CRAIG McDowall was delighted that his Alloa side were able to build on recent momentum with a victory over Airdrieonians last Saturday.

The Wasps picked up their second successive win with a hard-fought triumph over their fellow promotion challengers, and McDowall admitted they had to work hard for the victory.

The goalkeeper praised manager Jim Goodwin for a tactical switch which he believes went a long way towards winning the game for his side.

“It is great that we have been able to come off the back of the Queen’s Park game and get another positive result. To be 2-0 up after twenty minutes was just the start we were looking for and gave us something to hold onto.

"After that, Airdrie came back into the game and I thought they played well for long periods. In the last 25 minutes of the first half we were coming under a bit of pressure but we managed to hold onto the lead.

"We came back in at half time and the manager made a change which paid off in bringing Steven Hetherington on, so all credit to him for that.

“In the second half we managed to get a foot on the ball and started playing a bit of football again after coming under pressure. There was a definite improvement in the second half compared to the end of the first half.”

McDowall has returned to the starting lineup with Neil Parry currently sidelined through injury, and he says he is loving playing first-team football after spending last season out of the game.

He said: “I am really enjoying playing again.

"The gaffer has been brilliant with me and has told me exactly how it is. Neil is on his way back from injury now but it has been brilliant to get some game time.

"There is good competition between the two of us now and I think that is healthy. We drive each other on.”

The Wasps face another difficult week in their quest for promotion culminating in a trip to Brechin on Saturday, and although McDowall says it is a good chance for Alloa to close the gap to leaders Livingston, he reckons they have to focus on themselves.

He added: “Brechin is always a difficult place to go. We have a couple of good chances to keep the pressure on at the top of the table but we can only really worry about ourselves at this moment in time.

"We will focus on our own game and see where that takes us.”