Competition: Championship

Alloa Athletic v Dunfermline Athletic

Alloa faced their COVID-19 partners at the Indodrill looking for their first Championship points of the season after last week’s 1-0 defeat at Morton. They made one change to the side as Hetherington’s mandatory absence from a second yellow at Cappielow saw him replaced by Innes Murray. Dunfermline made two changes to the side who continued their winning run against Inverness. O’Hara and Turner being replaced by Dow and Whittaker respectively.

As the game was just warming up Dunfermline raced into the lead. Fon Williams’ goal kick flicked on by Fraser Murray and Ryan Dow was clear to round Willison and slide it into the back of the net after just 6 minutes. Again Alloa looked to be hard done by the officials as replays showed Dow was offside. Alloa certainly never faltered after the early loss of goal and began probing at the Dunfermline defence the Pars however would remain solid until almost at the stroke of half time, Kevin Cawley popped in front of the centre back Paul Watson, nodding on Innes Murray’s cross  to send a looping header past the helpless Fifers goalkeeper.

Alloa continued to look the brighter side with territory and possession into deep into the Pars half in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Alan Trouten, who’s so regularly been the bane of Dunfermline, saw a glorious opportunity spurned when Thomson’s flick-on was palmed only as far the back post. Trouten could only force the shot back into fon Williams’ hands. A familiar face, however, would upset the balance of play. Kevin O’Hara’s introduction after 65 minutes saw the former Wasp latch on to Jon Robertson’s short header to his goallie. With Willison caught in no mans land, O’Hara deftly lifted the ball over the Alloa keeper with his first touch to restore Dunfermline’s advantage.

Dunfermline continued to soak up the Alloa pressure. Again Thomson causing all kinds of aerial chaos in the Dunfermline box, again landing to Trouten but from 8 yards out he couldn’t keep the volley down. Dunfermline then punished the Wasps through their pace and power. McManus and O’Hara combining to leave a stranded Robertson for dead and then side footing into the bottom corner past the full-stretched Willison. It was now a commanding lead for the visitors. Alloa continued to struggle to break down the Dunfermline defence and the result would be made sure of when O’Hara, chasing an almost lost cause, crossed into the box. Edin Lynch opted to take a touch and Kyle Turner alive to it placed body between Lynch and ball. With a slight push in the back, and a tumbling Turner, Dunfermline were awarded a penalty and O’Hara gifted the chance to complete the hat-trick. He sent Willison the wrong way and condemned Alloa to the 4-1 defeat.

Bruising scoreline for Alloa despite the fairly even balance of play but they lacked the incisiveness that O’Hara provided in spades last year.

 
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Greenock Morton v Alloa Athletic

Both teams seemed to have question marks in the goalkeeping position. Aidan McAdam the only keeper in Morton’s squad while Alloa are looking to cover Neil Parry’s injury from Tuesday night. Reece Willison signed on matchday and went straight into the team to face Morton.

Alloa were denied a stonewall penalty as Lynch’s freekick picked out the run of Connelly. Inside the box, Fjortoft first clumsily tripped over the back of, then grabbed the Alloa forward as they both plummeted to the deck. Referee Alan Newlands plead ignorance and awarded a goal-kick when unchallenged Connelly would have been one-on-one with McAdam.

In what’s becoming a familiar story at Cappielow, Alloa were caught out from their own attacking freekick. Connelly’s cross partially cleared. Dick’s speculative pass definitely cleared. Josh McPake, who terrorised the Alloa defence in a 3-0 defeat at Dundee last season, got the ball on the half way line, spun and got the better of Jon Robertson. With options left and right McPake placed the ball into the path of the flat-out Cameron Salkeld and he clipped it over Willison’s trailing leg to give Morton the lead.

McPake would get clear to spray a left footed shot wide of Willison’s right post. Alloa would also come close to the equaliser with Connelly pouncing on a miscommunication between goalkeeper and defender only to see his curling effort come off the head of McGinty – another detail missed by the officials.

With the half coming to a close Alloa would fail to find men in the middle. Hetherington’s corner zipping by everyone to harmlessly go for a goal kick. Minutes later, a neat Alloa move would see Trouten seemingly barged to the ground in full view of Alan Newlands. Although Dick recovered the ball to cross first time, before it went for a goal kick, there was no threat to McAdam’s goal and Alloa were again aggrieved by the lack of decisions.

HT | 1-0

Alloa almost compounded their misery with carelessness with the ball in the second half. Morton’s chip and chase tactics earning a freekick and a yellow card after a wayward touch and a high boot from Taggart. Muirhead’s free-kick struck the wall and the return shot trundled wide. Connelly’s dallying on the ball saw Morton turnover possession and create an opportunity for Orsi. He, however could only fire the first-time effort into the ground and out for a goal kick.

On the hour mark, after a contentious late kick on Taggart fell on deaf ears, the fast-breaking McPake went down to a shirt pull from Hetherington. Stevie, already on a yellow from a late challenge, inevitably walked and Alloa were down to 10 men.

Jacobs would almost seal the win with a header from just outside the six-yard box. Sending it over after rising highest from the corner.

McPake would again be at the centre of the action as he beat Taggart to the byline and went over after what looked like a clumsy challenge with minimal contact on the ball. Alan Newlands response was to book the youngster who had already been booked for encroaching an Alloa freekick in the first half. Another highly suspect decision, but it meant the Wasps were again at parity with their hosts in terms of numbers.

As the time wore on, Alloa’s pressure began to tell. A cleared corner, delivered right back into the  box by Ray Grant to an unmarked Alan Trouten. He opted for a header. It looped over McAdam but cannoned off the crossbar. The rebounding ball, knocked back by Buchanan to Dick, was then leathered only a yard over the bar.

To frustrate Alloa even more, just a minute later, a cross sliced off McGinty’s head onto Ross MacIver’s hand. A fact again not spotted by either the referee or the near side linesman who awarded an Alloa corner.

The resultant corner again didn’t test the Morton goallie as Robertson’s header was always rising above the goal.

In the 85th minute, Alloa should have been level. Lynch somehow finding himself in the left wing position launched the ball onto Buchanan’s head but the striker couldn’t keep the effort down.

Cawley, Trouten and Buchanan would all snatch at late chances but fail to bring Alloa level as Morton took all three points from the Championship opener.

Referee: Alan Newlands

 
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