In Tuesday nights rearranged fixture against Greeenock Morton, after the original game was abanded due to snow on 16th January, 2016, “The Wasps” had to battle back to secure a draw after going two goals behind early in the first half. It was important that we didn’t lose the game and the players showed a great fighting spirit and will to win against a good Morton team. The deficit at the bottom of the league has now been cut to four points drawing us nearer Livingston and keeping Dumbarton & St. Mirren within our sights. However the manager could look back on the game thinking “The Wasps” might have snatched a winner late in the match but to be fair both teams might have claimed a winner late in the game and a draw was probably a fair result.

jack ross after morton draw

I thought we did better in the latter stages of the first half after a slow start, but then we played well in the second half. I thought Morton were the better team for the part of the first half and just before half-time, but once we adapted to their system we were much better and I think if you add it all up over the piece then a draw was probably a fairly even game, both sides had good spells in the game, but naturally when you come back from 2-0 down in a game to get something from it then that has to be a positive. We struggled a wee bit with their system early on and Scott Gallacher had to make some important saves, but that is why I signed him.

He is a good goalkeeper, I said it him when he came in he would put himself back in the shop window because he still would like full time football, because we are a smaller team in a bigger league with full time teams he was always going to be busy on occasions and tonight he produced good saves. You always want to win games but over the piece having been two goals down I am delighted the character and attitude the players showed to fight back. Both teams could argue they could have won the game. Bear in mind this is a team that still have not won at home this season and they have taken a lot of criticism throughout the course of the season so their confidence has been battered. Over the piece, I think both teams could argue that they deserved to win the game.

Morton had chances in the first half, then we had the momentum in the second, but we have to take a step back and say, the point again takes us in the right direction; it is another point forward for us. Every single point is crucial now for us. We go into every single game looking to win and it will be no different this weekend as the squad prepare for the visit of SPFL Championship leaders Rangers.

My message to players in the dressing room, is always a positive one and we always look to go and win each game and it will be no different on Saturday against Rangers. I was lucky as a player to enjoy wins over the Old Firm and sometimes when teams haven’t done it for a long time it can be a nice surprise when they do. Saturday is a brilliant game for us.

It is one the players should look to relish and enjoy being out there, but it is a game we will look to go and win. We will give our all and see where that takes us. You are not ever going to win every game even if you are the best team in the league, but if you set out to win it then you give yourself the best chance to get something.

The Wasps welcomed neighbours Falkirk as their first foots for the New Year but disappointingly the home side failed to take any points from a game which on commitment and determination they might have hoped to share the spoils, but in the end it was the Falkirk talisman, John Baird who was on hand to show the difference of having a proven goalscorer in their team. The manager will be looking at the January transfer window to try and bring in more strength and options in attack but other clubs will be looking to do the same as clubs look to strengthen for the second half of the season. Falkirk ground out a victory in a game of very few clear cut chances, Robbie Crawford came closest to scoring for “The Wasps” but in poor conditions it was not game for the football purists with Scott McKenna, making his Alloa debut on loan from Aberdeen putting on a “Man of the Match” performance

jack ross after falkirk new year derby

Today we were playing a team who are on a terrific run and are rightly been seen as promotion contenders, we matched them for long periods in the game, I don’t think the game had huge amounts of quality in it there were few chances at both ends, Andy McNeil had only one save other than the one that leads to the goal and Danny Rogers didn’t have many saves to make either but I thought the level of commitment from the players was tremendous, their desire, you could see that in the final fifteen minutes of the game was evident, so that’s encouraging and we will look to stay as positive as we can, it is difficult because the players have taken a lot of blows at the moment, but the group of players and reaction I have had from them has been first class.

First and foremost when you come in, I only have two nights a week to work with the players so it’s about trying to get them onside as positive as we can be to begin with and buy in the way I want to do things and I think they are doing that, there has been a really good reaction in the training and I try to speak to them individually which is difficult with the time you have got but I have been delighted with them and today I genuinely feel for them, people think managers want results for themselves but it doesn’t bother me, I want the players to get their rewards at times because I think the commitment they showed today we could easily have taken something from this game.

I genuinely had no qualms about playing Scott McKenna, he is somebody I have watched over the past couple of years, I had seen him play for Scotland Under 19’s and watched him in a few games since, I know that the type of player he is he could handle this fine, it took him a little while at the start of the game because he was playing against two very good strikers in Lee Miller & John Baird, they are experienced and know the game and are a handful but he adjusted really well, he tired at the end but that is natural as well it is a step up in pace to what he has playing, but delighted with him and if he produces performances like that in the games he is here he will do well.

We still have two loan options left this season, so it is a market we will continue to look at again, I think there is no an abundance of players going about, we will continue to try especially in the attacking areas, it’s evident that we don’t have a huge amount of options, I only had one fit striker today in Michael Duffy, so I have been tirelessly trying and found it difficult so far. When I came here we had only taken one point from twenty seven in nine home games so we looked at what could we do to help address that, when we were playing against full time teams with good quality they prefer the pitches with big spaces so we thought it might help us to narrow the pitch. Today it didn’t change the end result but it did keep us in the game throughout, so it’s an educated gamble, we could happily just let the season peterout or look to change, we asked the question and were told it was ok, if it works it works but we need to try things.

I think Robbie Crawford will stay with the club, Michael Duffy needs to consider his option and Michael Doyle we are hoping to stay, the good thing for these players is they are experiencing first team football every week although they still have the desire to go and make it at their parent club and we will be having conversations to see where they stand, Michael Duffy, I would love him to stay, I’ve been really pleased with him so far it’s been really difficult for him as a young player because at times he has been asked to play with little support and I don’t believe he has had his rewards because at times with a little fortune he could have scored goals, I still believe he could still score six to ten goals this season and hopefully that will be with us.

New Alloa Athletic manager Jack Ross, took charge of the team for the first time on Saturday and could be pleased with the determination and effort from his players, who created chances but on the day once again they just didn’t fall kindly – Connor McManus, Michael Duffy and Iain Flannigan, all could have been on the score sheet in the first half but St. Mirren went in 1-0 ahead thanks to on loan striker Lawrence Shankland’s lobbed effort. In the second half “The Wasps” again had a good spell before Saints scored a second totally against the run of play. In the end, not scoring and being punished at the other end is how the season has been so far. Scott Hynd came off the bench and had a great headed effort saved by Jamie Langfield when if “The Wasps” had got a goal back it might have been different. Jack Ross will try to assess the playing squad and will look to see what he can change in January transfer window, however the players are staying positive and know the league is still very tight but will want to turn chances into league points.

First and foremost all you want is to win the game, prior to the game I hadn’t thought about nothing else than to prepare the team to win, so naturally disappointed, mainly for the players because they put an awful lot into the match, but it is difficult for me to make comparisons because I haven’t seen the team play at home this season and had to be guided by Paddy for that, but he thought it was one of their better home performances and on another occasion we could have got something from it, it is obvious we haven’t scored a lot of goals this season, one of the things we spoke about before hand was be as positive as we can in the final third, you have to be prepared to make mistakes in that area, putting crosses in the box, having shots on goal to create things and I thought we did create chances today and I don’t think any of the chances were poor finishing. I think it was just not falling for us on the day and if they continue to work as hard as that and try and create in the final third I’m sure it will fall for them, certainly the message at the end of the game was not to go away from here in any way disappointed or downbeat because I thought there were a lot of positives to take from the game. People say they don’t look at other results but the position we are in of course it was good Livingston and Dumbarton drew, it’s a good result for us, despite the difficult season we have had we are still in touch and that’s important to keep that belief amongst the players as well.

It is the first time I have seen some of the players in competitive action and I am still getting to know some of them and I have limited time with them during the week but there were good things and not so good things. Next game is against Raith Rovers at Kirkcaldy and in this league they don’t get any easier, I went to the Morton v. Raith Rovers game last night as we will be playing Morton in the not too distant future as well and they are all good sides but I hope our players will have taken belief from today’s game the message certainly was that, it wasn’t that St. Mirren won 2-0 and the game was hugely comfortable for St. Mirren, they had to earn that victory today.

The two players who scored the goals in Lawrence Shankland and Calum Gallagher have good pedigrees and the first goal, which is always hugely important in this division was a really good finish, I think if Shankland took a touch Michael Doyle probably gets in to make a tackle but he made the decision to take it first time and it was a good finish. January, will give us the opportunity within that period to do something, we will have to try and shuffle things around but it’s like everything there is not an abundance of players, I wouldn’t just change for the sake of change it would have to improve or squad, however we don’t have a huge amount of options in certain areas of the squad which looks imbalanced and I would like to address that.

It is worrying that Jason Marr had to come off with what looked like a muscular injury, he is just back fit but Jason does well for us and he comes from a good pedigree so we will need to assess him over next couple of days and at a club where resources are less than others we just need to deal with it and move on.

This being the only SPFL Championship game to survive the elements of hurricane “Desmond” today, it was certainly the faithful supporters of both clubs who must be applauded for their attendance at the game. As a spectacle the game was spoiled no doubt by the conditions which is no surprise. Although both teams put plenty of effort into the game, there was plenty of effort but little or no clear cut opportunities although it could be argued you have to make your own luck in our current league position. Goals change games and certainly when ex Wasp, Mark Docherty’s wind assisted goal direct from a corner put Dumbarton ahead they were relieved at their slice of luck. The second goal, when we were caught pushing forward only looked probable after the opening goal. At this time, it is difficult for the Alloa Athletic fans but the team needs their backing more than ever just now. The players will be back in tomorrow morning, to prepare for the second of our back to back games against Dumbarton, this time in the William Hill Scottish Cup tie scheduled for Tuesday evening, if the weather gives us that opportunity.

danny lennon after defeat to dumbarton

We are certainly getting punished for every wee mistake we make at this moment, but what we certainly can’t be is feeling sorry for ourselves, however we must take that frustration and channel that in a way to prepare and move on to the next game and channel it in a way that can earn us a result.

I thought our work rate, and application of the players today was absolutely fantastic in very difficult conditions, not helped by the elements. Goals always change games and particularly where we are at this minute in time, in terms of the first goal, certainly the elements played a major part, the players losing sight of the ball coming out of the blizzard conditions, saying that, you still have to deal with the corner better.

Every game is big for us from now on and what certainly Tuesday brings is a welcome break from the league campaign, it is a different focus, a one of game where you are looking to progress in what is the oldest club competition and its is a wonderful piece of silverware and we will look to progress in the tournament and move on to the next tier.

If we bring the same level of application and work rate we can achieve our aim, it is a cup competition and we have already had a positive result at Dumbarton earlier this season. I felt comfortable up until the opening goal, I thought we were on the ascendancy prior to, Dumbarton taking the lead, however goals change games. We are going through a very difficult period at this moment in time, up until Dumbarton took the lead we were very much in the game, however I get the fans frustration, I know how frustrated they are, I’m going through the same emotions as them and I really feel for them because they invest so much of their time and money & emotions into their club, but we are working very hard behind the scenes to get that right.

We did have some good performances today, I thought Michal Duffy was excellent, one thing which I’m sure cannot help us – is that we have not been able to field the same team each week due to injuries and suspensions. Playing part-time players in a mainly full-time league takes its toll but we must keep focused, we start our preparation as of now and we will be back in again tomorrow, Sunday, to get over the disappointment and we will discuss one or two things that went well for us during the game and also look at the things that didn’t go well and we will move on.

It was a better display, but another frustrating afternoon for “The Wasps” against high flying Hibernian, the team worked very hard and were punished for a mistake which cost the team a point, the defence looking far better assured than previous week against Falkirk. This was the fourth 1-0 defeat this season and looking back the players will want to end the run of poor results next weekend as they break from the demands of a very competitive Championship to face Dumbarton in the William Hill Scottish Cup. The team can go into this game knowing they have won already this season at Dumbarton and another victory would give everyone a lift at the club, keeping belief and knowing that getting the first goal will be hugely important, before going into back to back games against Dumbarton which will be pivotal for the team before the end of 2015.

danny lennon after hibs game

From our point of view I would take that level of performance every week in this league, we got a wonderful reaction from a big disappointment in our standards that we have set ourselves last week against Falkirk. I asked the players today to go out and install some of that and build their reputation again and they certainly done that against a very good Hibernian side that have the potential of winning this league.

There was a lot of good performances today and particularly in the first half where we limited Hibernian to maybe one and a half chances but as against all good teams you need a wee bit luck and we got that in the second half, but we defended great, not just at the back but from the front, I thought the shape throughout was good with a lot of good performances and what was great about that is the fact that we were prepared to throw bodies on the line and that means a great deal.

I thought there were a few players who pleasantly over surprised me, in how well they done today, I thought Michael Chopra in that area, not in terms of what he created but in terms of his work rate it was second to none, also Scott Hynd gained the experience to play against a highly competitive team like Hibs at his age and this will hold him in good stead for the future. We have had three very difficult fixtures recently and there is positives taken out of two of these three games and we took negatives out of last week’s display and learnt from that and shown that today.

Andy McNeil tightened up his back and had to come off at half time but he was commanding for us and came for a good few crosses and had a good afternoon and David Crawford come in and adjusted very well, so we were pleased to have two good goalkeepers. The way the game panned out in second half was disappointed to loose Dougie Hill I think at times there is a little bit of commonsense needed within the laws of the game.