Reaction

Wasps gain first league points of season after battling the odds at Inverness on Saturday. Manager Jim Goodwin saying after the match “The guys stuck at their task and got their rewards”.

It is a game Inverness Caledonian Thistle had enough chances to win the game and would be disappointed to lose such a late equaliser, but Alloa always looked a threat and Dario Zanatta and Jake Hastie causing problems to the home defence and could have been on the scoresheet.

Alloa goalkeeper Neil Parry made important saves at crucial times and when the referee awarded the third penalty of the match, Iain Flannigan stepped forward and confidently dispatched the ball past Mark Ridgers to gain a draw for “The Wasps”.

---

 

---

jim goodwin at inverness

“I’m absolutely delighted. It feels like a win to be honest and we are really pleased to have got our first goals of the league campaign as well.

“People will probably look at the stats and there’s no doubt that if Inverness had taken their chances, particularly in the last 20 minutes of the game, they would have been out of sight. Neil Parry made a couple of incredible saves and that’s what he’s there to do at the end of the day.

“I knew that if the boys kept going we’d get an opportunity.

“I don’t know where Jake Hastie gets his energy from but he does brilliantly to get in the box and get the wrong side of the defender. After that, if you’re giving the Inverness penalties you’ve got to give that one as well.

“Iain Flannigan showed some great courage to step up and take the penalty. It’s not easy because there is a lot of pressure in that situation but if there is anybody you’d fancy to take it it would be him.”

On Alloa’s never-say-die attitude…

“There’s a lot of cliches about desire and togetherness, and the players always, always show that. But we are not a bad footballing side either.

“For five or six minutes after we went down to ten men we probably had more of the ball than Inverness did. It’s the way we play and the way we train, and that’s not going to change.

“There were so many good individual performances. I could rhyme off every player.

“I’m just delighted for the players because we felt hard done by up at Ross County with the late winner there, and against Morton we felt as if we deserved the point.

“We are just delighted to get off the mark. It’s a tough league and we will have a tough job on our hands to stay in it, so every point is going to be extremely valuable.”

On Karadachki red card…

“He gets the wrong side of the centre-forward for the first one and I think it’s a deserved yellow card because he would have been through on goal. The second one is more difficult because there are a lot of things going on in the box.

“I didn’t see it clearly to be honest but if you manhandle someone in the box you give the referee a decision to make. I thought by the players’ reaction that the referee probably got it right.

“He’ll miss next weekend but I’m not too concerned. It’s an area of the pitch we are trying to strengthen anyway because we are very short.

“Liam Dick went in there alongside Andy Graham and looked very comfortable, and Reis Peggie came on and was excellent.

“It’s an opportunity for other players to step in and make a mark, and I think some of them did that.”

On new signings Zanatta and Burt…

“I have to give a mention to Dario Zanatta, who led the line particularly well on his debut. It was a very lonesome job up there for the majority of the second half but through his work-rate and his commitment he made a really big effort to helping us towards that vital point.

“If I can get one more centre-half in I will but I think we have enough players in there who can fill in defensively.

“At the top end of the pitch, you need to have as many options as possible.

“Liam Burt is a fantastic young player. Rangers have high hopes for him and we will do all we can to get him some game time while he’s here.

“Dario is the same. We have a good history over the last couple of years of bringing young players in and giving them a chance.

“They go on to their parent clubs better and kick on into the first team, or go on to find other full time clubs themselves.

“We are delighted to give them the opportunity. They have got a great attitude and they will settle in very well.”