ALLOA boss Danny Lennon says he is confident that his current crop of players have what it takes to defy the critics again and earn a club record fourth consecutive season in the SPFL Championship.

The Wasps head to Cappielow this weekend for a crunch clash with newly-promoted Greenock Morton, and while the gaffer has been impressed by their early season form, he is also convinced his men are good enough to leave with maximum points.

Lennon told Advertiser sport: “Like all newly promoted teams these days, Morton came up into this league and hit the ground running. They kept the positive momentum of winning League 1 and the confidence of being in a winning habit. Of course, keeping the nucleus of your team helps in that circumstance and Morton have reaped the rewards of keeping together a winning team, with a few new, stronger additions.

“Now that everyone has seen what Morton have to offer in this league and how they want to play this season, they have struggled to match their early season form. They have lost their last four games, albeit against four of the top five teams in the league. They will probably look at the match with us this Saturday as a great opportunity to put points on the board. That's fine by us. We know the level of challenge that every game brings for us in this league. We accept that challenge and look forward to tackling it head on. 

Alloa and Hillfoots Advertiser:

“There is more to come from this group of Alloa players. They haven't yet hit top form individually or collectively for a run of games. There have been glimpses that have earned us points. I believe in this group. The frustration of last week's result and the level of performance we contributed can serve as fantastic motivation to put in the type of application and performance that will see us rewarded with much yearned for points to put on the board. Points that pull us further away from the bottom and up into that middle pack.”

Lennon's men have gathered the majority of their points so far on the road and he is hopeful that the experience from the games at Dumbarton and St Mirren can give them the confidence to earn more from trip to Greenock.

The Wasps' boss was buoyed by his side's performance in their last two games and despite the late defeat to Raith last weekend, he believes a repeat of that team display every week would help them start to climb the table.

He said: “The result against Raith last week was hard to take, given the level of our performance and how much we put into the match. Statistically, it was the best we have done all season in terms of the amount of possession we had, the number of crosses we put into their box, the number of attempts we had on their goal and the number of attempts we restricted on our goal. However, the most important statistic of all is goals and that is where we fell short. I would happily take that level of performance every week in this league, as that would earn us points more often than not.

“To come away from Greenock with points won't be easy, we will need to play to the best of our ability. That's what we did in Paisley and Dumbarton already this season and came away with well earned points. If we play to the best of our ability, we can be confident that earns us the right to take points.”

The 47-year-old admits it is a constant struggle to compete as a part-time club playing in a full-time league, but he reckons the club only have to look to Dumbarton's achievements last season as the perfect example of what they can aspire to this term. 

Lennon added: “Being full time gives them an added advantage over the likes of us and Dumbarton in this league, having twice as much time to train and coach their players, but we know that is not the be all and end all in this league. Prior to Rangers, Hearts and Hibs dominating in this league, Dumbarton earned a mid table finish and that is something we are looking to aspire to at Alloa. We want to cause upsets and defy the odds. It is a tougher league now than ever before. 

“Everything is stacked against a part-time club doing well in a full-time league, but we are still here, for a record breaking third season in a row for our club, still fighting away against those odds and looking to make it four seasons in a row in this quality league. This is an exciting league to be in. We want to play our way through this season in a way that makes our fans proud and earn us the right to do it all again next year.”