“The Wasps” securred a valuable point on the road in midweek against Dundee at the Kilmac Stadium Dens Park thanks to a superb performance from Neil Parry who was making a surprise return to the first team having been out with an injury since the 7th September, 2019 when he suffered a hamstring injury in Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup tie against Dunfermline Athletic.

After the disappointment of losing their unbeaten record at home to Ayr United on Saturday, Peter Grant’s side once again proved how difficult a team they can be to beat, indeed the opening chance of the match fell to Kevin O’Hara but his effort flew past the post.

Neil Parry returns from injury

Kevin O'Hara goes close

Neil Parry stretches to make one handed save

Neil Parry collects under cross under pressure

Peter grant at dens park

Neil Parry had some very good saves but I thought we played very well with the ball, if we had taken care we could have created more chances ourselves, but it was probably the biggest decision I have had to make as a manager to leave young Kieran out tonight, because I think he has been outstanding for us, I know he made a mishap on Saturday but it was nothing to do with that, I just felt with the centre backs we have missing at the moment we needed to bring someone with a bit more of a presence at this moment in time with experience to help us out and Neil certainly gives us that, he has been training for the past couple of weeks. It is very difficult when you are part-time how to give these players game time, possibly in the reserves but that is not the quality of football Neil needs or the pressure he would be under, so the only way he could get back to this level was through his training, but delighted to have him back but it was probably the hardest decision I have had to make as a manager since I came in.

Frustration is probably an understatement, if you are honest yourself and some of the decisions were ridicules , the free kick he gave at the edge of the box probably summed it up, Iain Flannigan was facing his own goal the boy smashes him in the back and he gave a free kick to them, which is near impossible but yet again I have said many a time I think it is ok, I have to watch what I say and shout I agree with that 100% but I think any man walking in the street would do the exact same because that is not the rules, play the rules and we are alright, that’s all I ask for. I think Dundee were complaining about time wasting and not sure what for, maybe Neil Parry with a couple of his kicks that is fine but they should be delighted for the decisions they were getting.

I think Dundee are a right good side you see the squad of players they have, I had guys coming back after injury, Neil Parry has been out since the start of September, Jon Robertson has been out the last four games and hasn’t trained but because of injury to Blair Malcolm and Robbie Deas being ill, Andy Graham has been out long term we had to shuffle the group roundabout but the one thing I have said many a time about this group of players, they show great desire, Ben Stirling could hardly walk at half-time and I thought we were going to have to make a substitution but he wanted to get through the game and I thought he was outstanding, you get a wee bit frustrated because we played a  lot of good football and if we had taken care in some of the very good areas and people forget we had the very first chance of the game when we should score, Scott Banks did great down the side and rolled the ball back to Kevin O’Hara but he put his shot over the bar and then it would have been a right pressure pot for them but the referee tried to keep them in it with his performance and Neil had to make the saves from a lot of that.

“The Wasps” will look back at this game knowing they had a great opportunity to win at Dens Park and will feel aggrieved that they left empty handed. Fine margins can decide the destiny of victory and on this occasion the opportunity to draw level after 51 minutes with the penalty kick which was saved was to be crucial.

Losing an early goal in the opening minute was not ideal but the response from the players was immense, playing the better football in the first half. After ten minutes Liam Dick was to score his first competitive goal for the club, initally heading the ball before it broke lose and he shot low into the bottom corner of the net.

Eleven minutes prior to half time Dundee took the lead for the second time in the match when Jordan McGhee scored at the back post. The relief was seen all round Dens Park, coming off the back of a couple of defeats the home side managed to edge in front.

Alloa played some fantastic football but the bottom line is they need to stop giving away cheap goals. The players character can never be questioned but in this game Dundee at times were holding on and can count themselves fortunate to collect the three points.

Alloa were given a great opportunity to equalise in the 51st minute after Kevin Cawley had been fouled in the box, the ever relable Alan Trouten on this occasion had to watch as home keeper Jack Hamilton saved his effort.

Alloa’s new emergency loan keeper Jamie MacDonald did well on a couple of occasions with brilliant reaction saves. Alloa were still creating chances, Liam Buchanan passed inside to Alan Trouten who tried to set up the on rushing Kevin O’Hara but he was blocked out. The final chance in the closing minutes fell to Robert Thomson but he dragged his shot wide of the target.

This is a game Alloa will look back on knowing they didn’t deserve to lose but must be more clinical when the opportunites arise.

Liam Dick fires home the equaliser

Alloa players celebrate goal 1-1

Jordan McGhee puts Dundee back ahead

Kevin O'Hara is crowded out but gets away his shot

Kevin Cawley is fouled for the penalty

Alan Trouten's penalty is saved

Late opportunity for Robert Thomson

peter grant at dens park

It’s great when you come to somewhere like Dens Park and are disappointed, certainly Jamie MacDonald has made a couple of great saves but I thought we played a lot of good stuff. We are obviously disappointed in the goals we conceded, the second one was a bit dubious because I thought Andy Graham cleared it really well and I thought we could have had a free kick for it, but I don’t like to complain about that, when we have lost a game, that is alright to complain about when you win, so I don’t want to go down that road.

I am very proud of the boys, I was just saying I am more disappointed for them because coming to places like Dens Park I thought we showed how good a team we can be, we had a good chance to equalise with the penalty, but Alan Trouten, who has been outstanding for us and has scored some magnificent goals throughout his period with Alloa Athletic, he is more disappointed than anyone, but I genuinely believe if we had scored at that time we would have went on and won the game that’s how fine the lines are in this league.

We knew Dundee are a good side with good players and can hurt you and we weathered a wee bit of a storm at the start of the second half. The weather was a bit indifferent for both teams, in the first half with the wind either for you or against you, I am always not sure which is the best thing for you at times, the ball was running away from us at the start of the second half but once we got a grip of it we showed a lot of good stuff and character coming away from here and being disappointed really sums it up.

Alloa Athletic FC after a turbulent last fortnight bounced back where it mattered most on Saturday, on the park. New manager Barry Smith watched from the Dens Park stand as his side gained a good point against Dundee, who had previously edged the previous games against “The Wasps” this season by the tightest of margins, again it looked like another penalty might seperate the teams. However the Alloa Athletic players never gave up and it was a credit deserved when Ben Gordon equalised after great work on the wing by substitute Iain Flannigan had created the opening. This was a positive display as the players looked to impress their new manager and indeed prove this is still a lot of football to be played this season

paddy connolly at dens park

A good point in the end obviously, getting such a late goal but the boys fought really hard and showed good team spirit, which is exactly what I expected and with the new manager watching from the stand he will see the boys are fighting for each other, which has been the case since the start of the season been recently we have been going through a bit of a sticky patch and when that happened some of the decisions go against you, the penalty decision, my gut feeling was that it was a great tackle and it wasn’t a penalty, but it happens and later I was more worried about the players getting more bookings cause we cannot really afford that at this stage of the season, but maybe getting the goal at the end, meant that the boys were in good spirits coming off. I know Dundee had a lot of the ball, our game plan was to try and soak up the pressure, which worked for good spells in the game and we had the two players up top, but I would like if they had been more of a threat but overall I thought we deserved at least a point, so pleasing we at least took something from the game – this season Dundee have knocked us out of the Ramsden’s Cup and edged us in the other league games by a single goal, that is the first time this season we have taken a point from them, so in that aspect pleasing, there is good signs there for the manager – the fighting spirit, they are all fighting for each other, the young lad Liam Lindsay who came in for his debut on loan from Partick Thistle did well but we are still a wee bit stretched in numbers, Kevin Cawley was out suspended today, Jason Marr & James Creaney were injured but the lads who came in did well, Eddie Ferns did well when he came on, Iain Flannigan helped create the goal so from that point of view they all played their part. Certainly a bit of a morale boost prior to next Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie against Dumbarton, after losing the penalty after 69 minutes and going behind we had to change things a little bit and try and throw bodies forward and sometimes it works for you and sometimes it doesn’t, Eddie went wide right and I said to Ben Gordon we will just have to go man to man at the back, we were as well losing 2-0 as 1-0 and at that point threw Ben forward and Ben has come up trumps with the late equaliser, he took the goal well and he has done that a couple of times this season so for that point of view pleasing. Pleased more for the players it has been a tough couple of weeks for them with everything that has happened – losing their manager, but now they have a new manager to impress. We are in there fighting now, we are at the stage of the season where I think it is more important you get results than performances but I felt we got both today and we got a point out of the game, I would like to have been a wee bit more in the final third with the ball but we can’t have everything and we could have scored in the first half but pleased in the circumstances with a point.