Reaction

Alloa Athletic achieved one of their best victories yesterday in defeating Hibernian, it was a great performance by “The Wasps” especially coming back from going behind after only fifteen minutes. Barry Smith’s team did well in the first half without any reward, they had showed great confidence and belief and had chances to equalise. However in the second half “The Wasps” always looked the much livelier side and playing at such a tempo they always looked dangerous. Ten minutes into the 2nd half the impressive, Liam Buchanan fired “The Wasps” level after visiting keeper Mark Oxley had parried Daryll Meggatt’s goal bound header. The home side’s attitude, work rate and fitness helped outplay and outfight the Easter Road side. The winning goal five minutes from the end was no more than the team deserved, after “Man of the Match” Kevin Cawley had been fouled on the edge of the area, substitute Iain Flannigan, who had only just came on the pitch fired an unstoppable free kick high into the corner of the net, a goal worthy of winning any game.

barry smith after win over hibs

A great result and performance, to come back from being one nil down against Hibernian, one of the teams which have just come down from the Premier Division shows a lot of character in our squad, in how hard they worked to get themselves back in the game, that’s the pleasing thing, it is great winning the game but it was the manner in which they won, the players fitness levels again were first class, I thought in the second half we created many chances. I know what I get from theses lads we have been creating chances since the start of the season and maybe not getting the rub of the green, however today we deserved everything we got. We said to the players at half time to take great confidence from their first half display, even although we went in 1- 0 down we still had created chances and I think in the 2^nd half they showed defensively we are sound, that teams can see we are a good passing team and go and play and I think that was shown today. Iain Flannigan appeared just at the right time but you have to say “That is what he was on for” it was a great free kick, we know he is capable of producing that but we do not want to get carried away with the one result, we have done extremely well but we have lost games when it might have been different, but the players will take a massive confidence boost from this result beating Hibernian – that’s the one aspect we will not get carried away be take a great confidence boost from the result. John Gibson had a thigh strain prior to the match and that gave Craig McDowall his chance, he has come in and done everything that was asked, I don’t think I could fault him for the goal we lost, he couldn’t have done much about but everything else he has done as he was asked. Our next big game now is next Saturday against Greenock Morton, every game this season is big for us,and we want to be winning every game  Hibs, Hearts and Rangers will come but it is still eleven v. eleven on that park and I think today our eleven done extremely well and got their result.