Reaction

On Saturday at Starks Park, Alloa Athletic proved against Raith Rovers as they had the previous Sunday against Ayr United, that they are a match for any team on their day and now go into the Championship Play-Off Semi-Final 1st leg on Wednesday night, again against Raith Rovers at the Indodrill Stadium with great confidence.

The home Raith Rovers support, 4400 of the crowd came in great expectation but it was “The Wasps” who went closest to scoring hitting the woodwork twice in the first half along with Kris Renton’s header being cleared off the line by Jason Thomson on the stroke of half-time.

In the second half Raith Rovers had more of the possession but Alloa always looked dangerous on the counter attack. Alloa keeper Neil Parry made a “Man of the Match” performance to claim his 11th clean sheet of the season and win the Ladbrokes League One Golden Glove Award.

The closest the home side came to clinching the important winning goal came in time added on when Lewis Vaughan effort was blocked by Alloa substitute Daryll Meggatt.

“The Wasps” wanted to go into the Play Off matches with good momemteum and if they can play the way we know we can then then we will have a great chance.

jim goodwin after denying raith rovers the title

The game plan before the game from our own point of view today was to be hard to beat, to not put too much energy into the game, we sat off the game rather than play our normal game of going pressing teams high up the pitch with Wednesday in mind, at the same time the message to the boys was “Look if Raith are good enough to break us down and get the goal that they need to go and win the game, then fair play to them”

However I think we have put in two very professional performances in the last couple of games and I don’t think anyone could question my players or the club for lying down to anyone, I could easily have played a load of kids and let them fight it out, but we tried to be fair we are a professional team and club, from these two games who ever goes on to win the league will have earned the right to win it and that was evident today, the boys put their bodies on the line, it would have been very easy for them to down tools and not go into tackles but that was certainly not the case they are a very proud bunch of lads and I was delighted with their overall performance, I know Raith Rovers will be disappointed but we go again on Wednesday.

After the game I said to the lads this is a great example of what might come in a couple of weeks, there are three good teams in the Play-Off’s against us – Raith Rovers, Arbroath and Dumbarton and there will come a period in every game against that quality of opposition they will have a spell in the game and at that stage you need to regroup, backs to the wall and see it through be resilient and I think the players did that today, it is great for me to see the togetherness and team spirit in the team, Wednesday night will be completely different we will play more on the front foot on Wednesday and we will go and try and win the game but today I’m just really proud of the players, I asked them to go and do a job and they have done it.

Delighted with a clean sheet, Neil Parry made a couple of great saves at crucial stages in the game but at the same time I thought we were dangerous on the break. In the first half Jordan Kirkpatrick had a great effort their keeper made a great save tipping it onto the post and later just before half-time Jordan had a free-kick which the keeper touched onto the post and Kris Renton’s header was cleared off the line – we could easily have taken the three points but at the end of the day we are delighted with the performance, the result wasn’t the biggest factor and congratulations to Ayr United in becoming league champions.