IF YOU were to ask any of Alloa's players or their manager Peter Grant what they wanted from their match against Arbroath on Saturday before kick-off, every single person would have said three points.

As the game wore on, as Arbroath went a goal up and then Alloa went a man down, maybe they would have changed their minds to a draw.

Thankfully, Innes Cameron popped up around the 89th minute to score his first Alloa goal and salvage a point from the abyss.

More importantly, perhaps, the goal shaved two points from Arbroath's total and kept Alloa within touching distance.

In an attempt to tighten up the leaky defence that has been haemorrhaging goals, Grant once again started with a back three. Andy Graham, Scott Taggart and Liam Dick all kept their places from the previous week's 2-1 victory against Queen of the South, and Jon Robertson and Lucas Williamson filled the wing-back positions.

Neil Parry was called into action straight away. Jason Thomson scooped the ball over Alloa's defence and former Wasp Jack Hamilton raced onto the ball, drilling it towards goal but Parry matched the strike and gathered the ball.

Alloa's first real chance of the match fell to Kevin Cawley. Williamson's cross was collected by Robertson on the opposite side and he managed to shift the ball to Cawley, who cut inside. Just as he was pulling back to shoot, Alan Trouten took a swing as well and maybe put Cawley off, but the shot was saved by Derek Gaston.

Just after the half-way point of the first half, Alloa shot themselves in the foot. A long ball was knocked down by Taggart to Steven Hetherington, who passed it back. Taggart turned, under no real pressure, and rolled it back to Parry.

Whether the pass was too soft or Parry was too slow off his line, the goalkeeper's clearance was blocked by Dale Hilson and bounced into the path of Hamilton, who made no mistake in passing the ball into an empty net.

Minutes before half-time, a golden opportunity fell into Robertson's path. Hetherington's free kick was not dealt with in the box and the ball fell to Robertson six yards from goal, but he could only blast it over the bar.

The interval gave Alloa a chance to regroup and in the second half they came out swinging. Arbroath could only clear Dick's cross to the edge of the box and Grant took one touch to control before smashing the bar with a half volley on his weaker foot.

However, it would be Grant's last positive action of the match. Around the hour mark, Hetherington tried to play a long ball on his weaker right foot but gave the ball straight to James Craigen, who skipped past Graham and, driving into the box, was clipped by Grant, earning him a second yellow.

Arbroath manager Dick Campbell would say post-match that after Alloa went down to 10 men, his team stopped passing the ball. After Grant's dismissal, it was the home side who played with more intensity and pushed to take something from the game.

A clever corner routine saw a low ball fall into the path of Cawley who smashed it towards goal only to see it was cleared off the line by Thomas O'Brien.

Minutes later, Cawley was brushed aside and Arbroath countered, with substitute Scott Stewart too fast for Cawley and managing to get a decent strike towards goal; however, Parry's right hand was strong enough to push it over the bar.

With five minutes of the 90 remaining, Arbroath lost a man of their own with James Craigen being dismissed for a second yellow after two cynical fouls on Trouten and Cawley.

However, with 89 minutes on the clock, Alloa got their well-deserved equaliser. Cawley wasn't closed down quickly enough on the edge of the box and was able to float a ball into the box.

Innes Cameron's recent appearances for the Wasps have shown a willingness to run and a desire to get on the end of every ball. However, the delight on his face when he headed past Gaston to register his first goal for his new club was unmissable.

Alloa pushed for a second but there wasn't enough time remaining. Given the circumstances, a point was well earned and they can't complain after a slow first half and Grant's red card.

From two huge games at the bottom of the Championship, they've claimed four points. It's not perfect, but it keeps the Wasps hot on the heels of the teams above them.

Away trips to Dunfermline, Inverness and Raith Rovers await Alloa in the league. There's no room for complacency, with just three points separating bottom from seventh, and any and every point they can pick up will be crucial.

ALLOA: Parry, Williamson (Scougall), Dick, Graham, Taggart, Robertson (Thomson), Hetherington, Grant, Cawley, Trouten, Cameron. UNUSED SUBS: Wright, Jamieson, Buchanan, Murray, Connelly.