ALLOA star Steven Hetherington says the Wasps are right up for the playoffs ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final first leg against Airdrie.

Hetherington is hoping to have the support of a big crowd as Alloa look to make an immediate return to the Championship.

And the midfielder says they will be going all out to make sure they have the upper hand before Saturday’s second leg at the Indodrill Stadium.

Hetherington told Advertiser Sport: “It’s always nice to finish the league season and have more games to look forward to. These games are massive and every player wants to be involved in them. There will probably be more of a draw for the fans as well, because it’s at least as big for Airdrie as it is for us. Both teams will be determined to put themselves in a good position for the second leg.

“You want to put in a good performance and take the advantage back to your own ground. We are really looking forward to the playoffs. We feel as if we are in good form at just the right time. Since the Livingston game we have won three on the bounce and lost on Saturday despite playing well.

“We started the season really well, and although we had a little blip just before Christmas, we picked things up again very quickly. We have been very good since then and have been playing well. Obviously we have had the odd frustrating result but for the most part we have been in good form and we have to look to take that into the playoffs. Promotion was what we set out to achieve at the start of the season so it’s now time to kick on and make sure we achieve that.”

The former Motherwell man praised the Wasps’ fringe players, who have come to the fore in recent weeks, and reckons they will have given player-manager Jim Goodwin a selection dilemma ahead of Wednesday’s clash at the Excelsior Stadium.

He said: “Adam Martin came in and got his first goal on Saturday, and he gave their right-back a bit of a tough afternoon. Jamie Longworth has done really well over the past few games as well. The boys who have come into the team have really given the manager something to think about.”

Alloa closed out the regular season with a defeat at Peterhead, and although he admitted he was disappointed with the result, Hetherington says the most important thing was to get through the game without any injuries.

“Although there was nothing riding on the game in terms of our league position, it was still a game we wanted to go and win. I felt we deserved to take at least something from the game. But the main thing is we have got no new injuries or suspensions which is obviously a bonus going into the playoffs. Everybody is fit and fighting for their place in the team.”