Yesterday’s derby defeat to neighbours Falkirk was one of “The Wasps” worst displays of the season, against a team who are full of confidence and playing some of their best football of the season, unfortunately once we lost the first goal we were on the back foot and Falkirk took control of the game. It was difficult for the Alloa fans to watch and a day we need to put behind us. The display did improve in the second half, Mark Williams firing a great shot, which was saved before Steven Hetherington just failed to connect after Robbie Crawford’s effort just missed the back post. The arrival of young Michael Hardie and Scott Hynd was a positive move, with Scott Hynd making an immediate impact, his excellent shot was saved by Danny Rogers, but it injected some tempo into the Alloa side which now will face second top Hibernian at the Indodrill Stadium next Saturday. Admission £ 18, Over 65s & U16’s £ 9, Season Tickets are valid for the match v. Hibernian. Tickets are on sale at Alloa Leisure Bowl Monday – Friday: 6.30 am to 9.00 pm, Saturday: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm & Sunday: 9.00 am to 7.00 pm.

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danny lennon at falkirk

I thought Falkirk were exceptional today, and thoroughly deserved their victory and the quality goals that went along with that, but we didn’t do ourselves justice at any time today. Sorry for taking time to get to the waiting media but I was 45 minutes with my players after the match in the dressing room. We had selection problems today and we had to shuffle the pack, even right up until this morning we were waiting but had two further call off’s. So that was frustrating but I certainly don’t make that as any excuse as I feel the quality within this squad should have been equipped to come in and handle this situation but unfortunately as a whole today we didn’t show these qualities.

No doubt it is our worst display of this season and the fact that it is a local derby we didn’t want to come and get done over like that but we failed to bring our true qualities today in our application and attitude, attitude is always there but I thought today in terms of us putting it all together we fell well short of what I expect – what was a positive for us today was the two younger kids coming on and showing a wee bit of energy.

I think even in any situation given how difficult it was for us today to try and take a positive from it their introduction was our only positive, we are very much aware of where we are at this moment in time during the season and up until now there are things which haven’t worked for us and we know changes will need to be made and we will certainly be bold enough to do that. W

e now take on Hibernian next week but these are the challenges we all signed up for, we knew how competitive the league was, and to be honest with that group of players, the big games they don’t really faze me because we know the players level of application will be there as they showed at Ibrox last week. Today we never got out the traps and I read Peter Houston’s comments in the match programme – how they like to dominate the middle of the pitch and play at such a high intensity, and they done that and they were good to watch, they took that hunger and appetite and if we can take anything from the game today other that the two kids which came on, we need to show that energy and the tempo of the game that Falkirk played from start to finish.

The Wasps will look back at today’s game and wonder why they didn’t take something from the match, in truth they probably played the better football on the day but Falkirk collected all three points after punishing Barry Smith’s team for trying to play football out of defence allowing Craig Sibbald to steal possession and Rory Loy’s curling shot counting as the only goal of the game. After every game it is easy to look back and think if only, the truth is Alloa were punished for casual play out of defence and not taking any of their chances on the day. Mark Docherty was first to have an effort cleared off the line, Liam Buchanan then had a direct shot at Jamie McDonald but it lacked venom, Falkirk took the lead in the 21st minute, but the home onslaught never materialised. Liam Buchanan caught Jamie McDonald in possession but the ball ran wide and his effort was cleared off the line by Peter Grant. After 37 minutes Falkirk keeper Jamie McDonald had to leave the field of play with a broken nose after an accidental clash with Greig Spence. The introduction of ex Queen of the South midfield player Mark Kerr at half-time for “The Bairns” helped the home side keep more of the ball. Alloa keeper Craig McDowall pulled of an instinctive save from Peter Grant to stop the home side making it 2-0. The Wasps were not finished yet and pushed Peter Houston’s team right to the final whistle, Kevin Cawley, Ryan McCord and a Greig Spence header all went close before Ben Gordon moved into attack and added height to the Wasps attack.

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barry smith at falkirk stadium

Sad at not getting anything from today’s game but we try to be as positive because we are creating chances, we have played well, but we said the same last week, where we thought we should have won the game, and we cannot keep dropping points – although we did play well, we need to start picking points up it’s as simple as that. Our two strikers have did brilliantly for us this season, Spencey and Buchanan and we can add in Kevin Cawley as well, but we will be trying to add to the squad, but our strikers are getting into the positions, if they weren’t getting into the positions and creating chances I would be worried, so hopefully it will turn again, sooner rather than later. We need to start grinding our results, and again today it was a mistake from us that cost us the goal. Other than that, we think that we have played well in the game, but playing well doesn’t get you three points. Yes, we will pick all the positives, we think that we did play well but we do have to start taking the chances when they come along, when they do and I’m sure we will, the quality in this team will win games.

Next week’s game against Rangers is a completely different game, with a new manager coming in, but the one thing for our players is the confidence they can take from previous results we have against them this season, but it will be an extremely difficult game and one will not be taking lightly and we will have to do all the good things we did and one of the biggest things was the way we defended against Rangers, which we did very well and we will need to do that again next week if we are to get a result.

A late wonder strike denied “The Wasps” at least a share of the points against Falkirk at their Westfield Stadium – Barry Smith can be delighted at the performance from his side yesterday in a game the squad was down to the bare bones with top scorer Greig Spence missing after suffering a hamstring problem the previous week at Dumbarton, keeper John Gibson was then injured in the warm up and had to be withdrawn, along with Iain Flannigan, Jason Marr, Daryll Meggatt & David Weatherspon all out through injury.

The team on the day deserved something from the game having battled back into the game after going behind after only 16 minutes. The players were not lacking in effort or desire to show what they can do and deservedly got back level three minutes before half – time when Falkirk captain David McCracken pulled down Graeme Holmes inside the box, although a penalty was given on another day the Falkirk defender would have had no complaint had he also been shown a red card. Liam Buchanan expertly scored the penalty to put “The Wasps” level. The Falkirk fans were sounding their displeasure at their teams display and at this stage in the game Alloa Athletic were looking to go on and win the game.

Early in the 2nd half Alloa Athletic still looked the more likely side to take the lead, a Stephen Simmons header went close followed by a Mark Docherty shot which Jamie McDonald was glad to parry, but the ball broke kindly for the home side. In an effort to get back into the game Falkirk manager Peter Houston introduced Alex Cooper and Rory Boulding early in the 2nd half and eventually the home started to at least get back into the game. With twenty minutes left a Rory Loy shot was blocked but fell kindly for full back Luke Leahy, who from around 25 yards unleashed a shot which flew into the top corner of the net behind Craig McDowall who had come into the game and looked untroubled. In the end the defeat was cruel on “The Wasps” , everybody knew this was going to be a difficult season but a lot of the games have been very close run affairs and not much between the sides.

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barry smith at falkirk

I thought we were the stronger team at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half at that stage there looked as if there was only one team which was going on to win the game – so I don’t think we deserved to get beat today. I think on the basis of play we created chances and as always worked our socks off, the players have done ever so well but a couple of wee minor mistakes and we have been punished for that at this level, but I don’t think we deserved to get beat. The winning goal was a great finish from their full back Luke Leahy, sometimes you cannot stop shots like that, but in the lead up to it we maybe could have defended better and not takes chances we don’t need to, as I have said I don’t think we deserved to get beat today. There is great disappointment in the dressing room, and I’m sure when the players reflect tomorrow they will think they didn’t deserve to lose today. They put so much energy into the game and created chances, we limited Falkirk to very few chances and we will look at the positives and if we just cut out these mistakes that are costing us at the moment, then we will be ok. The referee had a decision to make at the penalty, is it a goal scoring opportunity? We think our player is obviously going to try and score, so that’s a goal scoring opportunity – so the referee has made his decision and we move on.

Alloa Athletic secured their place in the SPFL Championship next season despite losing 3-1 to local rivals Falkirk on a dramatic final day of the season. It was a terrific atmosphere inside the Falkirk stadium as the hosts were in the title hunt while the Wasps were trying desperately to avoid the relegation playoff place at the foot of the table. The Bairns started the better and Scott Bain had to be at his best to pull out a terrific save to deny Beck’s bullet header from an early corner.

The home side’s early pressure paid off on 23 minutes when Mark Millar found Beck free at the front post who bulleted his side in front with the header. The Wasps weren’t down for long though as they caught their rivals cold on the break as they pushed for a second.

A brilliant solo run from Ryan McCord saw him glide past four defenders before cutting the ball back to Kevin Cawley who poked the ball home to bring his side level. Some heroic defending from Barry Smith’s men ensured that they went in level at the interval when Ben Gordon got the ball off the line as Blair Alston poked the ball beyond Bain towards goal.

Alloa passed up an unbelievable chance to take the lead on 51 minutes when Liam Caddis did brilliantly to get beyond two defenders and round the advancing Bairns keeper Michael McGovern but the on-loan St Johnstone midfielder could only put the shot into the side netting.

The Wasps paid the price for not taking their chances as Gary Holt’s men hit them on the break to take the lead. Bairns substitute Sheppard did well to get to the byline and squared to find the onrushing Sibbald who forced the ball home from six yards. Alloa could have levelled when Graeme Holmes chipped pass was headed back by Ross Caldwell into the path of substitute Andy Kirk but the striker’s goal-bound volley was tipped over by McGovern.

Falkirk clinched all three points on 90 minutes when Beck nodded home from close range to make it 3-1 at full time after great work from Alston to set up the chance.

Despair soon turned to joy for the travelling support though as word came through that Queen of the South had scored a late leveller at Cowdenbeath meaning Alloa had survived the playoffs at the last moment to clinch their place in the Championship for another season. Jubilant scenes ensued as the players re-emerged from the dressing room to celebrate with the Wasps’ faithful.

Graeme Lafferty, Alloa Advertiser

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barry smith at falkirk

First of all I cannot thank the boys enough, I thought today they were excellent, they have been for weeks – maybe not been getting the results but I thought they played excellent today, they passed the ball against a good passing team in Falkirk but we certainly passed the ball as well as we have been doing in recent weeks, we had opportunities. In terms of achievements that’s up there, it’s a great achievement for Alloa Athletic Football Club to stay in this division, you do not know what this will mean to the people of Alloa, they might not be the biggest support in the world but it means just as much to them as to anyone else and I am delighted for them because them and the players because they are the boys who have worked their socks off, week in, week out and we have not had that rub of the green and today we got the rub of the green from somewhere else, but because of our hard work I believe that if you work hard, you will get that rub of the green and today we deserved it.

I said to the players after the game if we are in the Play Offs, if we play like we did today we would stay up, I had belief in them, because I thought they were excellent today, we maybe never converted a couple of great chances but that has been the same in previous weeks and I said to the players if we play like that we will stay up because I thought we did extremely well today. We were in the changing rooms and I was already thinking about the Play offs when someone came in and said it was now 1-1 at Central Park, but we have seen some teams celebrate before when they get similar news but then it ends up it is not true, so we were doing our best to make sure that was correct information and that the game had indeed ended 1-1 – somebody had a Sky thing but it wasn’t showing the game was finished – it was a roller coaster emotion because I was already thinking about Wednesdays game, straight after the game I was thinking about our next game which would have been on Wednesday – but I did think that if we had went into the play offs, I know we have enough quality in that team that would have seen us stay up.

We had our chances, when Liam Caddis did wonderful to create the chance and then round their keeper but he just needed that goal but hit the side netting, Ross Caldwell, that’s the Ross Caldwell we know, he was excellent today and hopefully he goes back to Hibernian and becomes a first team player there and Liam returns to St. Johnstone, knowing and having the knowledge they have done a job for us.

I now gives us a chance to look right over the squad and see where we are going with it, that’s the nature of football and there are though decisions to be made cause they are a great group of boys and none of the decisions will be taken lightly but that is the nature of football but I don’t want to speak about that just now rather speak about how great an achievement it is for Alloa Athletic Football Club to stay in this division, for myself it is an incredible achievement to be involved in and I have been involved in some great achievement in my spell as a football manager, but that is up there because keeping a part time club in a division, full of full time clubs is very difficult and it will be a great challenge next season but we look forward to head on and look forward to another new challenge, where everyone can play their part, the Alloa support again today was fantastic.

Alloa Athletic ended 2013 with an excellent display at the New Falkirk Stadium, their first competitive game at the new stadium since last playing “The Bairns” in a league match at Falkirk in Season 2002/03. Although the game ended 0-0, the same score as our clash earlier in the season at Recreation Park, both teams could have won the game, Falkirk being the home tie had the bulk of the possession but Alloa Athletic could claim to having the more clear cut chances on the day, hitting the home side on the break and could have snatched all three points in the second half when Kevin Cawley and substitute Declan McManus had great chances to win the match. However the final chance of the game fell to Falkirk substitute Phil Roberts who unleashed a powerful shot which Scott Bain dived to save and pick up his 13th shut out of the season, a statstic which cannot be overlooked.

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paul hartley after draw at falkirk

I thought in terms of our second half performance, the way that the team played, I thought they were outstanding, in their shape and organisation and will no to get beaten and we counter attacked really well, we had four or five good situations where we could possibly done better but in terms of coming here, which is difficult, we said that before the game, we tried to keep the crowd quiet and I think we did that and they were getting frustrated – we had a game plan and it worked. I think when you go away from home you are always going to be under the cosh and we knew we would be under pressure for large periods of the game, we definitely play a different way away from home than we do at home, we are more of a counter attacking team away from home and we usually play two up top but when you are playing teams at the top of the division we have to adapt, we are solid and don’t lose many goals and we try and hit teams on the counter, breaking in numbers which we did successfully today.

Scott Bain again delivered again today with some good saves, but I thought the back four were good, I thought the team were good, in their style of play not wanting to get beaten, making last ditch tackles when required which was evident in the second half but we had great chances when we countered and we could have had a couple of goals today, with a wee bit more composure in the final third of the park.

Michael Doyle stepped into central defence today, and did a great job, we were really low on numbers today, with only 15 players, two or three of them  with niggling injuries so we were down to the bare bones, we had a call off this morning from Stephen Simmons and Ben Gordon suspended so we were really low in numbers, but the effort from the players and the guys that came in were outstanding. That was or fourteenth clean sheet of the season and if you get clean sheets you do not lose games It’s an old saying but we have a really strong foundation there in terms of how we work, but it’s all credit to the players and their application.

Our first local derby against Falkirk since Season 2002/03 ended in a no scoring draw, the game was played in a cup tie spirit with plenty of action for a healthier crowd of 1,625 inside Recreation Park. Once again Alloa Athletic keeper Scott Bain was to prove just how good a season he has had, with five shut outs now in our nine league game this season in a higher division. Falkirk started brighter, but soon the Alloa midfield got to grip with their Falkirk counterparts and stopped them playing, breaking up possesion and winning the 50/50 balls. Although the game flowed end to end and both teams might have thought they could win the game, the forwards of both sides were limited to scraps to feed of, but there was no shortage of commitment, Alloa manager being happy to end the first quarter of games with fourteen league points.

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paul hartley after derby draw

I thought it was a really good game, I thought our application, attitude and work ethic was brilliant and another clean sheet, that’s five in our nine league games, so pleased with the performance. Scott Bain again had an excellent game, he was really good, I have said over the past two and a half year since he came here from Aberdeen, but I do believe he is getting even better, he has moved up a division this season, he is a top young goalkeeper, he is only 21 and has played over 100 games at that age, there are not too many goalkeepers have played at this level, week in and week out, a lot of them are number two’s, his handling was great, his presence he came and caught everything and when we needed him he made vital saves at vital times, I wouldn’t stand in his way, we are not a club to keep players back, the boy could look to go full time, he was my first signing from Aberdeen – he is a brilliant kid, he is learning all the time and it is doing him the whole of good to get all these games under his belt but he will eventually move and when that day comes there is no way we would stand in his way, that’s for sure. It was a typical local derby and we were good in the battle, we said that was our game plan to ruffle them up, to get in against their good players and make it awkward for them. Most of the teams in this league have a huge advantage over us being part time but it didn’t show today, not with the fitness levels that we have got. The game was end to end at times, there was chances, good action and meaty tackles, but that is what a derby game is all about, we said that to the players before the game “Don’t forget that it is a derby and make sure you are ready for it, the battle, and be in for the 50/50’s”. As we come to the end of the first quarter teams have done their homework on us, it shows they are paying attention to what we can do – but I thought overall I thought the players were great, I’ve got a really good bunch of guys in there.