Reaction

After a pleasing performance and result against Falkirk on Saturday, Alloa stuttered to a uninspiring defeat in Airdrie. The first 45 minutes of the game at the Excelsior Stadium was a languid affair with Alloa having plenty of the ball but proving powerless to penetrate a packed Diamonds defence. After a couple of early snapshots went wide the home side took the lead from Alloa’s slackness. Niang who was a hero against Falkirk turned villain as he gave the ball away cheaply, Airdrie counter-attacked and the whipped cross found the head of Gallagher who had drifted off the back of Fernandy Mendy. While Hutton managed to stand up to the opening effort it would only ricochet back to the Airdrie striker to finish left-footed high into the net. Despite the deficit, Alloa were struggling to inject some tempo into the game and despite, their at times, neat interplay Currie in the Airdrie goal was rarely called into action.

As the second half started things became even worse for the Wasps as Adam Frizzell curled an outside of the right-boot effort around Hutton from 25 yards. Boyd almost sparked a reply as his quick feet beat two Airdrie defenders and subsequently won a corner. Durnan was unmarked around 6 yards, sending it past the goallie only to be cleared from the line.

Quick reactions from the visiting bench as on came Church and Sammon for Cawley and Niang. Sammon had an instant impact. Holding the ball up and running in the pocket, he one-two’d with Scougall and then opened his body up to swerve around Max Currie and find the bottom corner. It makes it two goals in two substitute appearances for Sammon after his effort to secure the Falkirk win on Saturday. Things could have been even better for the big Irishman as Taggart whipped in an effort and he could only head directly at the Airdrie keeper. Momentum swung towards Alloa, but despite the flow of play towards the Airdrie goal, they could not find that decisive equaliser and as the Airdrie players broke up the games’ momentum, it meandered towards a home victory and an Alloa disappointment.