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.

Manager Barry Smith was disappointed his side didn’t pick up full points in today’s SPFL Championship match against Queen of the South. The Wasps had the best opportunity to break the deadlock when Liam Buchanan was put through one on one with the visiting keeper but his shot was parried and the chance slipped past. The opening goal when it did come four minutes before half time was sloppy and avoidable, which was most disappointing. In the second period the home side had the lion’s share of possession but lacked a cutting edge in front of goals. Kevin Cawley’s equaliser was the least the team deserved in game where it seemed full points were there for the taking.

barry after rounding the year off with a draw

I think we dominated the game from start to finish, and we have created the most chances, had a lot of possession, but obviously pleasing after going a goal down we have the mentality to get back in the game and on another day I think we would have won the game. Liam had a great chance to put us ahead, but the pleasing think is he was making that position to score, disappointing that he didn’t score but w e had opportunities after that, we hit the post and Kevin Cawley had a shot that was deflected wide, and we had a couple of our opportunities and thoroughly deserved the goal that we did score, it was a great finish from Kevin, but in play I thought we dominated the game today. I thought we played well and was disappointed to in 1-0 behind at half time, it is more disappointing because it was another goal we conceded that I think we could have prevented but by the same token I cannot fault my players for effort or the way we played, I thought we controlled the game today. It was great for Kevin to get back on the scoresheet as he has been out ill recently and it was great for him to come back into the side and get the goal, it was a goal deserved because I thought he worked extremely hard today and made some good runs and got himself in some good areas to score and eventually that was rewarded. I said to the players we must keep believing in what we are doing is correct, I don’t think there is much wrong but just making sure we don’t concede sloppy goals.

Once again on Saturday, it proved just how difficult every game in this division is this season, after recording one of the best results in the club’s history in midweek, it was back to the SPFL Championship, which is the club’s main aim this season, but the defeat against Dumbarton was disappointing albeit manager Barry Smith had both Liam Buchanan and Adam Asghar both added to the injury list, although Stephen Simmons did return after being ill during the week.

The first goal in these games are hugely important and “The Wasps” couldn’t have come any closer when Stephen Simmons shot hit the inside of the far post, spin across the face of the goals and out for a bye kick. Five minutes later Chris Kane on loan from St Johnstone broke the deadlock firing home at the back post. Stephen Simmons on the half hour might have been given a penalty but in was not to be Alloa’s day. In the second half both sides had opportunities to score – a Mark Docherty corner was missed and nearly sneaked in at the back post, and Ben Gordon had a late header which went past the post. Dumbarton held on for a fortune full points extending our poor run against “The Sons” at home, going back to 22nd April, 2006 when we last defeated Dumbarton at Alloa.

barry smith after sons defeat

A very frustrating afternoon, very frustrating, we conceded a soft goal, we created chances but maybe Wednesday night’s game took its toll on some of our players, it wasn’t a normal and energetic display as I would have liked. We still created chances but it was a day when nothing looked like going in the back of the net, Stephen Simmons shot which came back out from hitting the inside of the post and never went in, if it has went in the back of the net it was a different game, but it was one of these days, it’s disappointing but this game was always going to be difficult, we Dumbarton are a stuffy team to play against but we know we can do better. Here was an incident around the half hour when there were claims for a penalty but I don’t know, I didn’t see it too well. I still do not know why I was sent to the stand, I still don’t know, all I can say was that it wasn’t for foul or abusive language and it was all said in a calm manner, because I have spoke to the referee in a calm manner , it wasn’t for foul and abusive language I’m not sure?

We have to remember that Stephen Simmons, has been off ill all week, Liam Buchanan suffered mild concussion after the Rangers game on Wednesday and he hasn’t been feeling well since then and Mark Docherty has been ill but played today, Eddie Ferns has been ill was playing, so the boys gave it their all, I would never fault their effort because I still thought they worked extremely hard but hopefully come next week we can hope to have a few back and others are feeling 100% again. We have a busy and tough schedule over the festive period, but these are games we look to go out and enjoy.

A late second half fightback by “The Wasps” was not enough as local rivals Falkirk held on for all three points on Saturday at the Indodrill Stadium. The players showed great spirit to get back into the game but the team started the game slowly, losing an early goal and having both Stephen Simmons & Jonathan Tiffoney being ruled out prior to the kick-off, and Graeme Holmes & Jason Marr having to leave the play in the first half, Barry Smith’s team was down to the bare bones. The second half started brighter for the home side and Falkirk’s third goal was against the run of the play. A late penalty strike by Liam Buchanan gave “The Wasps” the chance to snatch a draw and at the end of the match it was Falkirk manager Peter Houston who was the most relieved man to hear the final whistle. Special mention to Liam Buchanan who has now set up a new goal scoring record at the club for now having scored in the last seven consecutive matches going ahead of Davie Lloyd who had scored in six consecutive games in Season 1984/85.

barry smith after derby defeat

We showed good spirit again and tried to get ourselves back into the game, but the game was lost in the first half – we didn’t perform and its disappointing after coming from such a high, but it has been a problem all season when we come from a high and then do not perform to the best of our abilities but the pleasing side was the fact the players kept fighting and tried to get themselves back into the game and maybe at the end up we might have snatched a point. We have a tight squad and injuries to key players didn’t help today that’s now five players out who are first team regulars and that obviously going to cause us a problem.

We didn’t do well enough today in the first half it’s as simple as that, and although the second goal was close to half time I could see it was going to happen, cause we just didn’t play as we can in the first half which is disappointing after the way we played at Ibrox, but we move on, the most important thing now is next week’s William Hill Scottish Cup tie against Hibernian.

The three goals are three mistakes by us, and after that we have had a fight back but it’s too late, our problem was the way we started the game which caused the problems in the game. We will now focus and look forward to the Hibernian game.