A CRUEL twist of fate proved to be Alloa's undoing as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Raith Rovers despite a brave showing at the Indodrill Stadium.

Manager Danny Lennon recalled fans' favourite Michael Doyle to his starting eleven along with Michael Chopra as Burton O'Brien dropped to the bench and Connor McManus missed out with an illness. Skipper Dougie Hill remained absent as he continues to struggle with a knee injury.

The game was anticipated as a highly competitive contest and so it proved in the opening ten minutes, but it was Alloa who ended a spell of midfield jousting to carve out the first big chance of the match.

Michael Duffy spun his marker well on the right wing to earn a free kick. Iain Flannigan flighted in the delivery that was knocked down by Mikk Reintam into the path of Colin Hamilton, but his back heel flick was cleared off the line by Lewis Toshney.

Raith responded and Jon Daly used his strength to turn Jason Marr on the edge of the Alloa box forcing the Wasps defender to foul the former Rangers hitman. Rory McKeown hit the set piece, but his effort was poor and straight at the defensive wall.

Rovers came again on 15 minutes later as Scott Robertson clipped a long diagonal into Mark Stewart in the box, he flicked the ball over Reintam to shoot on the volley, but Andrew McNeil produced a brilliant save to tip over the top for the corner.

The visitors should've gone in front from the corner as the ball fell at the feet of striker Craig Wighton inside the six yard box, but again McNeil was there to deny him with a point blank save.

Ray McKinnon's men were now piling on the pressure and passed up another glorious chance moments later.

Stewart clever cross into the path of Daly created a guilt-edged chance for the big striker, but somehow he could only blaze it over the top.

The hosts soon responded to enjoy their best spell of the match as Graeme Holmes took the game by the scruff of the neck to combine brilliantly with Duffy and Chopra to produce a ten minute barrage on the Raith goal.

Duffy did well at the end of that spell to skip past two players and cross for Chopra, but Toshney was there to deny the former Newcastle United hitman with a crucial tackle.

Raith were struggling to contain Duffy as the on-loan Celtic forward was a thorn in their side at every turn and he carved a shooting chance for himself out of nothing on 39 minutes when he burst past his marker to shoot, but the 20-yard effort was high over the top.

The Wasps almost took the lead on 42 minutes in the most bizarre fashion ever.

Raith keeper Kevin Cuthbert raced out of his goal to clear a loose ball on the right as Alloa tried to quickly counter, but his clearance cannoned off the back of Robbie Crawford.

Luckily for the keeper, Toshney was there to head wide and spare his blushes on the line.

The half ended in stalemate at 0-0 with both sides passing up some good chances to break the deadlock.

Former Wasps star Ryan McCord was introduced at the interval in place of the injured Toshney and he received a rousing reception onto the pitch.

Danny Lennon's men came out with the bit between their teeth and it was them who had the first chance of the second half.

A stunning pass from Gers loanee Crawford sent Duffy racing down the visitors left, he picked out Chopra in the middle, but the striker's header was straight at Cuthbert.

Raith tried to respond immediately, but Holmes did well to break up their advances and send Duffy away on the counter attack. He laid the ball into the path of Doyle who went sprinting down the right and picked out Chopra with the delivery, but Cuthbert bravely smothered the ball at the feet of the striker as he struck the volley and the chance was gone.

Alloa were relentless in their pursuit of the opener and once again produced another great chance on 69 minutes. Doyle robbed the ball from his former team mate McCord, layed it into Crawford and his long diagonal picked out the run of Duffy inside the Raith box, but the keeper raced out and did enough to put the youngster off and again the visitors survived the onslaught.

Raith looked to strike back and fired a warning shot across Alloa's bow on 73 minutes when McCord picked out the head of Daly with a free kick, but the big striker could only guide the ball wide of the mark.

Both sides then made a double substitution as they tried to break the deadlock. Alloa took off front pairing Duffy and Chopra to replace them with Eddie Ferns and Isaac Layne. While, Ray McKinnon withdrew James Craigen and Craig Wighton as he sent on the pacey duo of Mitch Megginson and Grant Anderson and it was the Fifers changes that were to have an instantaneous impact on the match.

Iain Flannigan lost the ball in the middle of the park and Stewart was soon sent racing down the left wing. He picked out the run of Megginson in the box, his shot was brilliantly saved by McNeil, but the ball richoceted off Marr and fell at the feet of fellow sub Anderson, who had the simple task of bundling the ball into the empty net to give Raith a crucial lead on 80 minutes.

Alloa huffed and puffed in the closing stages as they desperately tried to rescue something from the game. Hamilton and Crawford both had efforts flash wide of the goal, but the best chance fell for super-sub Ferns. He skipped past two players and raced in on goal, but with two players square, the winger instead opted to shoot and the keeper gathered his tame effort to seal Alloa's fate as Rovers claimed all three points.

The home side will take heart from their performance, but they must quickly recover from the heartache as they prepare for a trciky trip to Greenock this weekend to face an in-form Morton.

Alloa: McNeil, Doyle, Reintam, Marr, Hamilton, McAusland, Holmes, Flannigan, R.Crawford, Chopra (Ferns 78), Duffy (Layne 78). Subs not used: D.Crawford, Hetherington, O'Brien, Williams, Hoggan.