This was a game where injuries were to catch up with “The Wasps” with Parry, Graham, Deas, Robertson, Brown and Gilhooly all unavailable, Peter Grant’s team on Saturday were stretched defencively even before both Blair Malcolm and Liam Dick had to be replaced with Kevin Cawley covering at right back and Stevie Hetherington at left back.

In the end a 2-0 victory flattered Ayr United in a game in which both keepers had differing fortunes, young Kieran Wright making a horrible error, which he will learn from, to allow Ayr United to open the scoring.

Ayr United keeper Ross Doohan had to make a string of fantastic saves to keep his side level, “The Wasps” creating plenty of opportunities but missing the chances, which at this stage in the season need to be taken.

Alloa battled to find an equaliser and nobody could question the players workrate but losing the opening goal had put “The Wasps” on the backfoot. Alloa dominated possession, especially in the second half but could not get the goal which their play deserved. Scott Banks came on for his “Wasps” debut after joining on loan from Crystal Palace and his quality was causing the Ayr United defence problems, stopping him any way they could.

With eight minutes to go, Ayr United scored the killer goal, when Alan Forrest was given room to pick his spot in the top corner of the net, a fantastic goal but cruel on the home side.

Drinan Puts Ayr United in front

Thomson with a great chance.

Doohan at full stretch to deny O'Hara

Trouten denied in the second half

Ayr stopping Scott Banks

Forrest doubles Ayr's lead

Lee Connolly struggling to find a way through.

Peter grant after the defeat

It was a game we made an error, young Kieran Wright knows that, he has held his hand up, that’s probably the youthfulness in him as well, as a young goalkeeper we know you are always going to have mistakes but then he had a World class save at the end, but losing the opening goal put us on the back foot and that is now in both games we have played Ayr we have lost early goals.

We had a lot of the ball and created chances, missed them, and football is what you do in both boxes and we weren’t clinical enough, in a game maybe Ayr had three shots on goal and they got two goals and the save from Kieran right at the end of the match. Obviously very disappointed with the result but yet again I thought it took us a little bit time in the first half to get going, we adjusted a little bit, created the chances and their keeper had a couple of fantastic saves, but for me they were bad misses, we need to be more ruthless and it proved costly in the end but fair play to Ayr United they kept going and their winning goal to go 2-0 ahead was a strike which was going in the top corner, I don’t think we lose to shots which seem to go in, but in the top corner, but Ayr are capable of that, they have good players they are a good side but it would be remiss of me to say the players did anything wrong today, the disappointment in the dressing room is the fact of the distance they have came, dominating a lot of the play, had more shots on goal, but you have to be more ruthless in front of goal , or you will never win games of football.

Once again it would have been hard to pick who was league leaders and who was battling to move away from the bottom of the league, Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson was making sure his side was going to battle in midfield with his team selection remembering how “The Wasps” defeated his side 1-0 in the last Friday night game on 4th October which Peter Grant’s side played attractive, passing and direct football on the evening.

The weather was not great with a strong wind but worse was to come when a blizzard appeared from nowhere thankfully for only fifteen minutes. The first chance fell to Liam Dick which was blocked at the last moment.

Possession in the first half was 50/50 however the best chances fell to the home side, the new United forward line twin treat of Lawrence Shankland and Rakish Bingham were starved of decent service.

Robbie Deas header is cleared off the line

Ben Stirling header looks goalbound

Kevin O'Hara is just beaten by Utd keeper

Fantastic save by United keeper to secure a draw

Calum Butcher tries to get to grips with Kevin Cawley.

Victory on Tuesday night against Arbroath was massive, it now brings us only one point behing Partick Thistle and only four points seperating teams from tenth to fifth in the league table.

This was a game the first goal was going to be so important and on the evening Kevin O’Hara proved to be the difference between the teams with a “Man of the match” performance. Kevin’s first goal after 24 minutes was after a succession of Alloa corners, Robbie Deas headed towards the goal and Kevin O’Hara pounced to open the scoring.

Arbroath tried to hit back immediately and Bobby Linn had to watch his shot from the left wing come back off the Alloa crossbar. Two minutes later Kevin O’Hara increased “The Wasps” lead his pace and finish was a joy to watch, 2-0.

Alloa were rampant at this time and that man O’Hara nearly rushed on to another long clearance with Derek Gaston making a last ditch save and five minutes later coming in from the wing watched as his shot went into the side netting.

In the second half Arbroath came more into the game and had plenty possession but Alloa defence stood firm. Five minutes from the end Liam Buchanan tried to increase the scoreline but keeper Derek Gaston made a fantastic save.

Kevin O'Hara (No. 17) knocks the ball into the net

Goal number eleven for the season, so far!

So close to 3 - 0

Liam Buchanan goes close

Alloa Athletic and Partick Thistle met for the third occasion in the Ladbrokes Championship this season and remarkably all the games have ended 1-1. However on this occasion some contenious decisions were to grab the headlines rather than the fact it was a good end to end advert for good attacking football from both teams.

The first big call was as early as the 9th minute when Kevin O’Hara’s shot looked as if Scott fox had scopped it from behind the line.

Four minutes later it was Thistle who were claiming a goal when Sean McGinty’s netbound header was cleared off the line by Kevin Cawley. Ex thistle striker Liam Buchanan was shotting on sight and was unfortunate with a couple of efforts which just cleared the bar. just after the half hour Kenny Miller had a fantastic effort which Jamie MacDonald did well to push over the bar.

Alloa took the lead after 62 minutes when Adam Brown scored for the second game in succession, his shot taking a defelection of Steven Saunders past Scott Fox in the Thistle goal.

On 72 minutes referee David Munro awarded Partick Thistle a penalty, claiming the ball had struck Robbie Deas on the hand, Stuart Bannigan took the kick which was saved by Jamie MacDonald who was in inspirational form.

Two minutes later the referee awarded Thistle their second penalty of the day, with the ball heading beyond the back post and over the bar Joe Cardle went down under a challenge from Blair Malcolm. Stuart Bannigan again took the responsibilty and scored to draw the game level.

The visitors had the better of possesion in the second period and finished the game strongly, however “The Wasps” held firm and the game ended 1-1. Given the fact manager Peter Grant was without three first team regulars in Andy Graham, Alan Trouten and Liam Dick a draw was a fair result in the end.

Did Kevin O'Hara's shot cross the line?

Jamie MacDonald pulls off fantastic save

Adam Brown shot deflects past Thistle keeper 1 - 0

Adam Brown celebrates opening goal

Jamie MacDonald saves from Stuart Bannigan

Stuart Bannigan makes it 1 - 1

Peter grant after draw at partick thistle

Frustration is probably an understatement today, I think some of the decisions, which I said after the first penalty, he is desperate to give another one, I had hardly had said the words out of my mouth and the second penalty kick was given. I just thought how can the ball travel 30 yards by the post and over the bar become a penalty kick? I have watched it back, Joe Cardle has actually fell and young Blair Malcolm puts his hands on his back as Cardle’s fell and he gives a penalty kick which was disgusting to be perfectly honest with you.

I thought it was a proper game with two teams trying to win, Jamie MacDonald had some great saves from distance, which is what we expect from him but their goalkeeper also had to make great saves as well, it was a good Championship game, just disappointed that it will be remembered for the wrong headlines.

I have been asked did the effort in the first half cross the line when Scott Fox appeared to scoop it back, when Scott saved, it actually hits the net when he saves it but I couldn’t pass judgement on that one. This is where the dialogue with referee’s, or their supervisors who come to the games would help, rather than come back later and agree that was an error or mistake because if these were penalty kicks, God Almighty! There is no point trying to speak to the officials after the game, it’s a waste of time. Managers lose their jobs, players get criticized for missing chances, there could be ten guys watching up stairs but it doesn’t matter because nobody hears want they do. It is unfortunate on the linesman because I was battering his ears and I have sympathy with them, there was an incident in the middle of the pitch just after Kevin Cawley had been smashed for the same thing and that’s the frustration I now do not know what is a free kick or penalty kick. If he is saying it was handball in the box then the ball that drops over the players arm right at the death in this corner, hits him on the back of his arm, the boy doesn’t mean it but it hits his hand, so if the first one was a penalty kick then that also must be a penalty kick and that’s the frustration but I did believe it was a proper game, as I said when Ian McCall went in at Partick Thistle they would be the least of my worries because they would have enough players and quality to be fine.

Now all of a sudden we have a wee run but we still have players unavailable and I think people forget that, we are doing this with guys who have came in and to a man have been excellent, I have been chuffed with them, last week I said I was proud of them and they keep going again today but there were periods in the game we should see out. If we go 1-0 in front we should stay in front, because we are good enough with the ball to do that but to do that you need a little help at times and I do not think we are getting that.

Everybody’s talking about Jamie MacDonald and nobody was touching him, it has worked very well for us and Jamie remembering he hadn’t played for over a year, he has said that himself and he is a fantastic professional, our situation is as soon as Neil Parry is fit, Jamie has to go back but Neil is a long way off to being fit, so I am hoping we can keep Jamie but that is not in our hands, medically we can keep him on an emergency loan but we never know what Kilmarnock might want to do with a change of management at the club.

We have played really well, probably about 3 or 4 times maximum we have not played well, I just think incidents when you are playing against teams with a big support and they are behind that goal and there is half a decision going to go and the crowd make a roar and I played with a team which was similar so I know what it is like there are decisions being made and they are not the correct decisions and that happened today but it has also happened before. It happened at Dunfermline we were winning 1-0 and the ball hit their strikers hand and leads to a goal it is no goal, the ball came off the boy Nisbet, he didn’t try to handle it but it came up hit his arm and he played it to the side and they score and got an equaliser, so that’s where my frustration comes from – I just do not know what a free kick is nowadays and every week you ask the linesman and I feel sorry for them because I am bursting their ears at times but they need to agree with the referee on the pitch, so they can surely see because I am watching it but they don’t ask the referee or come back and that is annoying.

Thistle finished the game strongly so maybe a draw was a fair result at the end of the day, but the way we drew the game was disappointing.

Saturday’s defeat to Greenock Morton was a difficult result to take given how much of the game “The Wasps” had along with opportunities created. However the bottom line is it is about taking your chances and sometimes having to make your own luck.

The manager was able to bring back Liam Dick & Iain Flannigan after a period out through suspension but unfortunately had two do without his two top goalscorers Alan Trouten and Kevin O’Hara, Liam Buchanan & Robert Thomson both starting the game up front.

Once again Alloa produced a lot of good football but lacked the killer touch in front of goal, taking an extra touch and then the chance was gone. The closest “The Wasps” came to opening the scoring was when Liam Buchanan looked  to have timed his sortie into the box, only for the referee to cancel his effort for offside which VAR might have suggested otherwise.

When the opening goal came it has to say in was a cracker and something Nicky Cadden had threatened to do earlier in the game, he will not strike a ball more cleanly. However losing a second goal three minutes later was a bigger shock and one which ultimately won the game for David Hopkin and his Morton team

To the players credit they never gave in but the current deepth of squad gave the manager little attacking options from the bench. When the squad is fully fit they haved proved to be the equal of any team in the league, but when the squad suffers injuries or suspensions it is stretched and in need of more options.

Like other managers, Peter Grant will be looking to strenghen his squad in the January transfer window, however it is a tough time to attract players to the club and players waiting until end of January before committing themselves.

Sitting at the bottom of the league is not a place we will want to be, however we must stay strong and look to move up the table, keep on believing.

Liam Buchanan puts Jack Baird under pressure

Robert Thomson just fails to conect with ball across goalmouth

Liam Buchanan effort ruled out for offside?

Nicky Cadden strike puts Morton ahead

Jack Baird ghosts in at back post to make it 2-0

Liam Buchanan fails to get his shot away

Peter grant after home defeat to morton

We lost the game in a ten minute spell, we knew that Morton would put us under pressure from crosses and second balls but the way we lost the first goal, we defended it then tried to play out of defence and got caught which was silly, the ball came back in and you can see the wonder strike and sometimes a strike like that can give yourself a lift. We then don’t pick up and it’s the one thing Morton will always do is ask questions at the back, we knew Morton would put crosses into our box and that is the time our concentration levels needed to be at our best and we got caught out again in that ten minute period which cost us the game.

A lot of people were telling me the goal we had chalked off for offside looked like in was on side but Morton manager David Hopkin could also say his side should have had a penalty it is unfair the game is so quick now and I understand that, I have battered referee’s left right and centre so I think this time I have to be fair I have not seen the incidents back their penalty claim or our goal. We all know goals change games and I am not sure Nicky Cadden will score a better goal, it was a wonderful strike but that’s when you have to show your metal and concentrate during that period and we didn’t do that well and that’s what cost us the second goal.

I think we get into great positions especially in the first half but the final ball was not good enough, Morton defended well so you need to give them credit, we got into good areas but when we had the opportunity to have a strike we took an extra touch and that’s why I go down to one touch training because I think, why take an extra touch because you will not get that opportunity, even at the highest level you get minimal time and at our level as well it is very difficult because you are playing against decent players. We have to have the belief to strike the ball early, it can deflect off somebody but get a shot away. We can speak about Jermaine Defoe and he is the best to work with because it is touch and bang and he showed that last night against Hibernian, and we need to get into that habit and there were opportunities we could have done that and that changes the game completely because in between both boxes we are playing a lot of good stuff but what wins you games and trophies and keeps you in leagues is what you do in your own box and in the opposition box and unfortunately we have not been clinical enough or defended well enough in our own box. It is frustrating; yes we had our two main strikers out today and guys on the bench just to make up numbers so it is difficult when we don’t have a lot to change it and that is something I have learned, so we will have to look at it not just changing the personnel, then you have to change everything, especially today and I don’t mean to be disrespectful the players on the bench were not the type of players to change the way and get us goals and that is something we need to look at.