They say a week is a long time in football. A year is even longer. This time last year Alloa were facing relegation from the Irn Bru Second Division after being among the promotion favourites when the league kicked off. Manager Allan Maitland was sacked along with his coaching staff and the team were left with only one player.

This summer however, Alloa fans will manage to put their feet up and relax, as the club are going home, back to the Second Division at the first time of asking. This time the club is in better shape with a good mix of young and experienced players. None are more experienced than captain Darren Young, who has been an unsung hero for the club during the 2011/12 campaign.

Young is often found as the steady, calming influence in the middle of the park; breaking up play and allowing players like Kevin Cawley, Robbie Winters, Stevie May or the McCord brothers - Ross and Ryan - to get onto the ball. Young has a vast array of experience after successful spells at Aberdeen and Dunfermline where the Centre Midfielder played European football, pushed for top six SPL honours, played in four cup finals and became the youngest Aberdeen captain in living memory.

As the Third Division season draws to a climax Alloa sit at the top of the league on 76 points, an impressive 13 points above nearest challengers Queens Park. However things have not been that easy for Paul Hartley’s side.

Young said: “I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how good the standard of football has been this season. We have dropped points against East Stirlingshire who are at the bottom and been pushed by teams placed throughout the division so I wouldn’t say it’s been too comfortable. We've had to work hard to get to where we are now and I think, as the season has gone on, that we have become stronger.

"A lot of teams try and get the ball down and play from the back, the most notable being Queens Park and Stranraer. I honestly don’t think there is much of a difference from the bottom half of the first division to the top of the third.”

Alloa recently announced that Manager Paul Hartley and Assistant Manager Paddy Connelly have signed contract extensions for a further two seasons, something which delighted both players and fans alike. Darren Young has played under a lot of managers who have had success over the years including Jimmy Calderwood and Jim Leishman - who he starred in cup finals under - and thinks that Hartley has a massive future in the dugout.

“I think the gaffer has all the credentials to go on and become a top manger," he said. "He’s been a massive influence on me and the team and is probably one of the main reasons that a lot of the players, myself included, joined the club. He never complicates things and is easy to talk to but if you’re not pulling your weight then he won’t be slow in telling you either.”

This week Annan Athletic started work on Galabank, becoming the sixth senior stadium in recent years to hold a synthetic surface, although Dunfermline Athletic and Hamilton Accies have now reverted back to grass due to SPL regulations. The debate about clubs going down this route continues, one of the arguments being that the players hate playing on them.

Young has seen the progress from the first of the new generation of astro-turf at Dunfermline’s East End Park and the latest offering at Recreation Park Alloa, so is in a better place than most to comment.

“At Dunfermline the pitch was very poor compared to Alloa’s. I wasn’t a fan of them at first but with the way technology has advanced over the years they have become a million times better and you get used to playing on it. Whether we see them in the SPL again, time will tell. I wouldn’t mind it if I’m honest but I probably won’t be back playing in the SPL again!”

Looking back on his career Young has had many ups and downs with injuries playing a big part in his own development. It was under Roy Aitken and against Hearts that a 17 year old Young made his début for the Dons, playing with Billy Dodds, Scott Booth, Dean Windass and Duncan Shearer to name but a few. Those players also had a big influence in helping Young develop.

"Most of the first team players were great to talk to and would always be there for you if you needed any help," said Young. "I used to share a room with big Duncan Shearer when I first broke into the team so I could always ask him for advice since he had been there and done it.”

It was being appointed captain, playing first team football with his brother and taking the club to European Football that will be his biggest memories from his eight years in the Granite City.

He continued: “Being made captain at such a young age and the fact that my brother Derek played in the same team as me was fantastic. We had both played in the youth team, reserves and then the first team together so we managed to share a lot of our experiences.

"Playing in the European nights at Pittodrie were amazing and being captain made it all the sweeter.

"They were great days and I probably didn’t appreciate them at the time. I loved my time up in Aberdeen and made a lot of great friends from my time there”.

Young has no regrets leaving only two years short of his testimonial season however: “I can’t say I regret leaving, no. There were a few reasons for going, the team weren’t playing great at the time and the club had to go through massive wage cuts. On a personal note - which was one of the biggest reasons for leaving - my dad wasn’t very well and I wanted to move back to the central belt to be closer to him.

"I got my move to Dunfermline where I played in four cup finals in five years when Aberdeen hovered around mid table and never got to any finals, plus I got to spend more time with my Dad so it worked out well for me.


Lining up in a cup final alongside his brother Derek (left) was special to Darren.

“I loved my time at the club and loved the two Jimmy’s. I can’t speak highly enough of them both. Training was always hard work but very enjoyable, we were a team playing with smiles on our faces.

"Jimmy Nicholl was always the light hearted one with his stories and JC dealt with the more serious side of things so they both worked well together.”

During his time at The Pars Darren met Celtic in both the Scottish and League Cup finals, and St.Johnstone in the Challenge Cup. However it will be the runners up medals in the national competitions that Young will hold dear.

He said: “It’s a shame we never managed to meet someone else apart from Celtic in the cup finals. My first season at the club was one of my happiest memories in football as we finished fourth in the SPL which was Dunfermline’s highest ever finish, and we reached the Scottish Cup final and qualified for Europe.

"It made me proud because we achieved all this with my brother once again playing alongside me.”

In the 2007 League Cup final a Stephen Kenny led Dunfermline side faced Celtic at Hampden. The Pars lost out again in a 1-0 score line with Darren voted the sponsors man of the match.

“I was happy on a personal note, it was good to be noticed for the hard work you put in, but I would happily have swapped it for a winners medal”.

Unfortunately for Young he never managed to pick up a full cap for Scotland even though he played seven times for the Under 21’s and was selected to travel with Craig Brown’s Scotland squad to the 1998 World Cup Finals in France, as one of Brown’s famous “hamper boys”.

“Going to the World Cup was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to do every single thing the team did. We trained everyday and travelled on the bus with them to the games.

"It was a bit surreal at the opening game of the tournament. We were out checking the pitch when on our way back into the changing rooms Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo and Cafu to name but a few walked past nodding and saying hi.”

This was the last time Scotland qualified for a major tournament but Young feels those days may return soon: “I think we’re getting there again," he said. "We’ve now got a lot more players playing in the Premiership gaining more experience playing in a big league which can only help in the long term”.

Darren Young is in no rush to hang his boots up just yet. However, at 32 years old he knows that he will have to look towards the end of his career sooner rather than later.

"From a personal point of view I’d like to continue playing for the next few years but also get more into the coaching side of things. I've got a few coaching badges already and passed my "B" license in November. I’m also the Head of the Community Coaching for The Wasps which has been a fantastic way to get my feet in the door and get me started.

"The gaffer also let me take the reserve team in a game the other week which was a great experience so I’m learning to develop myself away from actually playing the game all the time.”

There is no doubt that Alloa are a club moving forward. With the Wasps running various programmes putting the club at the heart of the community, possessing a chairman who has big ideas in how to continue this progression and currently having one of the countries most exciting young managers, supporters of the club will be hoping that the glory days for the club are just starting and there will be more to celebrate over the coming years.

Darren Young receives Alloa 1878 Supporters Club "Player of the year" trophy for Season 2011/12.

Interview taken from Scottish League Website

Stevie May

I was the obvious choice to go into goal after Stevie was sent off, I normally dive about all over the place at training so I volunteered right away, I looked over to the gaffer and he gave me the nod. So when Robbo was going off I asked him which way will I dive and he said left and then I thought when I was standing in the goal - his left, my left and didn’t know which way to go so I watched his (Simon Mensing’s) eyes and choose a side and just dived to it and thankfully correctly and made the save. When I used to play about with my mates I would take a shot in goals, I have always loved diving around so I was happy to offer but it could have been any one of us, but in the end it was me. I was gutted I did concede that late goal I wanted to keep a clean sheet and maybe get another opportunity maybe next week in goals. I was quite happy to go in goals, the pace of the game was a much higher tempo than normal, so I thought I could go in goals and get a rest, I was knackered!
Although I wasn’t on the field of play in the first half it looked a stonewall penalty when Kevin McDonald was tripped in the box but you can only get what the referee gives but personally I thought it was a penalty. We are disappointed at the end of the game, in the first half we had a couple of good chances but in the second half we never really got going, scoring goals has not been a problem for the club recently, so we were disappointed that we never kicked on from first half display and got an equaliser, but going down to ten men killed us. Their fitness was also evident later in the game but I felt we never let anybody down.

Kevin McDonald on penalty and game

The referee never gave us the award in the first half when I was tripped in the box, everyone I have spoken to said it was a good shout and could easily have been given, I had no reason to go down and was tripped, there is no doubt it would have changed the game. We had the better of the first half and Hamilton’s goal came out of nothing but there was still plenty of time left in the game and I never questioned if we could come back, there was certainly a belief in the side we could get back into the game. In the second half being a part time team the pressure from the home side increased and we were pushed further back and getter deeper and deeper it was getting harder to create any chances in the second half. For the penalty the referee did give at the end of the game, it was a penalty and if the referee didn’t send Robbo off and he had saved the penalty and we scored a late equaliser there would have been an outcry, so I think the referee had to send him off by the rules at the end of the day and probably being so late in the game it didn’t change the result or outcome of the game. We gave them a hard game and as we did in the last round against Raith Rovers, I don’t think there would be a great gulf between Hamilton and Raith Rovers, the game against Raith Rovers was a great personal highlight and we must try to reproduce that form into our league form and try and climb back up the Second Division table, more so now that we have slipped up a bit over Christmas period. I couldn’t help but laugh when David Gormley went in goals, it probably wasn’t the time to laugh but he did well albeit coming of his line to make the save. Gorm’s is daft so going in goals so he could jump about would suit him perfectly, he make a great save at the penalty but a pity about his goal kicks! 
 

It was always going to be nice coming back here and obviously I was expecting the reception I got from the Airdrie fans, however it was a good result and the three points are more important than me coming back to my old ground. I should have scored earlier in the game but their goal keeper stuck his leg up and blocked the effort, but obviously setting the goal up and being involved in the goal, a little bit of emotion came out but obviously the goal was more important for us than me setting the goal up. Coming back to your old club is always going to be nice! I wasn’t expecting a nice reception because I never got one when I played here previously which added an extra bit of spice to it. Three points were massive today and just delighted to win the game. When I was at Airdrie we ended up getting relegated a few times – but I started over 150 games for them so I must have been doing something right to play that many games. Maybe I was a bit of a scapegoat at times – I was an easy target and when things don’t go well my style of play did not please the fans but I have moved on now and made a fresh start which everyone needs at times in their career – I have got one with Alloa and the management have been brilliant and they have given me great belief in my game, we have a great bunch of guys at Recreation Park and we look forward to having a good season. When I was at Airdrie I played deeper in a more defensive role – at Alloa I have been encouraged to get forward and get into the box far more often and this has resulted in me having scored 5 goals already this season. Scoring goals gives players more confidence and lets fans see your name which can only be good when you move to a new club. At Airdrie the fans are known for their aggressive manner there are a lot of young boys here and hopefully they will get behind their team but it’s not nice when your own fans boo you. Everybody is going to give the ball away and make mistakes, but it’s how you bounce back from them that counts, however the fans seem to be a little bit harsh at times but they are entitled to their opinion and I am sure they enjoyed having a go at me again today. Next week we have another massive game against Ayr United at Somerset Park and we will look to go there and again improve on our away form which is going to be so crucial come the end of the season.

How does it feel to score first competitive goal for Alloa Athletic

If feels brilliant, yes a good feeling and one I would want more often, it takes a bit of adjusting to the pace of the Second Division after playing with Bathgate Juniors last season but I think I’m getting there, the manager has been bringing me on so far in the second half of the games and I hope I have proved my value to the team. I will continue doing what I’m doing and hopefully the manager might see the opportunity to give me a start in a game soon. I’m happy to be here, it’s a great club and to score on my home debut is perfect for me.
I had a shoot at the senior game earlier in my career with Berwick Rangers but it just didn’t work out at that time, there was a lot of things that came into play at that time with more focus at the time not on the field of play at the club, injuries and I never got started and I thought that maybe my chance had gone in the senior game. I had a good season last season with Bathgate Juniors scoring 38 goals when everything I touched turned into a goal, everything I hit even my scuffs seemed to go in.
However when Kevin McDonald sent over that inch perfect cross today, I knew my name was on it and I attacked the ball with the belief I would score, great connection and delighted with the goal, the reaction of the fans showed they enjoyed the goal as much as I did. We know this season we have every reason to look forward to our games, playing with great belief and the lift the club got for doing so well last season, however other clubs will want to shoot Alloa down. That’s a couple of games now already this season we have had to come back into games and the boys have shown great belief and mentality to win games, there is a great spirit in the dressing room which we look to carry throughout the season.

Today’s game is a big bonus for me. Every game coming up now is massive they are all as big as each other. We were brought back down to earth on Tuesday night with a bump against Dumbarton but this was a big result for us today so we will take that and look for the positives out of Tuesday. That’s five goals I’ve scored so far – long may it continue. I made a lot of friends when I was at Stirling but I am an Alloa player and that is the bottom line. I am absolutely delighted at the way things are going. Playing at this level I don’t mind at all if you enjoy your football you will give your all because the manager has given me a fantastic chance here – he has been very good with me and as I say regardless of what level I play I will always give my all. Any one of the top four teams could take the championship but as I said Tuesday night against Dumbarton really brought us down to earth with a bump – and next Tuesday nights game will be a massive game again because Cowdenbeath are playing really well just now and we know it’s going to be difficult. We certainly had a patchwork team today– most of the boys that came in today have been brought in from our Youth teams and the centre half, Danny Main , who played as a “Trialist” today was outstanding – credit to them and the rest of the boys – well done.
 

My initial thought was that I couldn’t have scored a better goal, and I immediately ran away with my hand in the air thinking I had scored. Then gutted when the referee’s whistle went and realised that he had decided to disallow the goal. At first I didn’t know if it had been for a handball, or someone straying off-side but I was disappointed the goal didn’t count. I have now discovered that the referee disallowed the goal for dangerous play due to my foot being raised, but how many games in the past have we seen other players scoring overhead kicks and these are replayed as goals of the season.
Nevertheless, it has been a good start since I moved to Alloa Athletic with six goals in my first four games with the club. Two goals against Arthurlie, two against Bo’ness, which were both friendlies and more importantly two goals in our last two league games against Stenhousemuir and Arbroath. I don’t set myself any targets but I am glad to be playing in a team where I will look to be playing every week and in the first couple of games I have been rewarded. The Manager has strengthened the team in the January transfer window and with six points in two games we have got a chance and we are looking strong. I will look to play as many games as I can and score as many goals as I can. The Manager has brought me here to score goals and I will look to reward him and personally for me it has been a great start with two goals in two games and six points. We go to Brechin next Saturday which will be tough. I have been there with a few clubs and it’s always a difficult place to go but we are playing with a bit of confidence now so hopefully we will take that into next weeks game.