FEW would have had any complaints had Adam Brown called time on his stay in the Wee County after taking to the field for just 24 minutes in the first half of 2019.

Considering two of his appearances amounted to seven paltry minutes at Dundee United and Ayr United on the last day of the season, it could seem a little disingenuous to count them as appearances at all.

League starts were even more of a rarity for the former Airdrieonians midfielder and 413 days passed between Greenock Morton in August 2018 and Dunfermline Athletic last month; but, safe to say, he took his chance when it finally came.

A thirty-yard howitzer secured Alloa a point that day and it's now four starts in a row for a man many believed was on borrowed time at the club.

But, crucially, Brown himself was always sure he would prove himself when given the chance.

"A lot of people would have been running away because they were not playing enough," Brown told Advertiser Sport.

"I wanted to be here because it is a great club and I knew if I got the chance to play I was going to take full advantage.

"There were more players in the position I play last year and more competition, which is always a good thing.

"But, you can find yourself out of the team with loan boys coming in. I have been working hard and I always work hard.

"I am an honest guy. I come to training, I work hard, and I want to play, so when I got the opportunity at Dunfermline I took it."

Brown, 24, who was speaking in the wake of his side's draw with Queen of the South, admits there were times last season when frustration over his lack of game time took hold. It later returned when positives displays in this season's Betfred Cup could only secure him a place on Peter Grant's bench.

It's testament to his desire to prove himself at Alloa that he needed no second invitation to sign up for another year at the club when former gaffer Jim Goodwin offered him the chance and he's now more than justifying the Irishman's faith.

"It's the worst thing when you are turning up at training and working hard, but you are just not getting any minutes," Brown continues. "There was a time in the second half of last season when I didn't play at all.

"It was probably the most frustrating thing and coming into the season when I played a few of the Betfred Cup games I was hoping for a run, but it didn't quite come.

"I was just hoping that if I got a sniff then I would take it and thankfully I have.

"They (Grant and Goodwin) are two good managers who have shown faith in me and it was Jim who gave me the new contract before he left for St Mirren."

A draw in Saturday's clash with Queen of the South yielded yet more frustration for Brown, but he says it was further proof of the character in the dressing room as the Wasps came from two down for a point.

The game marked the start of the second quarter of Alloa's season, following a stop-start opening nine games.

He said: "It's been frustrating for us and I think we merited more points and maybe in a day like on Saturday we could have taken all three points.

"There's more to come from the boys in the dressing room and there's more to come from myself.

"We're a group that doesn't want to be fighting relegation all the time and we know we have the quality to push higher up the league."