A great win, Hampden Park is a difficult place to come to, they have only been beaten twice here this season and that has been by us – great three points for us, so the run goes on – the players were fantastic today their work ethic, their determination not to get beat they have installed that in them, they have a great will to win, they just don’t want to lose a game – you can see that in them, they way we defend, the team spirit, the work ethic from every single one of them. The goalkeeper had a great game as well, the keeper has to be ready, concentration levels have to be high because you just never know, they have to be ready to make a save. Scott had a fantastic save in the first half, it was absolutely first class, he also had one in mid week against Peterhead, Scott is a terrific young goal keeper, he will go a long way in the game, he is only 19 but he is still learning. Everybody was great out there – I am really proud of my players the way they perform week in week out for me because that is three tough games we have had and come out of it with flying colours but we know there is a long, long, way to go, we don’t get carried away, it’s an old cliché but it’s one game at a time for us. We have got good footballers at this club, but there is no point in having that alone, you need to have the other side you need the work ethic as well and we have all of that in abundance. We have instilled it in the players that we expect high standards, expect them to work hard, expect them to enjoy it and they are doing that just now, they are playing at the top of their game and long may it continue.

Paul Hartley

The boys were terrific again, they have a fantastic work ethic and determination not to lose a game and tonight we are pleased to win another three points, it was another tough game for us but we were determined to keep the run going and that’s what we are doing, now unbeaten in our last fourteen league games it has allowed us to open up a bit of a gap, but I have warned the players that we don’t get carried away there is still a long, long way to go – but they have been absolutely brilliant, they are great to work with, a great set of lads so determined with a great fighting spirit – they just don’t want to get beat, that’s something which is hard to achieve in a dressing room but we have it in abundance in there. Stevie May has now scored nine goals in his eight games for the club, he is always a threat and he gets another goal tonight, a bit of a different goal in the fact it was a poachers style of goal but they all count. We are pleased overall not just with Stevie’s goals but with the full team, the goalkeeper was terrific – he had one save this evening which was a world class save it was absolutely unbelievable, everybody including myself thought it was in – but I know what Scott is capable of having worked with him at Aberdeen, for a young lad of 19 he has a bright future in the game – it was a fantastic save he made.

Paul Hartley
 

I am delighted with the result – we know we can do a lot better, we are a better team than that but sometimes you just have to grind the result out and we did that today – two good goals and obviously a great finish by Ross McKinnon to break the dead lock and then Stevie May had good composure at the end - it was looking like it was heading for a draw but thankfully we got a goal at the right time and then we got the second goal soon after. Delighted with the three points that is what it is about. Ross McKinnon had a great day and scored the goal with his right foot which he calls his bad foot – he stuck to his task, was good going forward, and was very composed with the ball. Stevie May and Kevin Cawley are a handful up front, but bringing Armand One and Robbie Winters on - we just had to change it, we took the two mid fielders off - to try and push to win the game we didn’t want to sit back and go for a point we wanted to try and win. I am delighted with the result and anther three points. Stevie May runs all day – he is on fire for us just now. I am thankful that St Johnstone have let us have him until the end of the season, he is scoring goals for us and we are getting the rewards for it he is a good team player, he is good for his team mates . There is a great atmosphere at the club at the moment – I have tried to get the team playing attractive football – we all get on well at the club I have a good relationship with my chairman and the players so there is a good spirit amongst everyone just now at the club. It was a bit of a disaster for the club being relegated to the third division at the end of last season . We are all in it together – everybody right down to the back room men - the kit men – we all stick together here and try to create a good team spirit among the players.

Paul Hartley
 

Today I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ray Farningham , the players, coaches, supporters and directors of Montrose as they visit Recreation Park for the second time this season , we are looking forward to the game on the back of good results over Annan Athletic and Stranraer who had been our nearest challengers in the league title race this season but we must watch out for the ever improving Queen’s Park team who moved into third place in the division after their victory last week at Galabank. However we must look to continue our good run of results, now unbeaten in our last twelve league matches, we are in a position where we want to be but we know there is a lot of hard work still to be done. I’ve always said I just want to make sure that we are in the mix at the end of the season and to do that we must keep doing the things we have set and maintain standards. Today’s game against Montrose will be another hard game, Ray Farningham has some good players who have been a danger to us already this season, although we won the previous game at Recreation Park 4-2, at Links Park it was a lot tighter and we were happy to draw 1-1, in Martin Boyle they have a real live wire and potential match winner who will need to be watched closely today. We know it will be tough but we are at home and our home form has been excellent since the start of the season and we will look to maintain that.

It has been a lot of hard work to achieve where we are already this season and the players deserve special praise as they have been absolutely terrific , with their attitude and work ethic, the way they approach training and games has been first class – but it is a team effort including all the back room, my assistant, physio, coaches, kit men they have all contributed and we are seeing some rewards just now but we know there is a long way to go till the end of the season – nothing is won in January!

On Tuesday night we face another tough game against Peterhead , who at the start of this season many people seen as favourites but it has not quite worked out like that, but with the change of manager you can see the rewards for the work that Jim McInally has put in already, winning their last three league games and beginning to look like the side many expected earlier in the season, so we know it will be another testing evening, Peterhead have so many good players in their squad, so we will need to be aware of Rory McAllister, Bryan Deasley, Martin Bavidge and Dennis Wyness, all potential match winners. We will go into the game with confidence again but it will be tough.

We are disappointed to lose Kevin McHattie, who has returned to Hearts, he was terrific for us, he came here and did a terrific job, I would like to thank him for his efforts and hopefully he goes back and pushes for a first team spot at Tynecastle. I am hopeful we can bring someone in before Saturday’s match against Montrose, I will try my best because left back is a specialised position and I don’t want to change the shape of the team. (Note - Ross McKinnon has been signed on loan from SPL side Motherwell until the end of the season).

A huge thank you to Steve Lomas at St. Johnstone for agreeing to extend Stevie May’s loan period until the end of the season, it is a big bonus for us, the players have taken to him, he is a terrific kid he works his socks off and his goals have helped, but it is not just his goals but his overall game has been brilliant for the team.

Now we are at the top of the league and challenging it was pleasing to see a larger crowd at our last home match, so hopefully that trend can continue and we give the fans something to cheer about, which helps the players – the support at Stair Park got behind the team and shared with the players in their delight and appeared to enjoy the occasion – which their backing deserved.

Paul Hartley
 

We were great today, outstanding, I thought in the first half we could have been five or six goals up. Some say the wind was a key factor in the first half but even in the second half I knew we would get more chances, but it was an outstanding performance throughout the game. The players deserve a lot of credit, it was a real team performance today, wonderful to watch, great work ethic in my team, but we need to keep going - Stranraer is a hard place to come to and a lot of people didn’t give us a chance today, a lot of people fancied Stranraer, but we showed what we are about we have got good players - May, Cawley , Masterton and Young, all good footballers and we try and play football that is for sure. We are delighted with the result we just have to keep our feet on the ground and keep going. We felt in the first 15/20 minutes just to get the ball down the sides and feed in some quality passes – which is what we had been working at in training all week – we knew the pitch would be heavy but we thought the game would settle down after the opening 15 minutes. I thought we played all the football today we were at it right from the off and I am really proud of my team we worked terrific today. The goal at the start of the second half by Stevie Masterton was a touch of class and really killed off Stranraer, Stevie May’s second goal was the icing on the cake - Stevie has scored seven goals in his last six games for the club and that is why he is here, we are delighted we have got him, we thank St Johnstone and hopefully his period here will give him great confidence when he goes back to St Johnstone at the end of the season. He is a young lad, he is still only 19 – he strikes a lovely ball. Stevie and Kevin Cawley up front are a handful for anybody. As I said it was a real team performance today and it was another clean sheet, we have lost only 1 goal in the last 4 games and I think overall the back 4 were outstanding, the goal keeper and young McHattie – it’s a pity he is going back to Hearts because he has been terrific for me since he has been here but it will give someone else the opportunity to come in and fill that slot. Overall the team performance was excellent. The score line certainly didn’t flatter us I thought we could have scored more goals but that’s me being a bit greedy. Some of the chances we had especially in the first half if we had shown a little bit more composure in front of goal we could have went in by a greater margin than 2-0. I said to the players at half time we would have to be warey of Stranraer in the second half as they would have the benefit of the wind. However, we coped well and our goal keeper did not have a lot to do. There was a flash point in the second half when Michael Moore fouled Kevin McHattie and I had a disagreement with the Stranraer bench at the touch line – you kick every ball when you have been a former player I think that is only natural but we will have a beer after the game and have a chat about the game. We are in a good position – Stranraer, Annan and Queens Park are all still real threats so we will not get complacent that is for sure. We do have a game in hand against Peterhead but you still have to win them – we have to recover now and I will give the boys a break this week and I will see them next Thursday because they deserve it and we go again next Saturday. It’s still a long, long way to go but we are enjoying it. We are trying to give the players time off because they deserve it – the pitch takes a lot of energy out of you so we said to the players we will see you next Thursday, it’s time to recover again and then we go again against Montrose next Saturday and then Peterhead on the Tuesday, our game in hand.

Paul Hartley
Alloa Athletic FC
Player / Manager
 

It was a tough game for us we always knew it was going to be hard as Annan are a difficult side to play against but I am delighted with the result it’s brought the monkey of our back as it’s the first win against them which is pleasing for us and it keeps our good run going and it gives us a little bit of leeway between us and Annan now - 5 points and we have still got a game in hand so I am delighted with the effort of the players - we can play a lot better but I think on chances, we created the better chances especially in the second half with Stevie May up front - he scored a really good goal - he was outstanding again today – he just gets on with it – his movement was excellent his work rate and his overall effort for the team was first class. I don’t want to see him leave but it is out with my hands it’s in the hands of St Johnstone – we are hoping that St Johnstone can keep Sandaza and bring a couple of strikers in so that we can keep Stevie because I think it is important that he gets to play first team football and he is getting the opportunity and he is enjoying it and scoring goals, he is playing with a smile on his face. Kevin Cawley and Stevie May work well together - they are a handful for any defence in the league so we are hopeful that we can keep Stevie but if we don’t keep him we will just have to try hard to find someone else – we have got him for next week and hopefully we can keep him to the end of the season. Being undefeated in the last eleven games has given the players a positive reaction, they are enjoying it, the more games they go unbeaten the more confident they get so it’s a great thing in football when you win and don’t lose games the amount of confidence you get – if you lose games the amount of confident it drains from you so we are going in the right direction, we have to keep it going we had two defeats in 19 games and have to keep it going. We are pleased with the progress but there is a lot more to come from the team. It’s hard work to try and stay at the top of the table but it’s not just up to me it’s up to the back team as well if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be in this position - it’s about everybody working hard together and the players have been brilliant they have given me a great response since I took the job in the summer but we have to keep it going there is a long way to go – we are half way through the season but nothing is ever decided in January time so we have to keep the hard work up and see how it goes. There is a long way to go but we won’t get carried away as long as we are in the mix at the end of the season that’s all I have said to the players.

Paul Hartley
 

Delighted to be back at the top of the league, our second half performance was very good today, which included a great hat-trick by Stevie May, who made the difference, that is why he was brought in to score goals and he certainly was on song today, all three goals were top drawer and we could have had more especially in the second half. The East Stirlingshire goal was a miss judgement by our goalkeeper who has been excellent for us on many days this season, but he got caught with the bounce of the ball and the pace of it which was all down to the strong wind. This gave a lift to the home side, we dug in and I had a word with the players at half-time and we then got on top again in the second half, some of our passing and football in the second period was a joy to watch. The three points were the most important statistic today with no game next week – today’s challenge was to see us regaining that top league position and we are fortunate enough to have done that. Stevie May still Has a couple of games left in his loan period, but he is definitely a player I would like to keep longer at the club, I will be speaking to Steve Lomas over the next couple of days just to see where we are at with him, he has good quality, and he works his socks off, him and Kevin Cawley are a handful for any team in this league. However we must keep this run going – we are down unbeaten in our last ten league games which is terrific but there is still a lot of hard work to be done, it’s such a tough league, there are no easy games and we must keep going.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC

The first half we were tremendous today, I said at half time although we were 1-0 in front Elgin City were still very much in the game, then we came out in the second half and were terrific again, some of our football was great today, good goals, pleased with the overall performance, even after going down to ten men again, our goalkeeper makes a great save from the resultant penalty kick. We then seen the game out which is pleasing and more importantly this was a great result for us.
We go top of the league which is good for the club and reward for the players but there is a long way to go, a lot of hard work to be done, the players have worked ever so hard to get to this position – so we must keep it going and maintain the standards which we have set, we are there just now but we know there is a chasing pack and we will hope to stay there.
The players showed great spirit and determination after going down to ten players, we have done it six times already this season, that is now six players sent off this season but we are not a dirty team, far from it, we know we have great spirit and commitment, the players work ever so hard for each other, Stevie May up front was absolutely different class, he ran his socks off, but it was a team performance in which there was not one failure and that was pleasing.

Paul Hartley
Alloa Athletic FC
Player / Manager
 

Today I would like to extend a warm festive welcome to Ross Jack, the players, coaches, supporters and directors of Elgin City FC as they visit Recreation Park for the first time this season.

Last Saturday at Berwick we appeared to have had the game won but you can never think too far ahead – we were well on top in the second half and looked like we could score more goals but credit has go to Berwick Rangers in the way they fought back. After they scored their goal we sort of panicked a bit and a mistake killed us – but we don’t blame anybody, although it was a bad decision to make which has cost us, but we have to keep going – we are still undefeated in the last eight league games. I was disappointed as we had a good opportunity to go top of the league. We started the second half well which we have done for most of the season and Steven May got his first goal for the club which he thoroughly deserved as he had worked his socks off – I was delighted for him and at that stage we looked so comfortable. I felt if anything we could have increased our lead. We then made a couple of substitutions to freshen things up, but it was Berwick who scored which gave them a lift and we were then on the back foot - the players will need to look to bounce back.

Today we know just how tough a fixture this will be given the fact Elgin City won well at Borough Briggs earlier in the season, in a game not to many positives could be taken by the players or supporters who had travelled such a distance to witness such a poor showing. However, I know that every player who is selected to play today will give everything in trying to win this match and maintain our unbeaten home form in the league.

Please continue to give us your backing today, it makes a big difference to myself and the players, lets hope we can give you the correct result and we can enjoy a successful outcome and enjoy a happy Christmas and look forward to a good New Year.

Paul Hartley

We had the game won but you can never think too far ahead – we were well on top in the second half and looked like we could score more but credit has go to Berwick Rangers in the way they fought back. After they scored their goal we sort of panicked a bit and a mistake killed us – but we don’t blame anybody, although it was a bad decision to make which has cost us, but we have to keep going – we are still undefeated in the last eight league games. I am disappointed as today we had a good opportunity to go top of the league. We started the second half well which we have done for most of the season and Steven May got his first goal for the club which he thoroughly deserved as he had worked his socks off – I was delighted for him and at that stage we looked so comfortable. I felt if anything we could have increased our lead. We then made a couple of substitutions to freshen things up, but it was Berwick who scored which gave them a lift and we were then on the back foot - the players will need to look to bounce back.

Paul Hartley

Player/Manager