24 February 2024 1 – 2 Full Time

---

KO KO 22 45+4 55 58 61 66 74 74 76 84 FT

• Highlights
• Match Info
• Lineups
• Past Meetings
• Ground

Highlights

Reaction

Hamilton Academical

30	Dean Lyness Goalkeeper
3	Jackson Longridge Defender
4	Lee Kilday Defender
18	Dylan MCGOWAN Defender
25	Fergus OWENS Defender
11	Lewis SMITH 7 Midfielder
16	Kyle MacDonald 19 Midfielder
21	Joe Davidson 6 Midfielder
28	Ben Williamson Midfielder
10	Akheem Rose 12 Forward
9	Kevin O’Hara Forward
6	Jamie Barjonas 21 Midfielder
7	Euan Henderson 11 Forward	61′
12	Jake Hastie 10 Midfielder
14	Marley REDFERN Midfielder
15	Connor Murray Midfielder
19	Andrew WINTER 16 Forward
22	Reghan Tumilty Defender
29	Makenzie Kirk Forward

Alloa Athletic

1	PJ Morrison Goalkeeper
20	Cameron O’Donnell Midfielder
23	David Devine Defender
6	Morgyn Neill Defender
2	Scott Taggart Defender
14	Miko Virtanen 25 Midfielder
8	Kurtis Roberts Midfielder	58′
11	Taylor Steven Forward
7	Kevin Cawley Midfielder
30	Ethan Sutherland 18 Defender
28	Bobby Wales 26 Forward
41	Tochukwu Ogayi Goalkeeper
5	Andy Graham Defender
25	Jon Robertson 14 Midfielder	84′
29	Reece Mullen
19	Steven Buchanan Midfielder
9	Luke Donnelly Forward
26	Quinn Coulson 28 Forward
16	Alistair Roy Forward
18	Conor Sammon 30 Forward

Past Meetings

9 December 2023 0 – 0 cinch League 1 N/A Alloa Athletic v Hamilton Academical Attendance: 680
16 September 2023 2 – 1 cinch League 1 N/A Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic Attendance: 1259
13 May 2023 5 – 2 Championship Playoff N/A Hamilton vs Alloa Athletic Attendance: 1353
9 May 2023 1 – 0 Championship Playoff N/A Alloa Athletic vs Hamilton Attendance: 1011
26 August 2014 4 – 1 Viaplay Cup N/A Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic

Previous12Next

Ground

New Douglas Park
Leaflet | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
New Douglas Park, Cadzow Avenue, Bothwell, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML3 0FT, United Kingdom

Pictures from yesterday's @acciesfc @AlloaAthleticFC @cinchuk league 1 match now up on flickr. https://t.co/AZTL3WMl0F pic.twitter.com/GKmLzxO0Y2

— David Glencross (@dgxwasp) February 25, 2024

17 February 2024 4 – 1 Full Time

---

KO KO 41 42 53 55 58 60 66 71 73 82 83 83 85 89 FT

• Highlights
• Match Info
• Lineups
• Past Meetings
• Ground

Highlights

Reaction

Alloa Athletic

1	PJ Morrison Goalkeeper
2	Scott Taggart Defender	42′
15	David McKay Defender	89′
6	Morgyn Neill Defender
20	Cameron O’Donnell 30 Midfielder
14	Miko Virtanen Midfielder
8	Kurtis Roberts Midfielder
12	Stefan Scougall 7 Midfielder
11	Taylor Steven Forward	73′, 85′
28	Bobby Wales 19 Forward	53′
26	Quinn Coulson 18 Forward
41	Tochukwu Ogayi Goalkeeper
25	Jon Robertson Midfielder
30	Ethan Sutherland 20 Midfielder
7	Kevin Cawley 12 Midfielder
9	Luke Donnelly Forward
19	Steven Buchanan 28 Midfielder
16	Alistair Roy Forward
18	Conor Sammon 26 Forward
5	Andy Graham Defender

Cove Rangers

21	Balint Demus Goalkeeper
3	Michael Doyle Defender
4	Connor Scully 17 Midfielder
5	Mouhamed Niang Defender
6	Will Gillingham Defender
8	Blair Yule 29 Midfielder
9	Mitch Megginson
10	Rumarn Burrell Forward
26	Mark Reynolds Defender	41′
27	Cameron Stewart 11 Defender
28	Matthew Shiels Defender
23	Jack Robertson Midfielder
2	Jacob Jones Defender
7	Paul McGowan Forward
11	Kyle Connell 27 Forward	71′
17	Josh Kerr 4 Defender
29	Oluwasegun Lawal 8 Midfielder

Past Meetings

16 December 2023 1 – 2 cinch League 1 N/A Cove Rangers v Alloa Athletic Attendance: 561
2 September 2023 1 – 0 cinch League 1 N/A Alloa Athletic v Cove Rangers Attendance: 506
16 April 2022 3 – 0 cinch League 1 N/A Cove Rangers v Alloa Athletic Attendance: 1281
26 February 2022 2 – 2 cinch League 1 N/A Alloa Athletic v Cove Rangers Attendance: 612
18 December 2021 3 – 0 cinch League 1 N/A Cove Rangers v Alloa Athletic Attendance: 585

Previous12Next

Ground

Indodrill Stadium
Leaflet | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Indodrill Stadium, Alloa

Pictures from a very wet @AlloaAthleticFC @CoveRangersFC @cinchuk league 1 match now up on flickr. https://t.co/AZTL3WMl0F pic.twitter.com/yuDjrbFo4Q

— David Glencross (@dgxwasp) February 18, 2024

We’re pleased to confirm the loan signing of St Mirren youngster Ethan Sutherland. The 17 year old shone in the Buddies pre-season fixtures terrorising from the left flank and was awarded his first senior appearances against Montrose and Arbroath in the Viaplay Cup group stage. The youth prospect will continue his development with the Wasps for the remainder of the season starting with Saturday’s game against Annan.

We’re delighted to have Ethan in to help the group. With the departure of Josh Debayo and a bad injury to Euan Deveney we felt we had to strengthen the squad options on that left side and Ethan will provide that.

Andy Graham, Alloa Athletic Manager

We have agreed to release Josh Debayo from his contract with Alloa Athletic. Josh is returning to England to be closer to his family.

The defender has made 11 appearances for the Wasps since signing in the summer. We would like to thank him for his hard work for Alloa Athletic and wish him the best of luck in the future.

We’re pleased to welcome the return of Kilmarnock loanee Bobby Wales until the end of the season. The Scotland youth striker has appeared 11 times for the Wasps leading the line impressively and had just found his scoring rhythm with 3 consecutive goals in his last 3 matches. A run he will be hoping to extend as he joins the squad for today’s game against Falkirk

Older supporters will have fond memories of Alloa’s last visit to Fir Park—a record-breaking cup upset. On August 13th, 1996, Alloa traveled to Motherwell for a 2nd Round League Cup encounter. In the club’s first competitive match of the season, Alloa had overcome East Stirlingshire 3-1 at Firs Park in round 1—with goals from Neil McAvoy, Willie Irvine, and Peter Dwyer against his former club. Managed by Alex McLeish, Motherwell was a fairly formidable force, with a squad containing players such as Tommy Coyne, Owen Coyle, Willie Falconer, Billy Davies, and John Philliben (Philiben was to be involved in another memorable Alloa match two years later—sent off for Stirling Albion as Alloa were 7-0 victors).

Alloa was a Third Division club at the time and was given next to no chance against their Premier League opposition. However, after 120 goal-less minutes of football, Alloa triumphed in the penalty shoot-out—with Jimmy Gilmour scoring the decisive spot-kick and goalkeeper Robert Balfour being something of an unlikely hero.

We played well and I thought we competed remarkably well over the 120 minutes – especially after playing extra-time on Saturday. You cannot be a manager of a third-division club and expect to beat a side from the premier division but I felt if there was to be a shock it could be tonight with Motherwell reeling after losing a couple of their players

Tom Hendrie, Alloa Manager

Alloa’s team that night was as follows: Robert Balfour, Craig Valentine, Neil McAvoy (Jimmy Gilmour), Mark Nelson, Mark Cowan, John McCormack, Kevin Kane, Stuart Mackay, Peter Dwyer, Willie Irvine, Barrie Moffat.

This was the first time in Scottish football history that a Third Division club defeated a team from the Premier League in a competitive match, with the Third Division newly formed just a few years earlier. Alloa were rewarded with a “home” tie against Celtic in the 3rd Round—the tie was played at Firhill to ensure a larger crowd. Alloa supporters experienced another memorable moment—getting back on level terms early in the second half when Paul McAneny scrambled home an equalizer to Andreas Thom’s first-half opener. But sadly and perhaps understandably, Celtic’s firepower of Jorge Cadete, Pierre Van Hooijdonk, and Paulo Di Canio eventually did their damage, and Alloa was beaten 5-1.

Historically, Alloa and Motherwell have sparsely met through the years—only facing each other on 12 occasions spanning over 100 years. This will be only their fourth Scottish Cup meeting—the others came in the season 1921/22, a memorable season for the Wasps where they were edged out of the cup by a single goal. Then in the 1953 Scottish Cup, Motherwell was 2-0 victors at Recreation Park. And finally, in 1986, a Dom Sullivan goal was not enough as Alloa lost again at home 2-1. Motherwell Manager Tommy McLean would be generous in praise and said, to Jimmy Thomson his Alloa Athletic counterpart, “You deserved a draw, but the Alloa boss quickly replied, The reality is its goals that count”.

The clubs have plied their trade in the same league on only three occasions—Division 1 in 1922/23 (a season covered brilliantly by fellow columnist Donald Pollock) and Division 2 in 1953/54 and 1968/69. Finally, in League Cup Group Sections in 1983/84, Motherwell repeated their 2-1 scoreline with Lennie McComb scoring for the Wasps. But Alloa did pick up a memorable 2-2 draw at Fir Park in the return game with goals from Davie Houston and Frankie Cole. That result, combined with the aforementioned 1996 upset, means that Alloa is unbeaten at Fir Park since 1969—54 years. Alloa only managed one more draw in the 12 fixtures, though, with Motherwell picking up 9 wins. But Alloa will be looking to achieve that first victory over Stuart Kettlewell’s men. They will be underdogs, of course, but they might just be able to channel some of that character from the 1996 and 1983 visits. One to look forward to in the New Year.

Thanks as always to “The History of Alloa Athletic” book by John Glencross and Stuart Latham for some of the statistics used in this article.

by Brian Roach