Airdrieonians…..............2

Alloa Athletic….............0

Ladbrokes League One

ALLOA'S inconsistent start to the season took another downward turn last Saturday as the Wasps were beaten by Airdrieonians at the Excelsior Stadium.

There had been high hopes that last week’s victory over Queen’s Park had marked a turning point, but Ryan Conroy’s first-half penalty and Jake Hastie’s late strike meant Airdrie took all three points from a tense encounter.

Jim Goodwin made two changes to the side from last week, with Steven Hetherington and Garry Fleming replacing Alan Cook and Kris Renton.

Adam Martin, whose stunning strike in that game gave the Wasps their first victory of the season, again had to settle for a place on the bench, and he was joined by new signing Paul Joseph Crossan, who arrived this week on loan from Celtic.

Neil Parry, lining up against his former club, started in goal for his fiftieth appearance for Alloa.

Airdrie were handed the chance to take the lead with a quarter of an hour played.

Hastie burst into the box and went down under Daryll Meggatt’s challenge, and the referee pointed to the spot. Conroy stepped up and placed a perfect spot-kick beyond Parry and into the bottom corner.

The Wasps almost found a route back into the tie when Kevin Cawley thundered a shot off the inside of Rohan Ferguson’s post, with Scott Taggart missing the target on the rebound when under pressure from Kieran MacDonald.

The home side continued to enjoy the lion’s share of the chances, and trialist Willis Furtado forced Parry into a good save with a low drive which looked to be heading in at the keeper’s near post.

At the other end, Craig Malcolm rose highest to get a header on target, but he couldn’t generate enough power and Ferguson gathered easily.

The game’s main talking point arrived shortly before the interval. There didn’t look to be too much danger for Airdrie as the ball bounced through towards Ferguson, but Malcolm raced in to close him down and the keeper came out to gather.

It looked as though the young stopper picked the ball up outside the box, but despite the frantic appeals of the Alloa players and bench, the referee was unmoved. Pictures later proved that Ferguson had indeed handled the ball outside the area.

Alloa were more of a threat in the opening stages of the second half, and Iain Flannigan brought a good save from Ferguson with a curling free kick which was heading into the top corner.

There was a lucky escape for Parry when he spilled a Conroy free kick at the feet of Ryan Tierney. The striker nicked the ball away but his touch was just too heavy and he couldn’t convert from a tight angle.

Luke Watt was next to go close, almost finishing off a driving run from midfield with a shot which whistled past the post.

Alloa needed a goal but their opponents looked more likely to get one, and Furtado lashed another effort wide from a good position, before Scott Stewart should have done better when he dragged a shot wide after making a driving run into the box.

Tierney then saw a first-time effort come back off the post after he had got on the end of a ball in from the right. Andy Graham then nearly put through his own net, but had Parry to thank for saving his skin when he nodded the ball back to the goalkeeper a little too forcefully.

The keeper was on hand again to keep the deficit at one when Hastie cut inside and had a go from the edge of the box. The ball took a wicked deflection, but Parry was able to readjust and kept the effort at bay with his feet.

The Wasps were dealt a blow when debutant Crossan was forced off injured with five minutes remaining, with Goodwin having made all three changes.

And just moments later the home side made their numerical advantage count. Hastie raced onto a fine through-ball, and having left everyone in a black and gold shirt trailing in his wake, slotted the ball past Parry and into the bottom corner to make the points safe.

The result marked a bitterly disappointing afternoon for the Wasps, who will now turn their attentions back to cup football, with a trip to Dundee United in the Irn-Bru Cup awaiting them on Saturday.

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