Reaction

The Wasps moved back into the Play-Off positions and knocked Ayr United off the top of the league after their 2-1 victory at Somerset Park after scoring two goals in three minutes.

After a good opening start to the game by “The Wasps” after winning the toss and making the home side play into their supporters end in the first half, Lawrence Shankland scored an impressive stike his 20th goal for Ayr United already this season. However, the Alloa players showed great spirit and desire to push for the equaliser and four minutes later Jamie McCart headed home his first goal for “The Wasps”, Three minutes later Alloa were to take the lead in bizzare circumstances, Ayr keeper Jack Ruddy came out to clear from Ross Stewart but only sliced his clearance wide, Ross chased down the opportunity and scored from the tightest of angles his shot agonisingly passing the keeper and into the far post. This was to be payback time for Jim Goodwin’s men who had been robbed by Ayr United by two late injury time goals in previous two matches this season.

In the second half Ayr United had more of the possession, pushing Alloa further back, but the defence was magnificent, Jamie McCart clearing off the line at one end while jordan Kirkpatrick and PJ Crossan came close to scoring for “The Wasps”.

The game was to mark two other Alloa milestones – Assistant Manager Paddy Connolly’s 300th game in Alloa dug-out and Scott Taggart’s amazing run of 7,263 minutes of his Alloa career before he missed a single minute of play for the club having to be substituted for the first time after 63minutes at Somerset Park

jim goodwin after win at somerset

It was a great result, first half I thought it was a very good game both teams played alright, the character we showed after going behind, in a game in which I thought we started the better team, they had a couple of attacks where they looked dangerous but the reaction after going a goal behind was really pleasing. The second half we were a little bit under the cosh for the majority of the second half and I think Ayr United will feel aggrieved for not nicking an equaliser, but my players for everything they put into the game and how they went about it they deserved the win.

We knew what we had to do before the game and we spoke about how we would need to go and get at them, we felt we had players in our forward areas that could hurt them and I think that showed in the first half. They are a great bunch of boys they really are they never ever throw the towel in, their great energy levels right until the end, I’m really please because we had been stung by them getting a late winner at our place and they had the late equaliser down here when we were winning 3-2, so we maybe rode our luck in the second half but I think from the previous two games we deserved that bit of luck today.

We were playing against a full-time team here and our energy levels and fitness levels are absolutely brilliant, that’s full credit to my players we only get them on a Tuesday and Thursday night for two hours a night we do as much as we can with them but it is their responsibility to keep on top of their fitness during the week – they are a great bunch of professionals. I know it puts us back into fourth in the table but honestly even when we were sitting in third I don’t really care just now it will go right to the wire, Brechin City showed that last season, nobody is out of it we just have to concentrate, I know it is an old cliché but we just need to concentrate on our own job that’s all we can control and if we go about games in the manner we did today, defensively we were brilliant today, which we were against Raith Rovers last week, against a good attacking team and gained a clean sheet, we are starting to look like a team again and putting results together which is pleasing.