Season: 2009-10

Alloa Athletic v East Fife

Alloa’s victory over East Fife, extended their lead at the top of the table after Cowdenbeath drew 0-0 with Stenhousemuir and Stirling Albion’s game against Dumbarton was cancelled due to a frozen pitch. This was a hard fought victory over an East Fife team who “The Wasps” had not defeated in a league match at Recreation Park since 2nd December, 2003, Tom Hendrie’s first game back in 2nd spell as manager at the club, when they won 2-0 with goals from Iain Nicolson and Ross Hamilton. This was a solid performance from Allan Maitland’s team in which Stuart Noble was excellent, with great work rate and two goals. East Fife had good spells in the game but failed in front of goal, where David Crawford recorded his 15th shut-out of the season. The team have started the year in such a positive mood and are currently on a great run of form and are enjoying their football. Next Saturday they face Cowdenbeath at Central Park and Danny Lennon’s side will be looking for revenge for recent 2-1 victory for Alloa at Recreation Park.

 

allan maitland after defeating east fife

I think it is a magnificent result for us today, again it shows how difficult it is to play a game of high intensity on Tuesday and then have another game again today against a team who are really fresh and East Fife were excellent, from the first minute I thought they played really well, controlled long spells of the game and our front two had to work hard just to try and shut them down as opposed to normally we would be looking for them to make good runs to get into good areas for us but they had to work hard today to close them down – the midfield four couldn’t get far enough up the park to help them but one thing this team has got is a fantastic attitude – they are so determined not to loose goals which obviously helps and with Bryan Prunty, Stuart Noble, David Gormley and Andy Scott I feel we have got goals in our team, today it was Stuart Noble, another day it’s Bryan Prunty it’s a magnificent result for us on a day when I don’t believe we played well, I’m not even sure we completely deserved to win the game although we did get stronger as the second half went on – in the first half I thought we were poor and I felt in the second half we had a lot of good balls going in the box and you hope that you are going to get that second goal which means you can rest easy but the most important thing for us today was that we defended really well and our goal keeper when he was needed had one magnificent save. Paul McManus was a threat throughout the whole game as was Stevie Crawford – you have to remember this East Fife team played at Stirling and drew 3 – 3 and were excellent, they played against Cowdenbeath drew 2 – 2 – they are a good side, who passed the ball really well – we had to work ever so hard just to stay in the game, so to win it 2-0 on a day when Cowdenbeath drew and dropped points and with Stirling Albion not playing it give us a chance to open that gap. We will rest this week as we have a really difficult game next Saturday, against Cowdenbeath at Central Park and what we need to do is focus and get ourselves rested this week and make sure we are ready for next Saturday. We are on a great run of results at the moment and we said last week , that we had 3 games in 8 days and we would like to get a minimum of 5 points but if we could get 7 that would be great and having drawn the first game I think the players have done magnificently well to do that and I could not be more pleased with them, I have given them Tuesday night off and we will rest for Thursday, work on Thursday and hopefully get it right for Saturday. When we are playing well we are scoring goals but we are also scoring goals when we are not playing well and I think that’s a big thing. Stuart Noble has scored three games in a row and looks as though he is on fire again. David Gormley I thought really helped us when he came on, he gave us a lot of energy and suddenly we started playing the game at their end of the park again, before we were that we were just sitting in too deep I felt, but again pleased with another three points and looking forward to our next game.
2 - 0
Full Time

Alloa Athletic v Cowdenbeath

Alloa Athletic moved to the top of the SFL Irn Bru Division Two after a 2-1 home victory over Cowdenbeath, at times Alloa played some excellent football and goals from Bryan Prunty and Stuart Noble put them 2-0 ahead before the visitors battled back in the second half and Paul McQuade pulled a goal back twenty minutes from time. This ensured a nail biting end to the game which could so easily been out of sight, with Bryan Prunty and Brown Ferguson both on two occasions failing to extend Alloa’s lead when given clear opportunities. The players and management have worked hard to move back to the top of the league and will look to build on this result against East Fife at Recreation Park on Saturday.

 

allan maitland reflects on going top

It is nice to be sitting top of the league, but more important for us tonight when it comes to a big game it is good to play well in one and I thought at times in this game our football was excellent, when Cowdenbeath scored there was then a bit of a siege as they started to throw bodies forward, Cowdenbeath played really well tonight, the second half particularly, but we had the best chances in the game, Bryan Prunty twice through on goal, Brown Ferguson twice through on goal and we missed the ones they should have scored but Bryan Prunty who has been brought to this club to score goals, scored a goal out of nothing, and that makes the difference in the game, it gave us something to hold on to, I thought the second goal was poorly defended from their point of view but Stuart Noble deserved his goal, he was absolutely superb tonight, it was just a great team performance. Gary Carroll has come in and played really well, Mark Brown had to play deeper in centre back and I thought he did well and handled Gareth Wardlaw really well. Some people think Cowdenbeath will fall away but I don’t see any of that, they have got good players in their side, they play really well, they have got a good manager and they will be there at the end, I’m sure they will. For us it was important for us to try and win and put a bit of pressure on Stirling Albion to force them to win their games in hand if they want to go top of this league. Tonight we will enjoy and see if we can build on this result again on Saturday.

As we look forward to Saturday we will have to assess the injury situation with a number of players, Andy Scott came off with a bit of cramp tonight, so he will be ok I’m sure, Scot Buist and Chris Townsley will both be out again on Saturday, Mark Gilhaney could have made the bench tonight but will be included on Saturday, Kevin Welsh is probably a couple of weeks away but we are getting there bit by bit, we have good players at this club and they want to win and work for each other and that’s why we are where we are in this league and they deserve great credit.
We lost Greig Spence at the beginning of the season, he was our poacher, Iain Russell came to the club to be the poacher and score the goals and when he left we brought in Bryan Prunty and that is his role now, he is the bit that makes the rest of the team work, and what he has done is he has given everybody at the club a huge lift, because they know if they get the ball in the box, Bryan Prunty is capable of scoring goals and he has already proven that and it has rubbed off on Stuart Noble who has also started to hit form, the two of them have linked up well together. However over the piece tonight I don’t think anybody could argue we didn’t deserve our victory, however we could have done without giving Cowdenbeath hope in the last twenty minutes, which seemed long!
2 - 1
Full Time

Brechin City v Alloa Athletic

A draw against Brechin City at Glebe Park for ourselves, while league leaders Cowdenbeath lost 3-1 at home to Peterhead have moved us now just behind Danny Lennon’s side on goal difference at the top of the league and will meet them on Tuesday night at Recreation Park. The playing surface at Glebe Park today was very heavy with players finding it difficult at times to stay on their feet. Stuart Noble gave The Wasps the lead only two minutes into the second half for his fifth goal of the season. Alloa had suffered a blow earlier in the game when Scot Buist had to leave field after only 25 minutes and Mark Brown had to move into a deeper defensive role. Brechin City came strongly back at Alloa after losing the opening goal and their top goalscorer Rory McAllister was rewarded with fifteen minutes left when he scored a deserved equalising goal for the home side.

 

allan maitland at glebe park

When we came to Glebe Park earlier in the season we lost 2-1 and I thought we were excellent and probably in my opinion deserved to win the game, today was a different day, today was a day when I thought Brechin, despite the conditions played better than us and created more chances, our goal keeper was magnificent and I think a point was probably the very least they deserved and you have to be fair and analyse it properly, we didn’t create enough chances in the second half after we scored, but my problem in the game was having scored the goal I thought we were miles too open, and we allowed Brechin to break on us constantly and we were winning the game, it should have been the other way around, we should have been able to defend the lead properly and try and break on them but unfortunately we had too many bodies pouring forward to try and get a second goal, and we should have caused them a bit more problems but Rory McAllister is a handful, our goal keeper and him were having a personal tussle and he deserved his goal, in a game when our goal keeper David Crawford was excellent for us. It was a good game, it was a hard game and for young James Bloom I think it is another lesson for him playing in the second division in a park that was obviously very heavy and he spent half his time on his backside, I don’t think he will wear blades again on days like this, it’s important that we learn – I keep saying we must learn and today was a day for learning for us – it was great to see Stuart Noble scoring his goal – on a different day we might have lost, so it’s a good point but it’s only a good point if we now go and win on Tuesday night against Cowdenbeath, if we take four points from two very difficult games then that would be a great return but we now need to make sure we win, credit to Brechin who on the day played well and considering the conditions I thought it was a decent game.
1 - 1
Full Time

Alloa Athletic v Arbroath

A battling display by The Wasps saw them secure full points after a last minute goal by Bryan Prunty won the game and put the team up into second position in the league. Arbroath were very difficult to break down, even when their striker Steven Hislop was sent off just before half-time, the ten men played courageously and would feel aggrieved to have now lost their last two games to goals in the final minutes. Bryan Prunty looked to have put the home side ahead earlier in the second half, but his overhead kick was disallowed for high feet. Chris Townsley also was unlucky to see his effort come back down off the cross bar and bounce to safety. However it was Bryan Prunty who sealed the victory with a last minute strike after David Gormley had been fouled.

allan maitland after arbroath victory

It was a magnificent result for us, the only thing is it is unusual for us to be in this position where we are so far up the league and I think what we showed today was elements of desperation in our game, desperation to win it and by doing that we did not play with our heads, I felt we became too narrow in the game when they went down to ten men, we didn’t pass the ball well enough and we were laboured in our play, plenty of effort and I think the effort and the application and determination to win, in itself was enough to deserve to win the game but we need to do a lot better than that. The games we have struggled already this season against Stenhousemuir, Dumbarton and of course the first game against Arbroath have all been against teams that have made it difficult and sat in and today that is exactly what happened and we struggled with that. However, I thought that Bryan Prunty’s first goal looked like a great goal for me and am disappointed that it didn’t count but Bryan Prunty has been brought to this club to try and score goals for us and make a difference and today he was the difference. You have to give credit to Arbroath because I thought whether it was eleven men or ten men they defended heroically at times but we didn’t put them under enough pressure – you have to remember they also had a game on Wednesday night and we thought they would wilt but they didn’t – they were excellent, we gave them encouragement by not having enough chances in the game. However, our goalkeeper has now had 14 shutouts this season and that’s from a team that lost 55 goals last season. It is always said if you have a shutout you have a chance in a game of football, and Mark Brown has also been a part of that. Today was a day when our goalie deserves praise for almost doing nothing because he had nothing to do but it is another good day for him, his target was 14 shutouts for the season and he has already achieved that. I think the confidence and belief that comes to a club when the team play until the final minute and score a winning goal is massive. You score last minute goals because you are trying to win games of football. We are now at the stage when we believe we will go on and win games, there is a belief in our club they are on a high after that because they have won and the big things for us are that we go above Stirling Albion and its another game played and won. Mid weeks games are going to count just shortly and I think we have got a good squad and a player in Bryan Prunty that is capable of scoring goals out of nothing and we want to win these games which will be vital come the end of the season.
1 - 0
Full Time

Stenhousemuir v Alloa Athletic

Alloa Athletic closed the gap at the top of the Irn Bru SFL Division Two after their first victory this season over local neighbours Stenhousemuir. This was a must win game for the club if they are to mount a serious challenge on gaining promotion this season. In the first half “The Wasps” played some of their best football this season and were well worth their two goal lead, indeed it should have been more. Brown Ferguson scored the important first goal after hesitancy by the home keeper Chris McCluskey, who in recent games has been excellent against Alloa, then striker Bryan Prunty making his league debut proved just how valuable a signing he could be in pushing “The Wasps” further up the league table. In the second half Stenhousemuir were unfortunate to go down to ten men after an injury to Sean Welsh, with no player near him, meant he had to be stretchered from the field of play and no replacement. As so often happens the ten men battled hard and Alloa appeared to take their foot of the gas. However a good victory and a notice of intent for the rest of the season.

 

allan maitland after ochilview victory

We had a great first half performance and I think bringing the new players into the club has given the place a lift. We started the game really well, their goal keeper looked a bit nervous and we capitalised on that. We planned to get Towner involved at the corner kicks and he did that really well and helped Bomber score. The second goal, just showed exactly why Bryan Prunty was brought to the club – we have lacked an out and out goal scorer since Greig Spence went to Celtic, Iain Russell was on loan for a short while but he has returned to Morton, and we have now brought in Bryan Prunty to fill that gap. A moment of hesitation between the goal keeper and the defender and it was a goal and Bryan was unlucky with other efforts, especially one in the second half. I have got to give great credit to Stenhousemuir I thought their application and determination in the second half, especially when they went down to ten men after having used all their substitutes, was fantastic. We didn’t play well enough in the second half and maybe that is because of the lack of games so there will be no excuse for that next week. I said before hand we came here for a shut out and if we got up the park I was sure we could win and that’s how it’s worked out. I would have taken 2-0 before the start of the game and I don’t want to be over critical having won the game. I thought Chris Townsely was probably the best player on the park, I thought he was magnificent and with the other results going the way they are I think it has been a great day for us. I thought in the second half we didn’t shut up the ball quick enough and gave them encouragement. I feel we can do better – I think our first half performance, if that’s going to be our standard then the second half was probably 15-20% below that. I thought Stenhousemuir worked their socks off and credit to them for that. We need to concentrate on winning our own games – great for Bryan Prunty to score a goal in his first competitive game, obviously David Gormley has not played any football at all in five weeks so he showed he needs the games but he will be another great signing for us. Young James Bloom, once he settled in and realised the pace of the game, I thought he did better in the second half, when everybody else got poorer he got better. I thought he gave the team a much better balance and allowed Andy Scott to play further up the park. It was a good game and one who desperately wanted to win.
0 - 2
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St Mirren v Alloa Athletic

Alloa Athletic can take great credit for their display against Premier League side St. Mirren in Saturday’s Active Nation Scottish Cup 4th Round tie at Paisley. The Wasps who had not played competitively since the 12th December and had struggled to find anywhere to train showed fantastic chatacter and put up a great fight. If the team had showed more composure in front of goal the result could have been so different, The home side took the lead in 26 minutes, when the impressive Billy Mehmet scored his first goal of what was to be a hat-trick on the day, Alloa battled back and richly deserved their goal, when Mark Brown vollied home Gilhaney’s cross, at this stage Alloa took the game to St. Mirren, never allowing their heads to drop after losing the first goal. Indeed there seemed no danger as we were playing time added on at the end of the first half, until Scot Buist hesitated and Billy Mehmet pounced to give St.Mirren an undeserved lead at half-time. The two defining moments of the game came just either side of half-time, losing the second goal just before half-time and then just into the second half, Andy Scott sent Mark Gilhaney clear, but his shot lacked belief and St.Mirren had survived the best chance of the game. The game still had chances at either end with Andy Scott, now playing further foward himself just failing, with three minutes left and Alloa still pushing for an equaliser, John Grant’s pass across field was intercepted and Billy Mehmet rounded David Crawford for his hat-trick. The Alloa fans stood and applauded their side from the field to cries of “SPL, you’re having a laugh”, St.Mirren go into the next round after taking their chances and hopefully Alloa will learn from this experience, but the fans enjoyed the day, on a negative note however, Mark Gilhaney did limp from the field with fifteen minutes left after injuring his hamstring which is a concern, well done to St.Mirren, who go through to the next round of the competition, but knew they were in a game.

 

allan maitland after st mirren cup tie

Our objective was to get into the next round of the Scottish Cup and make sure we were in the 5th round, in that point of view we failed today, it was a lesson for us in the sense that if you are going to make mistakes at this level you are going to get punished, Billy Mehmet who was excellent last week against Kilmarnock was their best player on the park and I think he showed that again today, scoring a hat-trick and was unlucky when Davie Crawford made his first real save of the whole game, right at the end to deny him a fourth, when he touched his shot over the bar. Our players equipped themselves really well, we came here and tried to play, our view was to try and frustrate St. Mirren as long as possible, done that then gave away a sloppy goal, got back into the game, quite why Mark Brown was that far up the park I’m not quite sure, but done great with the goal, at that stage I felt if we got to half-time at 1-1 the job would be half done but then a really sloppy unnecessary mistake in time added on gave St. Mirren a second goal. In the second half we started really well and I thought Mark Gilhaney had a wonderful opportunity from a great through ball from Andy Scott, but it was not to be. At half-time we tried to regroup and get Andy Scott further up the park, but Mark really needed to score with that opportunity, if you’re hoping to beat teams at this level you need to take these chances. The two defining moments of the game – Scot Buist not putting the ball in the stand in Row Z in the build up to their second goal and Mark Gilhaney not scoring, but it is a learning curve, I said earlier I hope we will learn from that, I thought the team were well organised, well disciplined and can hold their heads up high, hopefully they can go on and progress in our league and I would wish St. Mirren all the best going forward into the next round of this season’s Active Nation Scottish Cup.
3 - 1
Full Time

Alloa Athletic v Brechin City

Alloa Athletic consolidated their position in third place in the league with a 2-1 victory over nearest rivals Brechin City who are now five points behind “The Wasps” but have a game in hand against Peterhead at Glebe Park on Tuesday night. This was one of the best games of the season at Recreation Park, in which on loan striker Iain Russell was in top form on his final game of his loan period before returning to Greenock Morton. Indeed once again as he has done in the past, Craig Nelson in the Brechin goal was outstanding, substitute Brian Carrigan finally broke the deadlock from the penalty spot and then CHarlie King had the opportunity to equalise when Brechin were also awarded a penalty kick but his effort struck the post, which was a great let off for the home fans. Two minutes from the end, Scott Agnew who had also came on as a substitute, scored a cracking goal with his right foot! In the final minute Rory McAllister did pull a consolation goal back for Jim Duffy’s men but it was the Alloa fans who were full of Christmas cheer in their final home fixture before Christmas.

 

allan maitland after victory over brechin city

I am going to say the exact same thing as I did when we played Brechin the last time and that is – that was a fantastic game of football, even at 0-0 I thought both teams put the ball down and played well, the difference is, the last time they beat us 2-1 with a late goal, today we won 2-1 with the second goal so late in the game which was the one crucial goal today, delighted to have won the game. We have had five games in the last fifteen days and to have come through them and to get through to the next round of the Scottish Cup and take seven points out of nine in the league, including two difficult away games and Brechin City at home I think our team have been magnificent and if ever there was a day you wanted to check the strength of your squad, today we had Scott Walker not playing, Brown Ferguson not playing, I made two substitutions and the two players come on, both score, Scott Agnew has been really patient, but to score a goal like that today, it was an absolute magnificent strike, Iain Russell’s contribution in the whole game was superb, I genuinely believe that if Iain had been fit over the last three months we would easily have picked up another six league points, he has been such a good player for us scoring two goals in his last two league games and his overall game today was excellent. I would also say it was harsh on “Minnie” David McClune, to not have won the man of the match award today because he was fantastic, as was Mark Brown and Scot Buist, we have just got good players at this club, they are on a high at the moment, scoring that late goal on Tuesday night gave them a huge boost, it saved the game going into extra time and we progressed to the next round of the Scottish Cup, on Thursday night at training there was no sense of tiredness and every Saturday or game we play, I have decisions to make on who is the right players to pick as apposed to lets get a team on the park. It helped today having Stuart Noble fit, Brian Carrigan fit, Iain Russell was available, Mark Gilhaney is fit which is in contrast to Tuesday night when two were half fit and three were unavailable. We are in a good place just now and this sets us up nicely for a difficult game at Dumbarton and a difficult couple of games over Christmas and New Year but I said on Tuesday night I was proud of the players, the supporters enjoyed this today and I’m proud of the boys again today and I hope the players enjoy their Christmas night out tonight, I’m sure it will make all the difference winning, however the defence was disappointed to lose a goal but if you are going to lose a goal it is better to lose it when you are winning 2-0 with only a minute left. Craig Nelson has again been magnificent for them, there was nothing between the two teams but Alloa created the better chances throughout the game, Craig Nelson’s save in the first half was excellent but the one in the second half from Stuart Noble was unbelievable, how he got to that I don’t know for he couldn’t have seen it until so late, but Craig Nelson has always done that against us, he is still a top quality goalkeeper. I believe the crucial thing in the game was them missing their penalty kick, which was a penalty. I thought ours was also a penalty but the incident before was a much more clearer penalty and it wasn’t given. To have an open and good game of football it must mean that the referee and his officials have played their part in that and I think that was the case, there was a couple of decisions you could say maybe that or maybe this but all the big decisions in the game they probably got them right, we are pleased and looking forward to next Saturday.

 jim duffy brechin city manager

It was always going to be a tough game and at times Craig Nelson had to pull off two or three great saves and after your goalkeeper has made these saves you have every right to think you are going to get something out of the game, but the penalty decision, I can understand why the linesman gave it, it did hit him on the hand, but it was a miskick, he went to clear it and it hit of his hand, so if that was a penalty it was harsh. I understand how the linesman gave it cause his hand was in an unnatural position and it did hit him on the hand, so I wouldn’t go overboard with that one, then we had the chance to get back in the game when we had a penalty, but we miss it, so we then had to gamble a bit and got caught on the break. The bigger decision for me was when Rory McAllister was clean through, why would Rory give away a free kick, he was through, that was a big decision, but at the end of the day the referee calls it, I don’t want to make a big deal about it but we were disappointed. The second goal was at a time we were chasing the game and was harsh on us, but Rory did get a goal back. It was a good game, Alloa had a few chances and our goalkeeper had to be in top form, but it was a big decision which changed the match really.
2 - 1
Full Time

Alloa Athletic v Cowdenbeath

A goal two minutes from time against Cowdenbeath, in Tuesday nights replay earned Alloa Athletic a 4th round tie against Premier League side St.Mirren on the 9th January, 2010 at New St.Mirren Park, Paisley in this seasons Active Nation Scottish Cup. This was a tie which was very even with both sides cancelling each other out, Mark Gilhaney was the Alloa hero in a game which looked destined to go to extra time.

 

allan maitland after cup victory

Tonight in a situation where we were we had no Iain Russell who has played so well in the last two games, we had no Brian Carrigan who had been at the dental hospital trying to deal with an abscess, Stuart Noble who is not quite fit enough yet, Mark Gilhaney who is still not 100% fit and could not start the game, Andy Scott is not properly fit so our striking options tonight was very limited. I felt the only way for us to win the game was to keep digging in, battling away and hoping for a set piece and make sure we were still in the game late in the game and try and go for it. I managed to put Mark Gilhaney on for the last half hour of the match and I think that is the most he could have managed.

I presume that is the reason he was desperate to score the goal so that it did not go to extra time. It was a magnificent effort from our players over the two games and I know that it might not have been the prettiest game and you need luck in these games – Cowdenbeath had a really good spell in the second half and Scott McBride hit a magnificent free kick against the inside of the post and in any other day of the week it would have went in and deserved a goal. We got our break late in the game with only two minutes to go when Mark Gilhaney scrambled for the ball and found himself just eight yards out with the goal keeper to beat and if you are going to score a goal that’s the time to score the winner. It has been a great effort, another shut out which is the big difference from last season – a game to look forward to against St Mirren – I am hoping by that time obviously we will be in better shape for the game but I must say tonight I am very proud of our players and I obviously feel for Cowdenbeath as well because in their position I don’t feel they necessarily deserved to lose – the two teams cancelled each other out by and large in the two games.

We are obviously pleased to get through. Mark Gilhaney had to come off on Saturday when he pulled his hamstring and he had been out for four weeks and that was him just getting back into the team and I don’t think he was ready to start the game – he wanted to start but I thought it was too risky – we have big games coming up over the next three weeks and with Andy Scott not being 100% either both shared the striking role on the evening. We look forward to going to St Mirren’s new stadium in the next round with grit and determination and it’s amazing how far that can get you. Getting through to the next round of the Scottish Cup is also a financial boost for the club. We are not under any illusions what it means to a club like Alloa going to a Premier League ground – but hopefully we will have more striking options on that day which will allow us to be more open in our play. I am hoping that Stuart Noble will be fit for Saturday and Brian Carrigan to have his tooth removed by Saturday and that should give us more options.
1 - 0
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East Fife v Alloa Athletic

The Wasps moved back into third position in the League, only three points behind leaders Cowdenbeath and Stirling Albion after this victory at Methil. After the disappointment of losing a two goal lead at Gayfield Park, Arbroath in midweek the players were determined to make sure they returned with three points from Methil on Saturday. Iain Russell did have the ball in the net inside the first ten minutes but the effort was ruled out for pushing by the officials. The opening goal came on the half hour, Gary Carroll scoring after the home keeper spilled his effort into the net. Eight minutes later after Brian Carrigan had been fouled in the box Andy Scott saw his penalty kick saved. The Wasps lkept at their task and Iain Russell sealed the three points with his 2nd goal in two games, when seven minutes  from the end he scored a great solo effort. Later in the game young Ross Philp hit the post with an effort which might have extended Alloa’s lead.

 

allan maitland after victory over east fife

Delighted with the victory, we had a lot of chances in the game, even before we scored, delighted for Gary Carroll who has been great in last two games, it was ironic that the goal came from a goalkeeping mistake, and great to see Iain Russell getting his reward with his second goal in two games, Brian Carrigan and Iain Russell linked well and my only disappointment is that they have not managed more games together since Iain came on loan from Greenock Morton, due to injuries. We thoroughly deserved our win and could have won even more emphatically. Lets hope we can take this form into Tuesday nights Scottish Cup replay against league leaders Cowdenbeath. They are very hard to beat and try to get the ball down and play a high tempo whenever they can. Their back four are all big strong players with a real determination not to get beat and they have plenty of flair throughout with Jon Robertson, Scott McBride, Brian Fairbairn, Paul McQuade, Mark Ramsay and Jay Stein. Up front Garth Wardlaw has been excellent – he works tirelessly and scores his fair share of goals and is a real handful for any defence. Scottish Cup ties are always special occasions and we will look to get a positive result and have the opportunity to face Premier League side St.Mirren in the fourth round.
0 - 2
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Arbroath v Alloa Athletic

allan maitland after draw at arbroath

Disappointed is an understatement, first half we played really well, dominated the game, second half we started really well dominated the game got the second goal and at that stage it was going to end up three or four , I thought Arbroath on the back of a bad defeat on Saturday had almost chucked it at that stage and lets be honest our goalkeeper has not needed to make a save because we had defended well and then two individual errors have cost us dearly, then we end up the game scrambling trying to win the game again. It is a difficult one to take, credit to Arbroath they got the encouragement from the first goal and came at us again and won a penalty kick, which was taken well, good luck to them, but for us that’s two points thrown away and if you are going to make an effort to challenge the teams at the top of the league you cannot be doing that. We have played Arbroath twice now and taken one point of them and tonight’s a game we have completely dominated, I thought we played good football, at times we looked as if we were the home team, passed the ball well, controlled the game and restricted them to few opportunities and inexplicitly gave them two goals, Scott Walker who was the player to give away the goals has been fantastic for us this season, so it is hard to be overly critical and we had him playing in a situation where he was playing out of position but I would expect better from any of our players, unfortunately for him he made the two mistakes but worse than that he had the chance to go and win the game from about three yards and managed to hit the post when he should score, it was just not Scott’s night, as a team we need to learn from that, work at it and make sure we can kill teams off, very disappointed as you can imagine.
2 - 2
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