs including Wishaw have publicly stated their concerns over the ban on changing room facilities, as the country heads into the winter months.
To limit the spread of Covid-19, current regulations mean players must arrive in full kit for games, change in their cars afterwards and go home without a shower.
And Daly, whose side lost 2-0 at home to Johnstone Burgh at the weekend, admits that is still a real issue for his players, but insists they will battle on.
He added: “It was hard on Saturday. It’s getting colder now and the boys are asking to meet a bit later rather than the time we give them because they are just standing there outside waiting for the game.
“It’s going to get worse weather-wise, so unless changing facilities come it is still going to be difficult for us. I think we’ve all adapted so far, so I don’t see why we can’t just keep adapting.
“It’s still good to be out there playing and it’s as competitive as it is going to be at the moment.”
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