ALLOA boss Danny Lennon says the timing of the first two goals was key to his side's 3-0 loss to Hibernian at Easter Road last weekend.

Alan Stubbs' men took the lead in controversial fashion right on the stroke of half time with a goal from Liam Henderson, but Jason Cummings looked offside in the build up and the Wasps boss reckons it would have been a different game had his side made it to the interval at 0-0.

Alloa were outclassed in the second half as the Edinburgh giants went through the gears to put the game to bed, but the gaffer still believes he had the right game plan for facing a side with much more resources.

Lennon told Advertiser sport: “Easter Road is a difficult place to come, we certainly knew that and with the resources that Hibernian have, there is a massive gulf between ourselves in terms their stadium and the budget they have. We were absolutely delighted in the first half in terms of the way our game plan was going for us. The operation went well, but the patient died. It was frustrating to lose the goal just prior to half time and just having seen it again since, it was clearly offside so that again makes it even more difficult to take. I would certainly like to have seen the difference that would have made at half time as the Hibernian fans were certainly starting to get frustrated. I certainly believe if they hadn’t scored when they did with the fortune they got, then it would have been a different cheer for them walking off at half time and that would have given us more confidence.

“To then go back out and losing the second goal as soon as we did was hugely disappointing as we had defended well in open play in the first 45 minutes. That was huge for us, but we can take nothing away from Hibernian. They deserved their victory, but we have to be honest enough to say that with the gulf in the size of the clubs, then us coming and making ourselves difficult to beat was the best option for us. To stay in that game at 0-0 and trying to keep ourselves in it for as long as we could was always our best shot, and I think it would have been interesting if we had got to half time, especially if we had managed to put a bit flair on near the end. Even if they had been holding on to a 1-0 score line.”

Lennon was left buoyed by the attitude and conviction of his players who still put in a very disciplined performance for long spells in the match and he now hopes his men will carry those same attributes into this weekend's local derby clash with high-flying rivals Falkirk.

He said: “There were a lot of positives to take from our point of view though. I think when you are asking your team to play in that manner it takes a lot of discipline and concentration when you are not seeing a lot of possession. That was a positive and I was pleased with their attitude, their commitment and shape so we will look to build on that against Falkirk. I said to our players in the dressing room the local derby against Falkirk on Saturday will be a great game to be involved in. Falkirk coming back to win 3-2 will give them a huge confidence, but all the games are coming thick and fast now. We now have Hibernian and Rangers fixtures in the past so we need to learn from those games, good and bad things, and take those into this next spell. Coming up now is games where there is not the same gulf between the teams we are facing, so we will continue to take the positives, learn from the negatives and look to improve on some of these next week as we try to get some more points on the board.”

Meanwhile, Hibs boss Alan Stubbs was impressed by Alloa's spirit in the first half, but was thrilled by his side's ruthlessness when their chance came along.

He added: “It’s important that the boys at the back do their job because it gives those front of them a licence to go and create opportunities. You have to give Alloa a bit credit because they got behind the ball early on and they obviously frustrated us and they worked really hard, but one lapse in concentration and we managed to get the goal.

“In the end, we could have scored one or two more, but 3-0 at home is a good days work. When I first came Easter Road was talked about as not being a fortress and how vulnerable the players were playing at home but that is one thing we have addressed since we’ve came. Our home form is very good now.”