ALLOA star Frank McKeown revealed he didn't need to think twice about signing on for his first full season at the Indodrill Stadium.

The centre-back joined the Wasps from Stranraer in January and quickly established himself in the starting lineup.

And he says there was no doubt in his mind that he should extend his stay in the Wee County.

McKeown told Advertiser Sport: "It was an easy decision to sign a new deal. I didn't want to go anywhere else, and when the manager put the contract in front of me I had it signed that night.

"Going elsewhere was never an issue – as long as there was a deal for me here, I was going to stay.

"The second half of last season was really enjoyable," he added.

"Obviously it didn't end the way anyone wanted it to but, for the most part, I have really enjoyed my time at Alloa so far.

"It's been fantastic for me and I'm looking forward to getting started again."

The Wasps returned to pre-season training last Thursday – a mere three weeks after their playoff final against Brechin – and McKeown reckons the squad will be putting the hard graft in now to ensure they make up for that defeat.

He said: "Gone are the days when you get six or seven weeks off but I think that is a positive when it comes to fitness.

"The boys are professional and know how to look after themselves. We are still feeling pretty fresh and we are just keen to get started now.

"Losing on penalties is never nice and to be honest it was a massive disappointment. We gave it our all for the whole season but in the end it wasn't quite enough. It's so important we go out and put it right this season."

The former Morton defender has set his sights on the League One title and believes the squad is capable of winning automatic promotion, but he admitted he will be happy if the Wasps go up regardless of how they do it.

McKeown added: "There will be a few teams in there who have ambitions of winning the title and we are no different. Our aim is to win the league but we want to go up, and if that has to be through the playoffs then so be it.

"The core of last season's squad is still there, and the players the manager has signed have been there and done it.

"They are very, very experienced at this level so we definitely have the makings of a squad which can challenge in this league."