Alloa got off to a flyer against the northeast side when Steven Boyd started and finished a flowing move. Cawley and Henderson showing excellent awareness with two first time passes freeing Boyd to find the bottom left corner. The Wasps continue to threaten on the break but they couldn’t quite carve another opening.

After sloppily giving the ball away though, Alloa were punished. Peterhead’s own pacy forward converted at Hutton’s front post with a flick from McCarthy’s cross and the away side grew into the game after the goal.

At a corner McDonald and Hutton clashed and both were booked. This proved vital, as a minute and a half later, Hutton palmed away the effort of Scott Brown from outside the box into the path of Payne. The Alloa stopper caught the Peterhead striker and a penalty was awarded as well as a second yellow. Alloa for the 3rd home game in a row found themselves down to ten men. Keir Burt replaced Cawley as he was sacrificed for the substitute goalie but there no heroics as Scott Brown deftly fired it low beyond the youngster. Alloa did provide an instant reaction – Scougall floating inside with the ball switched to Church and he delivered on a plate for Charlie Gilmour to rattle a volley high into the net.

Alloa were level but in the second half the introduction of McLean provided yet another target as the set pieces mounted. He won an unmarked flick-on to reinstate the Blue Toon lead. Alloa barely threatened the Peterhead goal as the disadvantaged 10 men continued to chase.

Late on, probably the man of the match, Josh Mulligan finished an impressive flowing break to cement the three points for the visitors. Ill discipline has proven a difficult hurdle so far with a third red card in just 10 league games proving again too much for Alloa as we slip to 8th in the league.

Alloa took on the pre-season bookies favourites at the Indodrill with the rain belting down for much of the game.

Drama was quick to kick off as the ever influential Mouhamed ‘Sena’ Niang lunged into a tackle after just 19 seconds. The referee quickly produced a red card and Alloa were reduced to 10 men. Despite this impediment the 10 men of Alloa were resolute and they created the best chance of the first half when Adam King rocketed a shot left-footed towards Stewart McKenzie’s goal. The Cove keeper saved well but it was the only shot in anger forced upon either goalkeeper in the first half. Blair Yule had Cove’s best chance with a free header but could only put it wide from 7 yards.

Shaleum Logan was a continual threat from his deliveries and after 53 minutes proved it again when Durnan glanced a header across the six yard box from the right back’s cross. Rory McAllister was there to head home from point blank range. Alloa rallied and quickly made changes with Cawley replacing Sammon and later Howie and Robertson for Church and King respectively. After Taggart botched a run down the wing, he quickly recovered and robbed the slack Cove defence and driving into the box won a corner. Up stepped Stefan Scougall who blazed the corner in only for it to ricochet off Blair Yule’s thigh and helplessly bounce into the back of the net. Alloa were level and again for long periods you could forget the contest was 10v11.

The game was quickly erupting into chaos all over the park as both hopefuls swung for the second goal and the lead. Kevin Cawley had a spectacular whipped effort cannon off the outside of the post while just seconds later Cove were given a gift by Mendy’s loose pass to Harry Milne. He played in Masson who drove to the byline and sliced the Alloa defence open with McAllister delivering the killing blow and a second goal of the afternoon.

Late on Alloa defender Howie stretched his leg out to tackle Megginson and, despite what looked like minimal contact and despite pleading his case that he was beyond the 18 yard box, the referee pointed to the spot. Rory McAllister smartly finished to make it 3-1 to the visitors and Alloa were left to rue what might have been if Cawley’s effort had cracked the inside of the post instead of the outside.

Alloa drop to 7th in the table while Cove set the pace, before Queen’s Park play their ‘game in hand’ on Sunday.

Alloa overcame their close neighbours in what was ultimately a routine home win for the Wasps. Alloa handed a debut to new Hearts loanee Euan Henderson, while Scougall made way after feeling unwell before the game, in the only forced change, from the side that started last week’s win over Cowdenbeath.

Alloa had the best of the opportunities as Boyd broke through and Trouten bounced a diving header wide. They would grab the breakthrough as Taggart lobbed a curling ball over everyone for the run of Henderson who eventually prodded home with a slow roll of the ball past Mutch. Alarm bells were ringing for Alan Trouten who was instantly removed from the field of play after receiving some treatment on his errant hamstring. Cammy O’Donnell joining the play in sad circumstances.

While the Wasps goalkeeper was active, only one curling effort required a serious save in the first half. Alloa were dealt another serious blow when red hot Boyd felt unfit to continue on 40 minutes. Former Bairn Conor Sammon replaced him. O’Donnell unleashed a volley from 30 yards that narrowly missed Mutch’s woodwork and passed up a glorious cutback where he could only find the Falkirk goalkeeper.

Falkirk threatened early, twice in the second half but again it was the Wasps who were superior. A deep free kick aimed to Durnan, was nodded across goal for Sammon to seal the three points. Alloa closed out the game almost flawlessly, with only one hairy moment as Ompreon was denied an exquisite finish by Hutton’s fingertips and the resulting corner was saved by a goal line clearance from King.