Alloa Athletic Women continued their strong run of form with an impressive 3–2 victory over Cumbernauld Colts at the Indodrill Stadium on Sunday.
Manager Allan Milne made several changes to the side, welcoming back cup-tied players Maxine Simpson, Niamh Kinsella and Sammie Gray, while Emma Allison returned in goal.
The Wasps made a blistering start under clear blue skies, taking the lead inside three minutes. Jenna Woods rattled the crossbar with a 25-yard free kick, and Mia Hutcheson reacted quickest to volley home the rebound — her third goal in as many games.
Cumbernauld nearly responded immediately, but former Alloa player Abbie Trotter fired narrowly wide. That miss proved costly, as Alloa doubled their advantage shortly after. A clever short corner routine between Amy Cully and Jenna Woods ended with Woods curling a superb effort into the far corner to make it 2–0.
The visitors continued to trouble Alloa as the game went from end-to-end. Jemma Hughes delivered a dangerous ball across the six-yard box, but crucial defending from Maxine Simpson against two oncoming Colts attackers preserved the lead.
Alloa extended their advantage from the penalty spot when Bailey Black was brought down in the box. Protests from the opposition bench resulted in a yellow card being branded to the coaching team. Jenna Woods blocked out the noise and confidently converted to grab her second of the match and make it 3–0.
Cumbernauld pulled one back before the break through an excellent long-range strike from Lindsay, sending the sides in at 3–1.
The second half was more evenly contested, with chances at both ends. The visitors reduced the deficit further when a well-worked move set up Halle McManus to score, making it 3–2 and setting up a tense finale.
As the pressure mounted, Alloa showed resilience and determination to see out the game, holding firm through ten minutes of added time to secure a valuable three points.
After the match, Milne praised his side’s performance:
Really happy with that result, it’s a big three points for us and carries on the momentum from last week.
Allan Milne
First half we were clinical and scored some nice goals. Second half we showed our desire and defensive side.
Appreciate it wasn’t the prettiest of games but I’m proud of the team’s character. They showed a different side of them, rolled the sleeves up and battled for the win.
The Wasps now travel to league leaders Cumbernauld United on Sunday, March 29, before a well earned break the following week.
