“The Wasps” won a massive three points at Dumfries, defeating Queen of the South 2-1 with a last minute winner at a ground the club had not won at since 19th April, 2003 when a Stevie Thomson scored the only goal of the game.

Having been on a losing run, many people had again written Jim Goodwin’s men off after the defeat by Partick Thistle had seen them move to the bottom of the league, but the Alloa players were out to prove all doubters once again.

The first chance of the match fell to the home side with Andy Graham having to clear Lyndon Dykes shot off the line.

Dario Zanatta was then unlucky when his netbound shot was pushed over the bar by Alan Martin in the Queen’s goal, but the Alloa fans only had to wait for the corner to come in and captain Andy Graham vollied home at the near post.

Stevie Hetherington in charge in midfield
Queen of the South equalised after 59 minutes when Kyle Jacobs vollied home after Neil Parry had saved well from his initial header, although the QOS announcer confused everyone by announcing the goalscorer as Iain Wilson?

Queen of the South were now looking the more likely side to score but the Alloa defence stood firm and with people looking at their watches Dario Zanatta broke clear down the left wing and sent over a peach od a cross for Jordan Kirkpatrick to head home the winning goal.

Having been edged out in games we might have taken something from it was fitting to get a victory on this occasion. Dario Zanatta always looked capable of finding that bit of pace and his eye for goal found a winner for “The Wasps”.

Andy Graham clears off the line

Andy Graham scores at near post 1-0 to The Wasps

Stevie Hetherington in charge in midfield

Dario Zanatta sends over perfect cross

Jordan Kirkpatrick heads home winning goal

JIM GOODWIN AFTER VICTORY AT DUMFRIES

If there was ever a game of two halves you have just seen it there, I thought we were the better team in the first half and deserved the goal lead at half-time but full credit must go to Gary Naysmith because he changed the shape and had us penned back for the majority of the second half and it was very much backs to the wall, I must give great credit to our back four and goalkeeper for managing to avoid a second goal and we just stayed in the game and to be honest with you with five minutes to go I would have been delighted with a point but Jordan Kirkpatrick pops up with a massive goal from our point of view and he does what you hope all substitutes do and makes a positive impact on the game, “Kirky” has been one who has been unlucky to be out of the side, he has been very disappointed not to be in the starting eleven but his attitude is spot on and he goes on today and manages to score the winner.

The first goal from a set play which we spoke about prior to the game having worked on one or two during the week but that ball was supposed to go round the back, but big Andy managed to get a great finish so we are delighted with that one, we had good presence in the box and good delivery so it is important we take advantage of that.

Today was more about the resilience and togetherness of the group, when Queen of the South equalised it would have been very easy for us who have been on a very poor run of form to capitulate but it just shows you the strength of the group and the mindset and characters we have, huge just to keep going until the last kick of the ball.

As always everybody had written us off with losing our last four league games but it was only four weeks ago everybody was talking us up being the form team in the league and hadn’t been beaten in six, we have had a wee dip in form but that lets us jump a couple of places up to eighth so maybe it is Partick and Falkirk’s turn to catch us up.

We probably didn’t deserve to win the game, I think I am quite honest in how I assess the games and I am not going to come in here and say we toughly deserved the three points because we didn’t. I thought Queen of the South were the better team but we have played really well on occasions this season and got nothing so today was our turn for being on the other end of it, where we played poorly in the second half and managed to go away with three points. I feel for Gary and his backroom staff and players because I thought they were excellent in the second half, but credit goes to my keeper and back four because they managed Dykes and Dobbie today., because for me they are the best partnership in the division, so it was good to keep them quiet and stop them scoring.

The result today was massive, it puts a stop to the rot and we can now start looking up again. It is amazing how tight the league is and how entertaining it is as well every team can beat each other there is nobody adrift a the top or the bottom and keeps it entertaining from a fans perspective, we are delighted with ten games to go we are still in it which is massive for me and the club because everybody had written us off before a ball was kicked.

Hopefully that has been our dip in form and we can now start putting a run together like we did six weeks ago.

Jim Goodwin’s team once again proved they will be no pushovers to any side in the SPFL Championship this season aand can feel rightly disappointed that they did not take all three points on Saturday at Palmerston Park against QOS.

The Alloa players show their support of “Show Racism the Red Card” at Palmerston Park on Saturday. Manager Jim Goodwin had impressed on his players that they needed to get off to a good start at Dumfries and they responded with a whirlwind opening, going 3-0 ahead inside the first 25 minutes.

At this stage in the game it looked more likely Alloa would go 4-0 ahead before Queen of the South and that man, Stephen Dobbie clawed themselves back into the game, he had three chances and scored three goals, now 24 goals this season and his 4th hat-trick.

The two goals in seven minutes clawed Queen’s back into the game but Alloa still were a threat, Alloa played well and it was the home fans who were the quietest. With twenty minutes to go Queen’s drew level through “that man” Stephen Dobbie.

The reaction of the home fans said it all, they were more than greatful to snatch a point and credit to both teams they still searched for a winner with “The Wasps” still looking to win the game. Alan Trouten was fouled on the edge of the box but referee David Munro ignored the incident when home hearts must of been in their hearts. Then in the closing minute Dario Zanatta was foluled by Callum Semple and Iain Flannigan’s free kick was superbly pushed onto the post by home keeper Alan Martin to deny “The Wasps” their first three league points of the season.

jim goodwin at palmerston

We couldn’t have started the game any better, we came right out of the traps and were getting in behind them, we were causing them problems in the wide areas and were putting some great balls into the box and it was great to get ourselves in front for a change because we have had to chase games up till now in every league game we have found ourselves going behind. So it was the first time in the league this season we have found ourselves going in front, to be a goal up was great, then to go three up was quite incredible, and I was looking forward to the half-time team talk.

Stephen Dobbie is absolutely incredible, what he is capable of and whatever he is getting paid here it is not enough, no disrespect to the rest of the players, I thought Dykes done well but Dobbie single handed dragged them back into the game – his first goal is a great goal, one which is very hard to defend against, you hold your hands up in cases like that, the other two for me, particularly the second one which was disappointing defensively from our point of view.

At half-time we spoke about going out and trying to win the second half at worse we draw the second half and we win the game but Dobbie’s third goal came out of nothing, a half chance, one that I was not too concerned when he hit it twenty yards out but Neil Parry was unsighted, there were three or four bodies in front of him and he couldn’t react quick enough to keep it out. So really disappointed, it feels like a defeat

Our season so far this season is that we have had too many games where we should have got more out of the games, particularly on the road we have been very good away from home, that’s our third draw on the road and one draw at home – we have been excellent away from home and you would see in the opening half hour today what the boys are capable of but we need to cut out the sloppy goals. We still had chances ourselves and kept going; I have to give the players credit for that, once they had got the third goal to equalise it would be very easy for to get really nervy and panic and then lose the game. Iain Flannigan hits the post from a free kick it was a great save in fairness, I would like to see the Alan Trouten one again, Gary Naysmith said to me after the game he thought it was a penalty, I did at the time but I understand it was a difficult one for the referee but I think if it was anywhere else on the park it was a foul and free kick, it was a big decision at a big moment in the game and it would have been nice for it to go our way.

Manager Jack Ross was pleased with the performance at Dumfries and on another day it could easily have been “The Wasps” who celebrated the victory such was the thin margins between the teams. The players gave their manager everything and on the day merited a share of the points. The lack of goals has been a problem all season and the manager is working tirelessly to try and bring in a striker before the end of the current transfer window. Next Saturday we travel to Paisley to face St. Mirren, a game which cannot come quickly enough for the players as they look to start picking up points their play is meriting.

jack ross after defeat in dumfries

The Wasps paid the price at Dumfries on Saturday after the home side, Queen of the South took an early lead which gave the home side a great start in a game their twin strikers Derek Lyle & Iain Russell were both on fire. The Alloa players will be disappointed in the goals they lost, but they can be pleased at the chances they created, but on the day the difference was the finishing. Kyle McAusland, Mikk Reintam, Michael Duffy and Geoff Mitchell all had good opportunities in the first half. Michael Chopra made a welcome return, coming on at the start of the second half and he was immediately involved in helping create Iain Flannigan’s goal, his third in two games. With Rangers assistant manager, Davie Weir, watching from the stand, there will be tough challenges ahead, but to their credit “The Wasps” never gave in and ended the game on the attack and will look forward now to Sunday’s Live TV game against Rangers at the Indodrill Stadium for their first home game of the new season.

DANNY LENNON AT DUMFRIES

Firstly, I have to say that I deeply admire and am very proud of the players in my dressing room. We are part time club in a full time league and these guys go to their work everyday from 9 until 5 or longer then they have to come and train twice a week as well. They give me absolutely everything they have and are as honest as the day is long. For us to then go to Queens and lose the goals that we did, was very uncharacteristic of us. The three goals were very poor ones from our point of view and at 3-0 down it looks like we are getting a doing, but we actually created more chances than them in the first half. I can’t take anything away from Queens overall though because they deserved their win over the piece. It is still disappointing to lose in the manner we did, but it is a learning curve for us, basic errors have cost us and we must learn quickly from those. I got a great reaction in the second half and I will ask for the same this coming week. I have to give big plaudits to Queens and especially Derek Lyle. If there are any young boys watching the Championship and aspiring to learn the game then I suggest they watch him. He gives you everything, has pace, links the play well and scores goals and I thought he was excellent. He uses his intelligence against Dougie [Hill] for the first goal, and maybe it could have been a foul, but we have to be stronger in those scenarios. In the second half, we had a great start and brilliant reaction from all the lads. We got the goal back from Flannigan and had a lot of the ball in and around their box, but our efforts on goal fizzled out. We must collectively learn from the mistakes because we win and lose as a team. We will dust ourselves down and be ready to go on Sunday.

barry smith at dumfries

I thought we weren’t at our best in the first half but in the second half we came out and had the better chances, before they scored, and that has been the story of our season. We don’t take our chances and get beat with one chance. I could give the players a pat on the back for their second half but I cannot accept getting beat now, or cannot accept getting beat at all, and that has to stop.

Zander Clark had two great saves, top drawer saves but at the same token its chances we should score, no matter what. We ended up with four strikers on the park trying to get that last goal, the goal to make it a draw but it didn’t happen.

Kyle’s first booking is a tangle of legs and I don’t think it was a booking, the second one is a free kick but the first booking caused the sending off and that’s what the problem was, but that’s football at the end of the day the referee had a decision to make, that’s fine. The reason I got sent to the stand was a misunderstanding, the linesman thought I had been shouting at the referee when I was actually speaking to my own player, which is unfortunate, I hope after speaking to the referee he understands it wasn’t directed at him, so he knows that, he had to go with what his linesman said which wasn’t accurate, the lineman thought it was directed at the referee, but it wasn’t it was directed at my own player, because I thought he was stupid going into the second challenge, it just so happens he was coming off when I was arguing with the linesman, that’s where it got misunderstood. I don’t think there will be any further action based on the fact it was a misunderstanding and I explained that to the referee and was good enough to see my side of the incident.

Phil Roberts hadn’t played for a full ninety minutes for a good while, so he is lacking that wee bit fitness in terms of match fitness and he was tiring and he felt a wee niggle and we didn’t want to make it any worse so that’s why we took him off, to make sure he didn’t do any damage to the wee niggle which he picked up.

We cannot hide away from the fact next Saturday’s game against Cowdenbeath and how big it is, it is huge and I will not be hiding from that fact, but the boys must all soldier on together and that win I am confident will come next week.

The Wasps headed to Palmerston Park in confident mood after two back to back wins in cup competitions but in the end had to return empty handed having played very well in the first half especially, but failing to score the vital opening goal when on top. On the day it went down to costly errors in defence, the first goal a basic defending error and the second, being caught, against the run of play, when pressing for an equalising goal. Credit to the players who never gave in and even in the final minute Greig Spence’s header came back off the post but the rebound was hit high over the bar by Graeme Holmes when on another day it would have been a certain goal.

barry smith at palmerston

It was definitely a frustrating afternoon, in the first half we had control of large spells of the game, I thought we did really well and mistakes from us have cost us at the end, the second half the game just petered out, there wasn’t much in the second half. Overall we need to cut out the basic errors, which cost us today, especially in the first half we created and played some good stuff.

The players never gave in and played right until the end, even in the final minutes we had a chance, when Greig Spence’s header came back off the post, but we must keep trying right to the last minute but it just didn’t fall our way today.If we cut out the basic errors, as I say I thought overall the performance was good, we created chances in the first half, the second half the game did peter out but overall with our first half performance if we can continue that and cut out the basic errors we will do alright this season.

Look at the amount of chances we created in the first half, five or six good chances, but it is about taking these chances when they come along – McCord, Buchanan and Spence all had good chances and that then takes pressure off the back four. When we make mistakes we tend to get punished.

“The Wasps” went down to their third defeat in their last four games in the league, the difference between the teams on the day was that Queen of the South took their chances and scored the important first goal, from which they took confidence. Certainly Alloa manager Paul Hartley was disappointed to lose the match but knows the team were creating their own chances but need to be more clinical in front of goal. Alloa started brightly and Andy Kirk and Stephen Simmons had chances to put the visitors in front before Queens got the break through after 30 minutes. In the second half Alloa again started well but were hit with a third goal for Queens against the run of play. Full credit to the Alloa Athletic players who never gave in and substitute Ross Caldwell, making his debut after joining from Hibernian on loan on Friday pulled a goal back and had the opportunity the close the gap further but shot over the bar. Next Saturday Dumbarton will visit Recreation Park in a game “The Wasps” will look to bounce back, looking to get back into winning ways.

paul hartley after defeat in dumfries

In terms of the goals we lost today we could have done better, but in terms of our attacking play today I can’t criticise my players, I thought we were excellent at times, however the difference was that they took their chances and we didn’t. Disappointed in the manner we lost the goals, we work a lot on the defensive side of our game at stopping crosses and they got two of their goals in that way, we allowed too many crosses into our box today. It was two easy goals to prevent for my liking but in our attacking side of the game we had some good performances in terms of how we played and passed it and moved and we put them under pressure at times. We started the game really well in the first 15-20 minutes we were looking good and I was enjoying it and then they got the opening goal  which changed the game, it is a disappointing result and we must look to bounce back next week. Good for Ross Caldwell to score his goal, I thought he did well and after coming on, he looked a threat, a good presence and a good finish for his goal, which was one of the pleasing aspects with Ross getting his goal, I’m sure he will do well for us. We started the second half very well and were on top, the first time Queen’s go up the park they scored their third goal, that’s the thing you have to concentrate for the full ninety minutes and at times today we switched off in our defensive part of our game but as I have said in our attacking game we looked a threat with really good play and moments in the second half, but we need to get back to winning ways next week. We are still wanting to look upwards, it is a tough league and there is no easy games so we need to get back on track and pick a team to win the game next week. At half-time I said to the players, one goal and we are back in this game, what I did ask them is don’t give up, keep going all the way and fight till the end and they did that, they keep fighting till the end and never gave up and showed good spirit amongst themselves. Things got a bit heated with one or two challenges which were let away with but that’s the way it goes. Jason Marr had to go off, he was struggling with a thigh injury, so we are down on another centre half so I might need to see if I can bring someone else in and try and improve the squad. It was a nothing when I was sent to the stand, I thought the play should have been stopped, I said I thought the play should have been stopped, cause the lad had a head injury, he is in the dressing room just now with concussion, and to be fair in hindsight, maybe our players didn’t see it either in terms of putting the ball out of play. I didn’t swear at the ref, just thought the game should have been stopped because Liam Caddis had taken a head knock, but the ref decided to send me to the stand, so I just need to get on with it. He said it was my action in which I threw my arms, but I didn’t swear or anything.

“The Wasps” gained their first point on the road this season, but it was at a cost, with Eddie Ferns likely to be sidelined for a couple months after fracturing his jaw in a collision with Queen’s keeper Calum Antell. In a game where there was little direct saves for either keeper to make, the visitors, Alloa Athletic came the closest to scoring in a game where one goal was likely to be enough to secure the victory. Andy Kirk was the man who went closest to scoring, firstly with a header in early in the game and later he had a net bound shot which needed to be tipped round the post. Paul Hartley gave a debut in the second half to 19 year old Alex Salmon who has joined the club on loan from Carlisle United, the youngster showed flashes and good speed in a game he only met his new team mates prior to kick-off at Dumfries.

paul hartley at dumfries

Is it a good away point or an opportunity missed? A bit of both, we got no shortage of effort but chances were limited. It was not a classic game, we did well, being away from home, and it was another clean sheet for us, we have a real strong mentality at the way we defend as a team, there was not many clear cut chances today, but we probably had the best of them, however I think it was a better away point for us and our first point on the road this season.  I think we have started the season pretty well.  Following the mid-week game against Aberdeen which went to extra time and penalties I think our players kept going and their attitude was again fantastic, to not get beaten, which we showed again today, we defended really well, we tried to break in numbers and we tried to pass the ball even though it was not a classic game it was probably a better point for us than Queen of the South being the home team. Unfortunately I think Eddie Ferns will need to go to hospital as he possibly has a broken jaw, young Alex Salmon, the young lad that came in did well.  I think we have a strong enough squad at the moment and will look to get more players in January time if necessary.  We have a great group of players there that work so hard for each other- to go to Aberdeen through the week play 90 minutes and then extra time we had a clean sheet and that is what we are calling the clean sheet mentality.  I said to the guys at half time maybe one goal will win the game both teams tried to have a go and get the goal.  I will now give the players plenty of time off as I think they deserve it, they have played well, we will train on Tuesday and then they will be off for a short spell.