East Fife......…...............1
Alloa Athletic................0

Ladbrokes League One

ALLOA slumped to a frustrating defeat as they were beaten by League One rivals East Fife at Bayview on Saturday.

Greg Hurst’s second-half goal was enough to separate the sides and leaves the Wasps in searching for their first victory of the season.

Jim Goodwin named an unchanged lineup following the opening weekend draw with Raith Rovers at the Indodrill Stadium.

Alloa were probably the better team in the opening stages and could have taken the lead with the first clear-cut chance of the game.

Iain Flannigan crossed for Craig Malcolm, who looked to have headed his side in front, but Ryan Goodfellow made a terrific save from point-blank range.

The keeper was called into action again moments later when he was forced to keep out Callum Crane’s cross-come-shot.

Goodfellow could only parry the ball, but Garry Fleming was unable to turn home the rebound and the hosts survived again.

Malcolm was almost shortly thereafter when Alan Cook’s mishit shot fell to him, but his touch was just too heavy and rolled in the arms of a grateful Goodfellow.

East Fife began to grown into the game and Paul Willis had a good chance to break the deadlock, only to scuff his shot, allowing Neil Parry to gather.

At the other end, Jon Robertson went close with a 25-yard volley, but as play swung up the other end, Chris Duggan also went close with a powerful drive which just cleared Parry’s crossbar.

Duggan was the Fifers’ main threat and should have done better when he showed nice close control in the box to beat a couple of challenges, only to lose all composure and blaze his shot over the wall behind the goal.

Scott Taggart had to intervene to prevent the home side taking the lead early in the second half, getting his head to Nathan Flanagan’s cross with Hurst lurking menacingly at the back post.

And Alloa were unable to make use of some good refereeing from Colin Steven, who played advantage when Robertson was pulled back, only for Cook to send his shot harmlessly over the crossbar.

The breakthrough finally arrived just before the hour mark, and it went the way of the home side.

Willis got to the line and fired the ball back across goal, and although Parry got a hand to it, he was unable to prevent it falling to Hurst, who had the easiest of tasks to turn the ball into the net.

Worryingly for the Wasps, Parry picked up a head knock in the build-up to the goal, but after receiving treatment on the pitch the big keeper was deemed fit to continue.

And Hurst could have added his second shortly afterwards as Parry came for a high ball, but dropped it at the feet of the St Johnstone loanee, whose shot cannoned off the crossbar.

Alloa were seeing plenty of the ball in the final third, but were wasteful with it and seemed unwilling to take a gamble.

Daryll Meggatt only needed to get a touch on Malcolm’s flick-on to level the scores but elected to leave the ball, which trickled past the post.

Fleming almost found himself in on goal, but Goodfellow was out quickly to smother the danger, while the ball just wouldn’t drop for Kevin Cawley when he found himself in a good position in the box.

Kris Renton got a shot away from the edge of the box, but he didn’t quite catch it properly and in the end it was a comfortable save for the goalkeeper.

Despite a lot of endeavour in the final third, Alloa were unable to find a way through a resolute East Fife defence, and Goodwin was left frustrated as his side slipped to their first league defeat of the campaign.

ALLOA: Parry, Taggart, Crane, Graham, Meggatt, Robertson, Cawley, Flannigan, Malcolm, Fleming, Cook (Renton). UNUSED SUBS: Hetherington, Grant, McKeown, Martin, McDonald.