26 March 2022
0 - 3Full Time |
Highlights
Alloa converted 3 times in the second half to secure their most comfortable league win of the season.
The Wasps are unchanged from the 1-0 win over Peterhead and look to gain a rare back to back result against East Fife. The Fifers before the start of play were sitting just 3 points from Dumbarton after hauling themselves back into survival contention in recent weeks.
The first half was a timid affair with the Wasps often wasteful in attack. Sammon would have possibly the chance of the half early on but as he dragged the ball wide a vital foot knocked the ball away and the forward’s spinning effort was not threatening to Jude Smith’s goal.
East Fife’s focus on the first half was probably on the penalty shout that was very reminiscent of the award at the Indodrill where Durnan caught Connell with a forearm. Today, Durnan was luckier and despite jumping with an outstretched arm there was no penalty decision from the referee. Danny Swanson would have their only memorable effort of the half after deftly flicking the ball up and looping an effort into the side netting but Alloa goalkeeper PJ Morrison was happy to let it go after determining early it was off target.
Alloa’s other golden opportunity of the half fell after a corner from Scougall landed nicely for Howie. The centre half come left back managed to scoop the ball up awkwardly and his second touch finish was struck at an awkward height contributing to blazing the ball into the car park from 8 yards.
The second half did finally bring the breakthrough as Kevin Cawley struck home after a determined cross from Boyd found him in the box. It was a simple route one ball aimed for MacIver – he headed to Henderson who held the ball up and rolled it to the byline for Boyd to slide back for Cawley’s 71st Alloa goal.
Scougall struck another blow for East Fife as he won a penalty after driving through the East Fife box to draw a foul. Moving like a crisp packet in the wind Scougall danced around 3 East Fife defenders before being tripped. Stepping up to the responsibility himself, he drilled the penalty low into the corner past Smith.
East Fife had another big penalty shout denied after this and to be fair, Boyd looked to have tripped Denholm inside the box but this was immaterial to the result as Alloa continued to threaten a third.
It would soon arrive with a massive slice of luck. Henderson driving into the increasingly stretched East Fife defence smashed a shot toward goal, glancing it off the back off Steven Boyd and with the deflection, Jude Smith had no chance to get near the effort.
Alloa have now just a single defeat in their last six with momentum building to the end of the season.
Pictures from yesterday`s @EastFifeFC @AlloaAthleticFC @cinchuk League 1 match now up on flickr. https://t.co/AZTL3WMl0F pic.twitter.com/B4aOlOxMmu
— David Glencross (@dgxwasp) March 27, 2022