JIM GOODWIN is not too concerned over last weekend's friendly defeat at Clyde as he focusses on getting his side up to speed in time for competitive action.

Alloa begin their season against Arbroath in the Betfred Cup later this month, before marking their return to the Championship with the long trip to Ross County on August 4.

Pre-season began a few weeks ago, and the Wasps took on Danny Lennon's side at a blisteringly-hot Broadwood on Saturday, losing out 4-2 on the day.

But Goodwin insists that, for the time being, results must take a back seat to boosting fitness and team cohesion.

The gaffer told Advertiser Sport: "It's the first game of pre-season and, really, it was an opportunity to dust off the cobwebs and get a touch of the ball.

"Yes, we were a little disappointed in the manner in which we lost the goals, but the result just isn't as important. It's all about getting fitness levels so that we're ready to go come the start of the season with the Betfred Cup.

"And saying that, while we'd like a run in that competition – to go as far as we can – we're not overly concerned about it.

"What's more important is the league itself and what we can do to ensure we survive in the division."

There was a bit of a patchwork element to the Wasps team with some still on holiday and trialists being accommodated.

Goodwin's summer recruitment is still ongoing and a lack of numbers in some key areas saw some players tested in unfamiliar positions.

Nevertheless, there was a silver lining for the gaffer in that returning goal machine Greig Spence underlined his value to the side, scoring both of Alloa's goals.

Goodwin said: "It's great to see Greig get off the mark – it's always important for strikers to get up and running as early as possible.

"His first goal was a great team effort, lots of passing, and Alan Trouten was very influential in that. The second was a fantastic finish, with Greig doing what he does best, playing on the shoulder of the defender.

"It's also good to see Trouts and Spenny getting to know each other on the park and beginning to understand how they each like to play."

Alloa continued their pre-season preparations with a friendly against Montrose last night, as the Advertiser went to print, with a further fixture against Falkirk set down for this coming Tuesday, July 10, at the Indodrill Stadium.

Yet, few games will likely prove to be as draining for the Wasps as Saturday's friendly, where they battled against the heatwave currently blasting the country.

Goodwin added: "The conditions against Clyde was really something; some teams pay a lot of money to go away, get some sun and train and play in hot countries, but we didn't have to.

"You could really feel it – the temperature inside the stadium was around 30C. It's not the type of conditions were are likely to encounter much this season."