Victory at Ochilview on Hogmanay was a great way to end 2016, however the team once again had to come from behind after losing the first goal. The game was played in difficult conditions with a strong wind and heavy rain.

Most pleasing for manager Jim Goodwin apart from the victory and three points was the fact “The Wasps” had three different goalscorers on the day – Jordan Kirkpatrick with 2, Greig Spence & Kevin Cawley were also on target. We now look forward to 2017 and look to build on this result.

jim goodwin after hogmanay victory

Delighted with the result, we are over the moon to finish 2016 with a win but it’s one of these times when you cannot but think of the two boys. I know big Neil Parry is up just now and he walked out onto the ambulance, thank god, but there was blood coming from his ear and we don’t know what the impact of that is and the poor boy from Stenhousemuir, Alistair Roy, it looked very concerning, fair play to the paramedics and everybody else involved but it baffles me why there was no doctor for the sake of a few quid, I don’t understand it, I couldn’t understand why there was not a doctor coming on the park. The guys who came on did their best but the welfare of the players is paramount.

It is a natural human reaction, you don’t want to see anybody getting hurt, I was more concerned for the Stenhousemuir boy to be honest with you, being hit by Neil Parry, would be like getting hit with a bus, he is a big boy and the wee Stenhousemuir player there wasn’t much to him. They got great attention but let’s make sure there is a doctor and the right type of equipment to cope with that type of incident because players are putting their livelihood on the line.

A fantastic result at the end and it is great to get back to winning ways, the last eleven games we had five draws and four defeats, so it was great to get that win today and to finish 2016 on a high. I thought the conditions were shocking for both teams, really difficult conditions windy and raining but I thought we managed the conditions really well. We spoke during the week where we thought Stenhousemuir  danger would come from and indentified their two wide men, Cook & Furtado, they are both very good players, very offensive and attack minded. I have to take responsibility for their first goal, as I was asking Taggart and Waters to try and take them the other way and we lose the ball and they counter attack on us. We conceded that early goal but again my boys character it never comes into question coming from going behind to win points is brilliant delighted with every one of them, having Stevie Hetherington back is like a new signing for us, the calibre of our goals was good, they were really good goals from our point of view, well worked.

They can now go and enjoy tonight, bring in the New Year and hopefully  we can build on this, back in on Tuesday, we have a job to do it is as simple as that, we are not as close as we would like to be to Livingston but we will do everything we can to close gap, working hard on the pitch and behind the scenes.

“The Wasps” stay top of the league, but only on goal difference after a late equalising goal for Stenhousemuir gave them a draw in a game which felt like a loss losing such a late goal. Alloa were 2-0 ahead after 51 minutes and controlling the game, but this changed three minutes later when Jim Goodwin was red carded for an incident at a corner. Even after going down to ten men Alloa had chances  to increase their lead but were thwarted by the Stenhousemuir defence. The home side pulled a goal back after 78 minutes to give them hope, while Alloa still looked like scoring on the break. Then deep into stoppage time a long ball to the back post was met by Oliver Shaw who scored his first goal for the club after coming on loan from Hibernian. The players were clearly disappointed at the final whistle but the positive thing was the chances they made in the game.

jack ross at ochilview after late goal denies 3 points

Paul Hartley’s side collected, what might be a vital league point at Ochilview on Saturday. the visitors had the best of the first half and went ahead in the 22nd minute when ex Wasp defender, Scot Buist fouled Calum Elliot in the box, Ryan McCord dispatched the penalty for his nineth goal of the season. in the second half, Martyn Corrigan’s “Warriors” fought back for a desrved in draw. Both teams will relate to chances missed, but Alloa keeper Scott Bain, captain for the day, proved why he is pushing for a place in the Scotland Under 21 squad.

PAUL HARTLEY AFTER STENHOUSEMUIR GAME

I thought we played well, in the first half we moved the ball well, we had good possession of the ball, the front three were causing a problem – Elliot had umpteen fouls committed on him – he was kicked up and down the park all day, but the referee didn’t want anything to do with him, however it might be a vital point at the end of the day. I thought it was a good game of football, both teams were at it and probably a point is a fair result. Every game is a big game, I said this to the players before the start of the game – we are now into the final quarter and that is when the prizes are given out and we want to be in the mix at the end of the season we have been good so far but we know that there is eight tough games to go and it is vital that we keep going and keep playing well, as I said we have had three hard away games and we have taken seven points out of nine away from home in these games, which I would have settled for, we have a strong mentality about us at this club, with eight games to go, we will try and win as many as we can and see where it takes us. I thought all the players did well today – they were comfortable with the ball and tried to play in the right manner, they handled the game pretty well and I was pleased with the whole team. My goalkeeper, Scott Bain, was great, but he has been doing it week in week out – I gave him the armband today, with Darren Young and Ben Gordon absent, just for him to take added responsibility of being a voice at the back, he never let me down.

The Wasps took revenge at Ochilview today defeating “The Warriors” 2-0, a reverse of the score earlier in the season at Recreation Park, Paul Hartley’s team produced a polished, professional performance in a game Stenhousemuir can thank their keeper, Robbie Thomson, currently on loan to the club for some outstanding saves to keep the margin only to two goals. Prior to kick-off striker Martin Grehan had to pull out after feeling his calf muscle tighten and could not take place, also earlier in the day both Daryll Meggatt & Ryan McCord were ruled out with injury. The two goals were scored by Kevin Cawley who was a torn to the Warriors defence all day and a spectacular overhead kick by Stephen Simmons to give “The Wasps” a 2-0 interval lead. In the second half the home side rallied but Alloa always looked the more likely side to score, with quick attacks on the break.

PAUL HARTLEY AFTER DERBY VICTORY

I am pleased with the performance, in the first half we were outstanding, the whole team were great we didn’t have a failure today – it was a magnificent performance and the game should have been dead at half time – their goal keeper made some great saves but overall a magnificent three points.

We are a passing team and like to pass and move the ball quickly, we have got some talented players here. I had to warn the players that 2-0 is a bit of a dodgy score – we had it last week and couldn’t hold on to it. I thought the second half was a very professional performance and we were able to see the game out. Stephen’s strike was a great goal and proved there is life in the old dog yet – to manage to do an overhead kick at his age was fantastic! I think the team played very well , Kevin scored the opening goal albeit with the help of a deflection but overall I have to be pleased with how the team performed and the end result. We are on a good run of form just now; but we have to keep it going.

It was good to see our full backs getting forward with Michael Doyle and Mark Docherty who were excellent , I thought the back four were outstanding, we have great pace and break quickly on teams and this is a good threat. It is good to get a victory going into a break now – it is always important to win, because if you don’t get a good result you have to wait for two weeks to rectify it – but the players have been magnificent – I cannot ask for anymore from them and they keep producing the goods every week so we are in a good run of form and have to keep winning as many games as we can and see where it takes us. We have a good squad of players and some good loan players at the club which helps. I think we need a good strong squad, today we had the situation where three players failed fitness tests prior to the kick off – Martin Grehan, who pulled up in the warm up with a sore calf – he was never going to come on after this because we could not risk him but he knew that and had to just sit on the bench, Ryan McCord and Daryll Meggatt both pulled out this morning due to injuries. We are not going to moan about injuries we just get on with the game and see where it takes us. Nicky Low looked good today and we are delighted he has extended his loan period with us to the end of December , however I am pleased with all my players, the guys who have came in have done a great job.

Alloa Athletic started the New Year extending their 10 match unbeaten record in the league after a 3 – 1 victory in a local derby with East Stirlingshire at a very blustry Ochilview. The Wasps couldn’t have started better with Stevie May heading the visitors in front in the opening minute, five minutes later however the home side struck with a bizzare equaliser, Stuart Beveridge’s strike from well inside his own half being carried with the strong wind and bouncing over a surprised Alloa keeper. This gave the home side great heart and they competed very well and had others chances which caused concern. Mark Docherty was unlucky with a shot which struck the crossbar which was Alloa’s closest effort in first half. The second half opened very simalar the first with a stunning Stevie May strike putting “The Wasps” back in front. Alloa then took control of the match and played some great passing football under horrendous condions. Stevie May looked to have put Alloa 3-1 ahead until the standside linesman flagged for offside before he again made no mistake for his hat-trick thundering a blistering shot past the Shire keeper. The result returned Alloa Athletic back to the top of the Division which was their aim at the start of the day, next Saturday “The Wasps” league match against Peterhead has been cancelled due to their involvement in the William Hill Scottish Cup.

paul hartley after rising to the summit again

Delighted to be back at the top of the league, our second half performance was very good today, which included a great hat-trick by Stevie May, who made the difference, that is why he was brought in to score goals and he certainly was on song today, all three goals were top drawer and we could have had more especially in the second half. The East Stirlingshire goal was a miss judgement by our goalkeeper who has been excellent for us on many days this season, but he got caught with the bounce of the ball and the pace of it which was all down to the strong wind. This gave a lift to the home side, we dug in and I had a word with the players at half-time and we then got on top again in the second half, some of our passing and football in the second period was a joy to watch. The three points were the most important statistic today with no game next week – today’s challenge was to see us regaining that top league position and we are fortunate enough to have done that. Stevie May still Has a couple of games left in his loan period, but he is definitely a player I would like to keep longer at the club, I will be speaking to Steve Lomas over the next couple of days just to see where we are at with him, he has good quality, and he works his socks off, him and Kevin Cawley are a handful for any team in this league. However we must keep this run going – we are down unbeaten in our last ten league games which is terrific but there is still a lot of hard work to be done, it’s such a tough league, there are no easy games and we must keep going.

The Wasps won Saturday’s local derby at Ochilview against East Stirlingshire but the feeling at the end of the game was relief rather than joy in a game which should have been all over in a first half such was the gulf between both sides. The good thing is the way manager Paul Hartley has the team playing their football but for the supporters at Ochilview they had to hold on until the final minute to claim victory, it should have been so different. While East Stirling competed for every ball, we never punished them, with too many passes, especially in the final third not penetrating, the players are still finding their feet and are desperate to impress, there is no doubt we are moving in the right direction and another three points away from home are very welcome. A win is a win and the team are improving every week, Robbie Winters making his league debut was class and will be a great asset to the club.

paul hartley after east stirling game

In the first half the game should have been out of sight with some of the football we played but at times we tried to walk the ball into the net! Our two centre backs again were terrific, it’s our first clean sheet of the season – which is one of the things I had been stressing to the guys to strive for, but the main thing was to pick up full points and we are happy to achieve this. We didn’t expect this to be an easy game, conditions weren’t great – the wind was with us in the first half, but East Stirlingshire had that advantage in the second half. We still tried to play football and on another day we might have had two penalties in the second half, but we will take the three points. The team is still learning and getting to know each other and certainly winning away from home is always good. We will get better I have said that to the players – some of our decision making at times could have been better , but we will work on that in training this week. It is great to attract Robbie Winters to the club, he brings a bit class to the squad , some of his link up play was first class and we have only had one training session together so his understanding in the team we get better, he has a proven track record and he has quality written all over him.

john coughlin – east stirlingshire manager

Today it would be fair to say Alloa could have been three or four up in the first half, they missed some really good chances and I was hoping to get to half-time at 0-0 but then we gave away a silly free kick just on 45 minutes, we didn’t defend it and it has cost us the game in the end, because we have matched them for effort in the second half, we are a young team and just need a break. On another day when Steven Jackson hits his shot off the underside of the bar it would have went in the net instead of coming out but it wasn’t to be our day. We have a very young side and lots of inexperience, when I saw Robbie Winters in the Alloa team sheet today, my heart was in my mouth – because I knew he would be a problem for us, we have young centre backs learning the game and hopefully they will not have to face a player of his ability every week but it will help them learn the game quickly.

The Wasps started the New Year with an important derby day victory over local neighbours Stenhousemuir at Ochilview, however losing late goals again dampened a very good display and a vital victory. Prior to the match Stenhousemuir named Davie Irons as their new manager to take over from John Coughlin who recently resigned. Alloa Athletic started the game well and took the lead after only 12 minutes, due partly to a fumble by home keeper Ally Brown but Stuart Noble who has now scored a goal in each of his last five games took advantage to roll the ball into an empty net. Three minutes later the impressive Michael McGowan scored a great solo goal to increase “The Wasps” lead. Injuries to both Andy Scott & Kevin McDonald unsettled the rhythm of the midfield but a third goal eighteen minutes from time by substitute David Gormley increased the score to 3-0 and Alloa looked capable of adding to their tally. However once again two late goals had the Alloa fans in disbelief as they could not have imagined another late turnaround. Manager Allan Maitland was happy at the end of the game to secure the victory but knows his team will need to show better concentration levels, greater courage on the ball and will look for his team to ensure sloppy goals do not cost them in 2011.

allan maitland after new year victory

To start the New Year it was important for us today to win the game, we played well against Peterhead and didn’t win, we played well against Airdrie apart from the last couple of minutes and didn’t win and last week played well against Livingston but again did not win the match. Today for probably 88 minutes we played well, started well and we were obviously very aware of the fact that they had a new manager so anything negative they had from their last game against East Fife would have disappeared and it would all be positive stuff, so it was important that we started the game well and we did. Stuart Noble was excellent and scored his goal well – he is in a good run of form at the moment and Michael McGowan scored an excellent individual goal and Bryan Prunty had two great chances and the goal keeper pulled off two excellent saves. At half time we were pleased, we had played really well and controlled most of the second half but maybe switched off a bit for the last two goals, I felt we didn’t match their mid field runners coming through – in general the objective today was to win and we have done that. I don’t want to focus on anything negative I want to focus on the positive – it was a good win for us – a win away from home which is something we haven’t managed much – so 2011 has obviously started well for us and is going to be a better year than 2010. Happy New Year to all!