Saturday’s game against Falkirk was another game this season where we will look back and wonder why we didn’t take something from the game – caretaker manager Paddy Connolly looked on and said “It was another sore result to take”. The Wasps had started the game brightly with Kevin Cawley, Daryll Meggatt, Mark Docherty & Ryan McCord having efforts on target, however it was Falkirk who would take the lead with their first effort on goal. Ryan McCord then had an effort ruled out for offside before the interval. Twelve minutes into the second half “Man of the Match” Kevin Cawley scored a deserved equaliser with a 25 yard solo effort, at this stage the home side were on top but were to lose top goalscorer, Greig Spence with an sickening head injury. The Wasps pushed for a winner and again were caught out against the run of play when John Baird was left in acres of space to put “The Bairns” back in front. Substitute Alex Cooper made it 3-1 with three minutes left to extend the margin which was cruel on the evening. However at this stage of the season it has to be all about results and the team moves on, facing another difficult fixture on Tuesday evening when they will meet Rangers at Ibrox Stadium.

paddy connolly after falkirk game

A bit of a sore one, first half I thought we played reasonably well, but it is the same again, losing the first goal was vital, a set piece, from a corner, decent finish but the boys switched off a wee bit. Peter did change his midfield, taking off one of his attacking midfielders and put on a defensive midfielder, which maybe tells you in terms of the midfield I believe we were winning the battle, but it’s still the same again in the goals we lost were really poor, I will need to see them on the video again, the second goal especially was really disappointing and then found it so hard to get back in the game, but I have spoke to the boys after the game and we just need to keep going, we are still in there fighting, we obviously know how difficult it is, there is no easy games but we will battle on, although we have a few walking wounded but we will pick ourselves up and go again on Tuesday at Ibrox , the boys gave their lot, it’s all I ask for.

When Kevin brought us back into the game with his goal, at that stage in the game it was deserved and at that point I thought we were in the ascendancy and my thoughts were to go and win the game but switching off for the second goal, although there are debates in that the player came short and they went with the runner and it left a big gap and john Baird had the freedom of the city and the time he had and it looked a poor goal to lose from our point of view, especially in how the players had worked so hard to get something out of the game. We knew at the start of the season how difficult it was going to be, but there has hardly been a game this season where we haven’t been in the game but the 3-1 score line is an unfair reflection on the way the game was but I will be in there battling with then until the end but we will keep battling until we turn it around.

Just now I am short term caretaker role, the Chairman has been great to work with, in the time I have been here, but it is now a decision for him to make, I’m just doing the job that he has asked me for the time being, so it is week by week at the moment and we will see how it goes but the main thing is the team is still fighting and we will keep going, it will be another big week for us facing Rangers on Tuesday and Raith Rovers next Saturday another two vital games for us.

A one goal margin defeat losing 1-0 to Hibernian on Saturday was the seventh time the team has narrowly lost a Championship league match this season, such are the tight margins between success and defeat in this highly competitive league. Hibs are an improved side from their first visit to Alloa at the end of August, 2014 but they had to fight till the very end of the match to hang on to their narrow victory, which on another day “The Wasps” might have snatched a draw. The winning goal from a free kick when Mark Docherty was adjudged to have fouled Fraser Fyvie and once again Scott Allan proved just how good a player he is scoring direct from the resulting free kick. Barry Smith’s side fought until the end of the game but found the Hibernian defence resolute and difficult to break down.

barry smith reflects on hibs defeat

I think Hibs had to work hard to get the three points today, from our point of view the difference today and I stress today, we didn’t use the ball as well as we normally do, which isn’t like us, we normally create more chances and keep the ball better than we did, only for about a ten – fifteen minute spell at the end of the game we did this, we maybe should have done better in our decision making and that’s the most disappointing thing about today, we didn’t actually play as well as we previously have but that might be down to Hibs who were pressing, they certainly go and press the ball well – but they had to work hard for the three points. Losing the goal from our point of view came from our corner, the free kick came from our corner, that’s something we should deal with but it was a good free kick but I would need to see it again for our positioning. People are looking at results elsewhere, but we need to look after our selves, results elsewhere will not keep us in this division it is up to us to go out and make sure we can do that which I am sure we are more than capable to do, and the players are very positive in the dressing room, because we think we have the quality to make sure we are in this division next season. We will remain positive and I keep saying we have been competitive in every game that we have played this season and we aim to remain that way and look to gain more league points. The Dumbarton game next week will be another big game for us, just like the Cowdenbeath game recently, and we will treat it as we will for every game but the boys know, three points next week will help us along the way.

Hearts showed on Saturday night why they are so far ahead in the SPFL Championship this season, they were excellent, but giving them two goals of a start was not helpful on the evening. Indeed at 1-0 “The Wasps” were extremely unlucky when ex Hearts player, Stephen Simmons shot came back off the post to safety when on another day it would have went in or fell to an Alloa player, but it was not to be. Having not started well, Barry Smith’s side battled to get back into the game and the introduction of the two new signings, Isaac Layne and Calaum Jahraldo-Martin certainly lifted the home fans and sparked pace and threat into the Alloa side. When Greig Spence headed in his 12th goal of the season to reduce the deficit to 2-1 the momentum moved to the home side. However five minutes later the game was over when Stephen Simmons misplaced a back pass and Jamie Walker killed the game. We move on to Tuesday nights rearranged fixture against Livingston with the knowledge that it is another huge game and one it is hoped our new signing can adapt quickly to the Scottish game and help the team pick up important league points.

barry smith after hearts game

Hearts are a good team, but when we pulled it back to 2-1 we felt we were maybe on the ascendancy but then a mistake cost us and Hearts went 3-1 ahead and I felt the game petered out after that. You cannot take away from the fact Hearts are a good team and we cannot afford to be giving them a two goal lead at the start of the game. From our point of view the goals we lost were avoidable, no pressure on the first one, the second one I think we can defend better, the third goal was a bad pass and the fourth one was a free header at a corner – we think they are avoidable but in general Hearts were better than us today, I think that’s the basic fact. At 1-0 we hit the post and on another day it either goes in the net or it falls to the other side of the post where Greig Spence could have knocked it in but the way our luck is the now it bounces off the post and goes to the other side of the goal to their defender, on another day that could have been 1-1. We also thought we had a claim for a penalty with Stephen Simmons in the box, I’m pretty sure it was a penalty, but we don’t get these decisions. I think the two lads who we brought on gave us a spark, the whole team worked hard, we wanted to bring players in to give more competition for places and hopefully that pushes us on. We now move on to the rearranged game against Livingston on Tuesday night, which will be another huge game for the club, it will be another though game, so Tuesday will be no different, we will prepare the same and have the players in for training on Monday night.

Another frustrating game for the players and fans of “The Wasps”, Barry Smith’s side was unchanging against a Raith Rovers side who had won their last three league games. Everybody knew this season was going to prove to be tough and although we had lots of possession there were few clear cut chances in the game. Both sides can look back on what could have been but Alloa certainly were on top in the second half and created most chances but again lacked a cutting edge in the final third of the park. Manager Barry Smith urged his side not to seek the perfect goal and to try more shots on target. Next week we face league leaders Hearts in a game which will be televised live on BBC Alba, kick-off 5.30pm.

barry smith after goalless draw

We need to stop looking to score the “Perfect Goal” we always wanted to pass or take an extra touch and I think if we hadn’t done that we would have had more success. Sometimes we want the perfect goal, it is nothing to do with confidence, yes we ask them to get the ball down and play but sometimes the best option is to shoot, and we didn’t do that enough today, and we should have had more attempts at goal, sometimes it’s just about putting the ball in the net.  I thought in the second half we looked the more likely to score, I don’t think our keeper had much to do in the second half apart from dealing with a couple of long throw ins, so disappointed from that point of view – did we do enough to win the game? Maybe in the second half but it was a scrappy game. We did pass the ball and move relatively well, although I have seen us play better if the truth be told but it was a hard fought point, a battling point, but again when you are at home we were looking to take all three. We go into every game looking to win the three points, so it was no different today. Next game against the league leaders will take care of its self, it’s a good game to play in, and we have coped well against every team in the league, although the results have not always been in our favour – Saturday will be the same again. Isaac Layne has come in as another option, which gives a wee bit of competition for our strikers and I’m sure he will do that.

This was another match where “The Wasps” should have taken something from the match and while it is great to see the team competing and more than giving the full time teams in the Championship a match, the bottom line is we are desperately in need of league points at this stage of the season. For the fourth game this season rangers struggled against Barry smith’s side and although Rangers were holding on at times, especially in the second half, the scored the only goal of the game. We can look back and be pleased with the football and chances “The Wasps” created but it was a game we will look back on knowing the team should have taken something from the match. Even in the final minutes with the home side pushing for an equaliser, Kyle Hutton, somehow rescued Kenny McDowall’s side with a clearance from directly under his own bar!

barry smith after rangers game

I definitely believe we deserved something out of the game, any Alloa fan watching that game today would know how much the boys put in, but I’m frustrated because we never took anything from the game, it’s been the same story for the past few weeks as it was for today’s game, but we really need to start picking up points from the performances which we are giving. I think Rangers scored with their first shot on target, we had a couple of chances before that and we really need to start taking the chances and by the same token we cannot concede goals which have been costly. Big game against Livingston next week and the boys know that, it’s a game for all intensive purposes we need to win, just to get us kick started, just to get three points and move on again. There is always positives to take away from the game but we have now said that for the past few weeks, it is more important that we need to pick up points, and the most important thing just now is to pick up points, but I don’t want to be negative towards the way we are playing because I think we are playing some very good football, we are getting on the ball, our movement is decent and still creating chances.