ALLOA boss Danny Lennon has stepped up his search to fill the void left by the departure of striker Geoff Mitchell last month. 
The Wasps’ squad has been light in attacking options since the former Histon hitman departed, but now the gaffer has revealed he hopes that the return of a familiar face might just be the solution to fill the current void. 
Lennon told Advertiser sport: “We have taken Greg Rutherford in on trial to see how he fits in with our current group of players. He is a young striker at 21, but has a good physical presence at 6’4”. He was here for the last four months of last season and I certainly thought he had something that could be developed. 
“He was in hospital for four weeks at the end of the season with a nasty virus. He has fully recovered and was training with Halifax Town until recently. It is fair to say we haven’t yet been firing on all cylinders in the final third of the pitch yet. 
“The loss of Geoff Mitchell means that we don’t have a tall, strong striker as an option right now. 
“Greg offers a presence that we are keen to assess more in training and reserve matches at this time. If he shows the qualities we are looking for, then he may just earn himself a deal here.”
The former St Mirren boss also revealed how he has been impressed by youngster Isaac Layne, who has been in red hot form for the development squad with six goals in his last four games, after the manager challenged him to prove he is ready to be a first team regular. 
He said: “Isaac Layne has the potential to stake a claim and is scoring regularly in under-20s matches, but we are asking him to be more consistent in training and under-20 matches in all aspects of his game. 
“We have seen a big improvement in him this season, but he still has work to do to earn the right to play, so the ball is in his court to show regularly in training that he can bring the level of performance that we need from him. 
“There is certainly potential there and this will be a crucial season in his development. If he brings his best consistently, he has a chance of making it. For any footballer to do well, their attitude and application has to be at the top end of their capability for the full duration of training and matches, not in patches. 
“That is probably the most frustrating thing for any coach, when any player in their care shows capability in flashes, but then drops their standards equally as frequently. That’s what separates the good players from the rest – consistency.”
Meanwhile, fans’ favourite Michael Doyle is also back training with the club after recovering from a serious knee injury and the gaffer admits he would love to have him back in his squad. 
Lennon added: “Michael has been with us on and off throughout his injury and has been consulting with physio Gerry Docherty. He is back in training with us and obviously he is a player we would love to have, but he is some way behind in terms of match fitness at the minute.”