The Wasps and the Doonhamers have both yet to pick up Championship wins and both sit on just a point after their opening fixtures.

Alloa heavily rotated against Stenhousemuir and returned to the same XI that drew 3-3 with Dundee with one change, Neil Parry, ruled out from injury since the third game of the season against Edinburgh City, returned between the sticks.

The game started at a slow pace with both sides sizing each other up. Liam Dick made an especially noteworthy block as Queen of the South lobbed over Taggart at CB and the left back vitally recovered to block Aidan Fitzpatrick’s effort. The next massive talking point was what looked like a Queen of the South penalty. Connor Shields’ blocked cross found its way to Maxwell who headed into Parry’s hands but fractionally late Andy Graham put his head into the left back’s cheek. The captain was on the floor and instantly the surrounding players signalled to the bench. After a stoppage and heavy strapping applied to Graham, the game continued. Alloa carved open a chance in the box. Kevin Cawley running into trouble cut back to Robert Thomson. He cut inside his man to open up the opportunity for the left footed drive but his shot tamely found its way into Leighfield’s waiting arms. On 34 minutes Alloa carved open Queen of the South. Maxwell was again floored by the quick feet and strong running of Thomson and his cutback to Alan Trouten was lifted over the bar by the midfield hitman. A disappointed Adam Brown who was himself unmarked summed up the magnitude of the missed opportunity with his outstretched arms.

Minutes later Alloa would be punished for their profligacy. Queen of the South who left their men forward from a corner, quickly taking a throw-in and freeing up the space in behind Liam Dick, floated a cross into the centre. Gregor Buchanan jumped early, and with the aid of his hands holding down Andy Graham, stayed up to nod the effort into the net. The appeals to referee Beaton were bizarrely shrugged off on the basis of the earlier penalty shout for Queen of the South and the captain was left to rue having not gone down under the Queen’s centre back’s challenge.

Alloa had not got going in the pedestrian first half and after the break they were instantly sucker punched. Aidan Fitzpatrick spinning away from Raymond Grant, stumbling after another couple steps after a slight contact won an incredibly soft free kick. Up stepped Joe McKee, who dispatched it perfectly to find the corner of Neil Parry’s net and double the misery of the Wasps.

Despite Alloa’s careful probing Queen of the South contentedly sat back and hit on the counter. They would carve Alloa open with another two or three gilt-edged opportunities. Alloa should have had a penalty late on as Trouten was irreventially hauled to the floor but a serious lack of chances created will worry the Wasps’ who now sit bottom ahead of their double header with Heart of Midlothian in the following week.

Victory at Palmerston Park, Dumfries against Queen of the South on Saturday kept a great run going by “The Wasps” at this ground, where they last lost in the league back on 23rd January, 2016. Collecting another three vital league points, which is now ten out of twelve points from their last four Ladbroke Championship matches.

Kevin O’Hara was the player catching the headlines again after scoring another double, that is now three doubles in last three matches, six goals taking his season tally to thirteen.

The Wasps would race into a two goal lead after fourteen minutes, this time Kevin O’Hara was the provider, getting down the left wing and crossing for Robert Thomson to score his second goal of the season.

Queen’s were struggling to get a foothold in the game but they took hope from the most unfortunate incidents. Jamie MacDonald was kicking the ball from the ground upfield when he felt a twinge in his hip and unfortunately had to leave the field of play.

This was a blow for the keeper who is still revered for his time at Queen’s and playing for them in a Scottish Cup Final. Andy Wilson who had just returned to “The Wasps” from Petershill got an early call and was to be one of the mainstays in Alloa returning with the three points.

Queen’s brought on ex Alloa striker Jack Hamilton at half-time for Gary Oliver and within seven minutes he had pulled a goal back, hesitancy in the Alloa defence allowed Hamilton to bundle the ball over the line. Six minutes later Stephen Dobbie does what Stephen Dobbie can do and scored with a vicious shot from just outside the box 2-2.

Alloa gradually played themselves back into the game, Ben Stirling replaced Blair Malcolm to make his debut after signing on loan from Hibernian. With the home side still looking for a winner, Alloa looked dangerous on the break. Kevin Cawley played the ball wide and Ben Stirling charged forward down the right wing, cutting inside Stephen Dobbie and floating a perfect cross into the box for Kevin O’Hara to fire home from close range and send the visiting fans home happy.

In the final ten minutes Queen’s threw everything at the Alloa goal but the defence and goalkeeper Andy Wilson stood resolute. Indeed Andy Wilson was to prove a match winner with fantastic saves from Stephen Dobbie and Jack Hamilton to break the home fans hearts.

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Peter Grant after 3-2 victory at Dumfries

A great victory with the players once again showing fantastic character, we have had some of our players who have not been training for a number of weeks now and some putting themselves out there but still not match fit like Alan Trouten, Robert Thomson hadn’t trained all week, Stevie Hetherington, Jon Robertson and Kevin O’Hara hadn’t trained and then Jamie MacDonald has to go off with an injury after we were two goals up, that was a blow physiologically for the players, it doesn’t matter how good your next goalkeeper is the fact that Jamie had to go off lost us a bit of rhythm, Queen’s got it back to 2-2  and were making it difficult for us and put us under pressure the wind appeared to help them but we got it back again. The pleasing thing for me was how we got back into the game, I thought young Ben Stirling came on and was outstanding, his composure, aggression in the air, all the things we were looking for. It is the first time I have had a full bench all season and that is a big thing to have boys to come on and do a job and that was a strength, we just hope not to get any more injuries, it is unusual in the players who have been out like Andy Graham who hadn’t missed a game in five years.

Paddy Connolly had said to me we had been 3-0 up here at Palmerston before and drew 3-3, the boys were conscious of that and what shows greater character is the fact some of the players would have been involved in that game. For the winning goal Ben Stirling put his head down and made a fantastic move up the side of the pitch and delivered a fantastic ball in and Kevin O’Hara was there to do what he has been doing exceptionally well to put the ball in the net.

Jamie MacDonald felt a wee pop at the top of his hip just kicking the ball, he felt if it was his left foot he could have carried on but because it was his right which he kicks with predominately he had to come off, we are hoping it will not be too long, if he misses next week hopefully he might be fit for following week that’s what we hope but he will go in for a scan at Kilmarnock on Monday.

Andy Wilson only just returned to the club after a period on loan at Petershill where he had done well, he was fantastic I am delighted for him, young Chris Henry had been on the bench and I am always conscious of young boys not getting games of football so he went to Petershill to get match time, it is important that young players get time on the pitch. Andy pulled off magnificent saves although he will need to work on his kicking obviously, but the saves were match winning saves. The first eleven players look after themselves but your substitutes are so important and that’s why I said I was delighted to have a full bench today letting us adjust at certain times in the game.

Peter Grant’s side gained their first three points of the season after a 1-0 victory at Palmerston Park, Dumfries. This was everything we weren’t against Arbroath the previous week. Last season we had a great record against Queen of the South having collected 10 points out a possible 12.

The first half passed without either sides tested the goalkeepers, Alloa’s best opportunity was when Darren Brownlee appeared to pull Robert Thomson down in the box.

Queen’s best chance fell to prolific goalscorer Stephen Doobie who on this occasion fired over in a crowded box.

In the first half Alloa Athletic had showed great diligence and fight but always were looking for that chance to break on the home defence. It was important to get the first goal and in a counter attack Robert Thomson broke down the left wing and crossed for Alan Trouten to score such a landmark goal, not just the winning goal but Alloa athletic’s 1000’s landmark league goal of the 21st century.
It was a good team performance and showed again what we are capable of doing in this division, on our day we can beat anybody.

Indeed substitute Liam Buchanan could have scored with his first touch of the ball, Adam Brown playing back the pass for Liam Buchanan to shoot on goals only to be denied by a great save by Robbie McCrobbie.

It was a good team performance and showed what we are capable of doing moving up to 7th in the league.

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peter grant after win at dumfries

Delighted to get the three points, today’s performance was a different type of performance we showed that diligence to go and fight for everything and I think that’s what won it in the end, we know we have goal scorers in the team, you can see that when Buchanan came on and Robbie McCrorie had to pull off a wonderful save. But you also have to show that diligence to defend well and I thought the boys did that fantastically well. Completely different from last week, I thought we were very tentative against Arbroath, this week we showed a diligence to work hard without the ball, to get behind the ball and work hard and we showed quality at times and got the balance about right, it’s great to get the three points.

Although Queen of the South had some pressure, I can’t recall our goalkeeper, Neil Parry having a save to make, yes we defended really well, from the front guys right through and your best defenders have to be your forwards and I thought they did that exceptionally well. We could have scored more goals had we had taken more care on the breaks we could definitely done that, that’s the both sides of the game, you have to defend exceptionally well if you want to take points, I think we deserved them, nobody could argue about that and our keeper has not had a save to make in the full game.

The goal was a superb bit of quality great counter attacking move, cross and great finish. We know we are capable of that we have the players but the biggest thing is when we have the ball we are always very open cause we want to go and play an expansive game, the central midfield players making runs beyond the ball even when we were 1-0 up, that is something we need to organise a bit better to do that and get better at it. People say to me what is the difference going part time probably that might be it, just not having the time to work with the players, limited to two nights a week to go through these strategic things on the pitch but I know these boys are intelligent to take these things on board but the first thing is to learn how to win games of football and I thought we did that exceptionally well today as I said our keeper never had a safe to make and their keeper had a World class save from Liam Buchanan, so we could have ended winning the game by more but QOS were always a threat cause a one goal lead is a precarious lead.

The most important thing today was to win the football game, people do it in different ways, there is no set way to do it, we have to win games of football that is what we are paid to do and our players are more than capable of winning games of football as is everyone in this division. I was at a game last night in Dundee and Dundee unbelievable got beat 6-2 and I thought Dundee played very well, it just shows you what the league is like there are no easy games. Arbroath having defeated us last week have again won again today defeating a Dunfermline Athletic side again showing there are no easy games. We are no different from anybody else in this league we will look to win every game we play in, we are capable of winning the games we will be playing but to do that we have to play exceptionally well both with the ball and without the ball.

Blair Malcolm made his debut today and I was delighted with him, he is a young man who has not played many games and I thought he gave us a little bit of balance on the left hand side of the pitch, he has good energy I thought his quality on the ball was good, he did get caught a couple of times but he did everything that was asked of him.