Competition: Championship

Airdrieonians v Alloa Athletic

Airdrieonians will take a slender 1-0 lead into the second leg of our Championship Play Off Semi final tie after their top goalscorer Andy Ryan headed home his 27th goal of the season to give the home side a deserved 1-0 victoy on the evening. Games between the sides this season have always been close with only a one goal margin in both teams favour have counted. The Wasps will go into Saturday’s 2nd Leg knowing they can play better than they did in a the first leg and still have great belief they can reach their fourth Play Off final having already reached and won on their previous three finals.

 

jim goodwin after 1st leg defeat

We are disappointed to lose any game of course it is disappointing but its only 1-0 at the end of the day, I thought Airdrie were the better team on the night and I’ll give them credit for that, we allowed them far too much time on the ball in the first half and we weren’t able to keep possession well enough which was disappointing, that’s not us, we are a good football team and we like to try and dictate the game but Airdrie were slightly better than us tonight.

In the second half we gave a much better account of ourselves, it was then a far more even game, from a neutral point of view it was probably a decent spectacle it was quite end to end at times, but we just weren’t able to create any real clear cut opportunities, I don’t think we tested their keeper enough and I thought Airdrie defended really well, we give them credit but it is only half-time. We have been in these situations many times throughout the season when you go a goal down by half-time, in a normal league game you only have 45 minutes to turn it around and we have done that on numerous occasions in the past, we now have another 90 minutes and another hell of a lot of football to be played.

I think I could count on one hand the amount of games where we have not scored a goal this season, but again I give credit to Airdrie for that I thought they defended really well but we didn’t play to the levels we are capable of, we know we have to do better on Saturday and we will do better. Our big players will do better on Saturday and we are still confident we can get through the tie.

I don’t want to be too negative about the team they are a fantastic bunch of boys, they give their all every night in training, they never let you down on a match day, but today was an off day for too many but it is just one of those things, the positive aspect for us is it is only 1-0 and we have plenty quality in our team and belief we can turn it around.
1 - 0
Full Time

Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic

 

jack ross after final league match

Pleased with the performance but frustrated at the result, the only thing I could ask the players to add to their game is a little bit of ruthlessness, in terms of taking a lot of the opportunities we have been creating and managing to see out little periods in games when they come under a bit of pressure, because over the course of this game I don’t think we came under a lot of pressure apart from the start of the second half and unfortunately we conceded in that time but for the vast majority of the game lots to be pleased about, again the players energy levels, their commitment, their desire to keep playing that way, despite the game being meaningless, a lot of the football they play is terrific, created good opportunities from good play today, which didn’t always come easy for us, we could have won it at the end, Scott Hynd came on, it has been frustrating for him because we have not been able to give him the opportunities but he has a knack of putting himself in good areas, the first header he possibly was a bit disappointed but the second header was terrific but was unfortunate to see it just go the wrong side of the post.

For our point of view to finish the season unbeaten in the last five games, albeit we could have had a couple of victories instead of draws, it means the morale is good around the place, the players are finishing the season realising they are good players which maybe wasn’t the case earlier in the season, due to how the season had gone, to go the last five games unbeaten after you have already been relegated is testament to their professionalism and integrity to do things correct for the club.

We have a young squad, probably at times even I didn’t realise the age of some of the players, reflecting back to Ibrox last week, the team that finished that game was very young, albeit some of these players are not our own, they are loan players, but that is a market you must explore as well, with these younger player it would have been mentally challenging over parts of the season as how it was going the experience will help them gain confidence and belief in their abilities – Michael Duffy is possibly the case in point in that his performances have been fantastic in the last few months and I know through speaking to him, that belief is now evident in him, which great for him going forward and his appearances will attract interest from other clubs, whether his next move is with Celtic or loaned back out to a full time club, he is certainly good enough to play in the top league and he is only going to get better because he has so much to offer the game. Our own young players it has been frustrating for Scott Hynd and at times I forget how young Isaac Layne is, so pleasing for him to score he would have been disappointed he never added to it but he has not played a lot of games at this level so he is still learning. There are also other players who have impressed in training and have still to be given an opportunity which is good for the future.

My intention would be to keep the core of the team and over the next week we will have a clearer picture but I would like to keep the nucleus of what I have here because we have some good players and I also believe we have players who care about their club which is important, there are players who want to do well and have a hunger to get success back for the club and I will add the ones I’m trying to attract at the moment who I think will fit well with how I like to work but sometimes it is easier said than done and getting them, but the reputation the club has in terms of how professional it is and how it looks after its players can help us to a degree but there are always other factors as well but there are a lot of players here I really enjoy working with.
1 - 1
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Rangers v Alloa Athletic

Once again “The Wasps” recorded another excellent result against Rangers in front of 50,349 fans at Ibrox on the day they were to receive the Ladbrokes SPFL Championship Trophy, this was not what was expected, certainly by the home fans, who were looking to party. Alloa manager Jack Ross must be pleased with the recent form of his players who are now unbeaten in four SPFL Championship matches. Enter Michael Duffy who took centre stage with his opening goal which silenced the home fans and gave his team great belief they could take something from the match. Alloa certainly didn’t play like a team who had already been relegated and deserved their point on the day, it was to be another memorable result for “The Wasps” who can look back in pride with some great memories in matches against Rangers over past couple of seasons.

 

jack ross after draw at ibrox

Immensely proud of the players today, because they came into an environment today against a team of Rangers calibre and did themselves proud, don’t for one second think that Rangers weren’t trying, that was evident from the touchline and technical area and from on the park, so we had to be really resilient, play disciplined football and had to carry some fortune on the day at times but equally so, we deserved what we got from the game.

We have spoken in the past at just how good Michael Duffy has been for us and today I spoke to him about having that belief if he got in the right areas and he took advantage of an early opportunity and gave us the perfect start, we knew he had that quality and he showed that again throughout the game, it was a special moment for him. We said before the game football is about memories and we had the chance to create a good one today and they did that.

We worked hard in midweek in training in preparation to try and nullify Rangers opportunities in the game, they had a lot of possession and we had to combat that and we did it very well, it is ok putting a plan in place but you need the players to go and implement and execute it and they did that really well.

We got a little bit of good fortune with the missed penalty, which I would like to see again, I wasn’t sure of the award at the time. However losing a goal so soon after was a blow just before half-time, it was not the type of goal I thought we might concede to Rangers, I think in fairness to Scott, I think he slipped as he went to come for it, which if he didn’t he would have come and collected, but after losing the late goal just before half-time the way we responded in the second half was brilliant. Scott has demonstrated once again today that he can play at the highest level and we have been fortune to have him because of the relationship I have had with him in the past as a player, he deserves to be playing for a full time club.

We are now unbeaten in our last four league matches, which includes matches against Hibernian and Rangers so we will want to carry that forum into our last league game against Dumbarton and take that momentum into the pre season and early part of next season.
1 - 1
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Alloa Athletic v Queen of the South

The Wasps have now picked up points against every other team in the Championship this season after Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Queen of the South, indeed they might have claimed all three points after Connor McManus put them ahead with only fifteen minutes left but conceded a late equaliser with five minutes to go. Jack Ross is pleased the club are ending the season in more positive fashion, now being unbeaten in last three Championship matches. However Saturday’s visit to Ibrox to face league champions Rangers will be a huge challenge under different circumstances to recent visits to Ibrox, the fact Rangers will be presented with the Ladbrokes SPFL Championship Trophy on the day.

 

jack ross after qos draw
Our motivation prior to today’s game was to record back to back victory, which we haven’t been able to do this season, Queen of the South were the only club we hadn’t taken any points from – we managed to do that but disappointed after being in a winning position we couldn’t get the three points, by conceding late on and not seeing it through, I think overall a draw was probably a fair reflection on the game because it swung at times in terms of who was dominating it and Queen’s put us under a lot of pressure in the second half.

The second goal was a really good goal, I was pleased for Connor McManus because being a young player comes on and gives away the penalty and shows great character to still want to take part in the game and scores a really good goal, a great move and really good finish. This is all part of his learned experience being on loan and from him he can take a huge positive in that by responding after giving away the penalty to score a really good goal.

I haven’t mentioned contracts to the players at this stage because I think as a group now they have set standards in training that we want to accept as being the norm at the club and they have been there over the last couple of months and their performance levels have been fairly consistent and we have managed to achieve more points, not enough, but there are a number of positives to take in the way we are finishing the season so it is important to try anf take that momentum into next season which always matters, you want to finish the season in a positive way and take that into pre season.

Next week against Rangers is a game they will be desperate to be involved in , they have experienced the stadium before but not in these circumstances in terms of the atmosphere, so it’s a big challenge but one we are going into in a good frame of mind being unbeaten in our last three Championship matches.

Michael Duffy has been great for us this season, he is not an out and out striker and it would be unfair to judge him purely on his goals scored he is a very talented footballer with a fantastic work ethic who has been terrific for me, he is popular among the players and the support because the recognise the work and quality he provides, I don’t think he realises how good he is at times when he gets himself turned and going at defenders he is a real threat to them and he has get better over the season and he will be a asset to someone next season whether he is allowed to go back out on loan again and will have a positive career in the game.

I’m hoping to address my own contract situation with the club in the next week or so, I have enjoyed the opportunity and people might think because we have been relegated it hasn’t been a good experience but the response and reaction from the players has given me some comfort knowing they are going about thinks in the right way so I would very much welcome the opportunity to get the club back up again, the dynamics of next season will be different, over the last few years it’s been about survival and that is not said in a derogatory way that is the simple facts of being a club of this size in a full time league so, next season will be different, the club will be expected to win more games but equally there will be games where there will be a lot more opportunity to go and win games rather than hoping to win them as sometimes has been the case this season.
2 - 2
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Alloa Athletic v Hibernian

The Alloa Athletic players were finally rewarded for their efforts over the season at The Indodrill Stadium when they defeated Hibernian, who are still chasing a return to the Premiership and will face Dundee United in the William Hill Scottish Cup Semi-final next Saturday, this after narrowly failing to lift the League Cup when they lost a last minute goal to lose 2-1 to Ross County recently. The Wasps won 1-0 through a Michael Duffy goal just prior to half-time, which was called controversial, but was clearly over the line. Although Hibernian had more possesion in the second half, in was Alloa again who could have extended their lead with efforts from Michael Duffy & Mitch Megginson. Jack Ross will now look to build on this result and end the season on a high.

 

jack ross after victory over hibernian
I am delighted for the players today, because of the result people will point to things must have been different from previously but that is how we have played in the main over the last three or four months, particularly in a lot of home games here at the Indodrill Stadium, but the difference today was things fell for us that have not done previously and that’s the fine margins which you need to get a positive result. I am really, really happy for the players, they deserve that and they are going out of this league taking a big scalp in beating Hibernian, because it is a scalp because Hibernian are a huge club with full internationals playing in their team, with aspirations of going on and winning a major cup and getting back to the Premiership this season, so to get a win from the game we had to be good and we were today.
I had no concerns about my team not being up for the game, this week in training they have been terrific and the response I have had from them since coming here has been excellent, we have made individual mistakes at times of course and we have carried a lit bit of misfortune which at times has prevented us from having a good go at staying in the league, they got rewards for their efforts today which at times this season hasn’t always been the case.
Going ahead in the game was good because we haven’t went ahead in many games, and we are also a good side on the counter with the players we have, a lot of times this season we have found ourselves behind and we have been chasing games and leaving the game more open, so to go ahead helped us, I was not sure the goal had been given, because the way things have been going for us this season – we have hit posts, had fantastic saves, snow, a whole lot of things, so getting the goal and going ahead was good for us, it meant that we came in at half time in a really positive frame of mind and had something to hold on to and we played that way in the second half and arguably had we gave up a lot of territory and possession but had the better chances in the second half.
The ball could have been five yards the wrong side of the line and I don’t care, I think we have deserved it, the players have deserved it and I think Michael Duffy in particular deserved it because he has been terrific for us and had a lot of misfortune at times, so pleased for him.
It is great to get that first home win, before we had our fate decided and even after the message was “Let’s get that first home win”, nobody at the club wants to go through a whole season without a home win whatever level you are playing, and it reflects on everybody at the club, we all wanted it – our last two home games we have lost in injury time against Raith Rovers and should have beaten St. Mirren here so we got what we deserved today and its nice to put it to bed, that tea players didn’t deserve to have that tag of never having won at home before today this season.
1 - 0
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Livingston v Alloa Athletic

Relegation to Division One for next season was confirmed for “The Wasps” after yesterday’s match at the Tony Macaroni Arena in Livingston, which ended 0-0. However like so many of the recent games for the club, the players commitment and effort could not have been questioned, but the lack of a cutting edge in front of goal has cost the team this season with only 17 league goals from 32 matches.

Yesterday was another day where the margin in taking something from the game was at it’s finest, prior to the match the pitch was heavily watered which made the surface slippy for both sides which got worse in the second half after a period of torrential rain. The game was never a classic, but “The Wasps” will look back at chances in the second half for Michael Duffy, Iain Flannigan & Isaac Layne which could have claimed a winner, before pushing forward with five minutes to go, they got caught on the break, which provided the games biggest talking point, Steven Hetherington tried to get back to clear from the on rushing Jordan Sheerin, whom he tripped as the player looked in a great position to score.

The referee, Alan Muir, red carded Steven Hetherington and awarded a free kick on the edge of the box, which was eventually cleared and the game ended 0-0 which meant Alloa Athletic will be playing their football in the SPFL Division One next season. The players however still have four big matches remaining this season in The Championship, including three at home when they will look to end their season on a high, while the planning for next season must start now.

 

jack ross at livi

It’s probably been the story for us for two or three months now, that we haven’t been scoring enough goals, certainly I can only speak from December, but in a lot of occasions we have played well and created opportunities but when you don’t take them it makes it difficult, certainly the players knew the potential outcome of today, if we didn’t achieve three points and I stressed to them to show pride and they did that in abundance, I don’t think I could have got anymore out of them in effort levels and performance, because they played well in parts of the game, so nothing to be ashamed of from their point of view, certainly now their pride is hurt, frustrated all these things but certainly not embarrassed.

We were conscious that this day could come with the way results have been in the last few weeks it meant it was probably inevitable, I certainly do not think that is reflected in their play or performances, I certainly feel for them more than anything else, my job is to try and get the best from them and hope the players get the rewards for that, I don’t suppose it really sinks in properly until you come away from it because you are still thinking of the game that has just went, of course we are hugely disappointed, it’s the first time I have experienced this in my playing or coaching career, and my message is this “Remember the feeling and you don’t want to experience it again” and hopefully if I’m part of things here, that we are chasing a title next season. This is the crappy side of the game but sometimes you have to experience to enjoy the good times even more when hopefully we are given that chance.

We still have really good games coming up, Hibernian next week, we still have to go to Ibrox these are great game to be involved in and it means the players will not relax and still play with the same intensity and pride and want to finish the season on a high and get rewards for what they could have had already. The first home win was one of the first things I said to the players when I came here that must be our objective, we were unfortunate when the game was abandoned due to the snow and we have had injury time goals which have denied us that but we still have three opportunities to put that right, we will take one, trust me.
0 - 0
Full Time

Alloa Athletic v St Mirren

Once again on Saturday, “The Wasps” were left wondering why, after a late St.Mirren goal against the run of play, denied them to take anything from a game they, especially in the second half played very well, created good chances but could not get the ball past the experienced Jamie Langfield in the St. Mirren goal, who broke the Alloa players hearts with a wonderful one handed save to deny Michael Duffy and a certain Alloa goal. The players didn’t get any breaks on the day and the late goal was a cruel blow.

 

jack ross after defeat to st mirren

It was another tough defeat to take, especially for the players, I’m not gutted for myself but it is for them, the players, I’ve just left a very quiet dressing room. I thought the players were terrific, in the first half we competed well, there wasn’t a lot in the game but in the second half they were very, very good, I would defy anybody to say otherwise, we were the better team by a stretch, played really well, created good opportunities, I don’t think it was bad finishing, just we needed a wee bit fortune at times, so it was cruel. I have said for a while now, the position we have found ourselves in, if we were going to get out of that position- we will need to be dragged out of the league, we will certainly not go out with just a wee pat on the head. The players have done that in the main since I have come to the club, pride was the thing I asked the players to show today and they showed that in abundance, so I have not one bit of complaint about the performance, the players didn’t deserve that result – but it’s a results business. Nothing I can say will change that, the only thing if they are looking to learn something from today is remember how they feel, try and use that as motivation so they don’t want to feel that pain again.

Michael Duffy was outstanding, he has been a great success for us, it will be beneficial for him over his career, he is a lovely boy with a terrific attitude, I think for the last couple weeks he has not been at his best, his work rate could not be questioned but he didn’t look just as sharp, even in the first half today but in the second half today we asked him to do a couple of different things at half-time and in the second half he was terrific and showed what he has in his locker, he has attributes which make him a threat to defenders, a times it is just getting him to believe in himself enough, believe it or not players are not always arrogant and full of themselves, a lot of them doubt themselves in a lot of ways and you have to make them believe in themselves and was shown in the second half when he was terrific, I couldn’t ask any more from him.

We have known the position we are in for a while now, so we knew we had to win games, today we played very well, especially in the second half but to be fair lady luck has not been kind to us, at times things just wouldn’t fall our way at the right time, maybe it’s just not meant to be, but the spirit the players have shown has been terrific, and I heard supporters going away from today’s game hugely frustrated but proud of the performance of the team. There were a few key moments in the game, not least some of the saves Jamie Langfield produced but he is a very good goalkeeper who played a long time in the Premier League, they had a number of players in their team today who played in the Premier League last season and we were better than them, but his save was a fantastic save, he was not only going the wrong way but the shot is hit with terrific power.
0 - 1
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Greenock Morton v Alloa Athletic

 

jack ross after defeat at cappielow

The first half I wasn’t happy, I think I have been quiet fulsome in my praise in terms of how the players have performed in the past, but in the first half I think we dipped well below that, they knew that themselves, but strangely enough I thought in the second half we were a lot better, a lot more like themselves. However there are fine margins and although we had opportunities it looked like it was us who were more likely to grab an equaliser than we were to concede at the other end, I wasn’t happy with the decision in the part which leads to the third goal, thereafter I thought the only thing we can learn from it was that we were a little bit ragged towards the end of the game and we could have conceded more which would have put a harsh reflection on the score line – so first half disappointed, second half pleased with their reaction, with the fine margin in our favour we could have easily got ourselves in a position to get something from the game but then end up with nothing, which at times you just have to accept.

The save from Mitch Megginson at 2-1 was a crucial part of the game, it was a really good save, because I was right in line with it and Michael Duffy tried to put in the rebound, it was a terrific block from one of their centre half’s. On reflection it was an important part in the game, who knows what have happened if that had went in, but in a game in which Morton score four goals they usually deserve to win the football match, it was round an important part in the game, we were having a good spell and looking the most likely team at that period to score, but we didn’t, when you don’t it means that the next goal can kill you off.

Nothing today has changed what I have said to the players – It is very easy to play football when things are going well for you but it is much more of a test of character and hopefully our players will have stages in their careers when things are going better for them, it is easy to buckle or say it is to hard or just give in, but I don’t think the players are doing that and what we must do is approach every game positively and try and win it, regardless of what the outcome of that is, so I try and prepare them as best as I can before each game and it is a good test of character for them because the easiest thing human nature dictates is to say this is too difficult but they have not done that and I don’t believe they will.
4 - 1
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Alloa Athletic v Raith Rovers

The players were totally dejected on Saturday after suffering an late injury time goal to deny them their second victory of the season over Raith Rovers and more importantly “That first home win of the season”. At no time in the game on Saturday did the team look as if their campaign was over, the players realise it will be difficult to close the ten point gap with only seven games left, but they will make sure the campaign does not peter out, we still have four more home games to end our barren home season. Saturday’s disappointment has made the players even more determined to give the fans something in return for their loyal support over the season.

 

jack ross after late goal

There is nothing I could say to the players after the game that can make it hurt any less. When you concede a goal in injury time there’s no magic words you can find to take that feeling away.

I don’t think we deserved that, but it’s maybe just indicative of how the season has panned out for us. You could probably pick the bones out of every goal you concede, but sometimes things just drop in areas and that is what happened. Sometimes you have to take a step back from the disappointment and say we were up against a team who are fourth in the league and on a really good run prior to coming here.

They’ve been winning a lot of games and are in poll position for a playoff spot, yet we have come within 60 seconds of beating them for the second time this season. I think we deserved to win the game and for a team who have been written off by so many it would be so easy for them just to roll over, but they certainly haven’t done that. While it is still possible then we will always retain the belief. We can’t affect what has gone before this season, so all we can do is treat each game as the most important game of the season and try to win it.

I think these players deserve to win games, but it is out of our hands now because we would need things to go our way elsewhere. Of course, if we were to go and win six of them to take us to safety, it would be something spectacular. But if we win can four of them and things don’t go our way then at least we can say that we finished the season with pride.

The belief is still there, but we know it is an uphill task now that is out with our control. I really feel for the players in terms of the home record. I couldn’t care less about me because they’re the ones who have to go out there and do it on the park. They put a huge amount of effort into that last game and played some nice football to create some good opportunities, but we still have a few chances to put it right before the end of the season and so that is what we will look to do. If we keep up the performance levels of the Raith game then I am sure we will get a break.
1 - 1
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Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic

 

jack ross after dumbarton game

I think I am always honest in my assessments of games and I thought we were the better team against Dumbarton. We played very well in the first half, but the goals we concede we have gifted them. We have been guilty of that all season and teams don’t seem to have to work very hard to score against us. The first one is a poor mistake and then the second goal is well taken by the powerful Nade, but I still felt we were the better team. They started the second half well and score a tremendous goal straight away that had us up against, but to be fair to the boys they rallied well and did not throw in the towel. We dominated possession for the rest of the game. Obviously, the sending off gives us impetus, but I though we did well against the ten men without really creating that clear cut chance that we needed. It has been a problem for us all season and we just don’t have seem to have that cutting edge. We have a number of very good footballers, who give their all and create some good opportunities, but we simply lack a Christian Nade type who can finish them and it is as simple as that.

We know where we are as a group and we know what the Dumbarton result means for us. We can’t get away from the fact that things look very bleak for us now. But it is a test of the individual characters of my players now. In this situation you have two options. You can buckle and let the season peter out or you can rally and have enough pride in what you do to battle until the end. For the majority of my tenure here we have done a lot of good things, but we have fallen short results-wise. At the end of the day, league tables don’t lie. It is human nature that the players are all devastated after this result. It has been tough for them recently when they have in the main performed quite well, but ended up getting nothing from all of these games. But I have told them that they have to have a goal or motivation individually now until the end of the season.

As a team now our focus must be to put this home record right. That has got to be the aim now because anything outwith that at the moment is now very difficult for us. So we will look to go and put that right first and foremost on Saturday. That would at least put one thing right for the season and so that is what I have asked them to go and do. It is too early for us to say we’re simply going to look towards next season and rebuilding. There will likely come a time for that, but I think until it is mathematically impossible to stay in the league then it would be foolish of us just to dismiss it. It is obviously very difficult, but while it is not impossible we will always give our all and see where it takes us.
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