Alloa manager Danny Lennon says he will be taking inspiration from the story of David and Goliath as he prepares his side for their trip to Ibrox, writes Jamie Hall.

The Wasps go into the clash with table-toppers Rangers five points adrift at the foot of the Championship, but the manager still hopes they can get a result which would go a long way in their battle to beat the drop. 

Lennon told Advertiser Sport: “Rangers are a giant of a club, with a reputation for slaughtering teams over the years on their way to winning league titles and cups. It is natural for teams to feel daunted at the thought of playing them. They have won almost every game this season under the strong leadership of Mark Warburton and David Weir. They are scoring goals for fun and keeping the back door shut. 

“I am really inspired by the story of David and Goliath. This warrior Goliath was an eight foot giant with a massive reputation as a killing machine. When David went out to fight Goliath, David was just a wee teenage boy, but he went out with no fear. His focus was completely on his own performance, looking for the opportunity to use his sling with deadly effect. He did that and killed Goliath with one shot from his sling. In football terms, he only had one shot at the target, but he scored with it and won the game 1-0. With the right attitude and application, the underdog can have his day.” 

Skipper Dougie Hill will return for Saturday’s crucial encounter, but Rangers loanee Robbie Crawford is ineligible to play against his parent club, while Iain Flannigan is an injury doubt. 

But Lennon believes his side can spring a surprise on the title favourites if they play as well as he knows they can and insisted that his players would be fully focused on the task in hand. 

He said: “We know the size of the task before us. We played them already this season and they gave us a real going over and took five off us. We have played much better football as a team since then and I would say that we are a better team now. We do have to play to the best of our ability to take points off Rangers on Saturday, that's for sure and that's all we are focused on, bringing our best into the game for the 90 minutes.” 

Despite only picking up five points so far the Wasps still have high hopes of staying in the Championship and the manager thinks it is only a matter of time before his side begin to reap the benefits of their hard work. 

He added: “They are a great bunch of lads, who are working very hard to earn a record breaking fourth consecutive season in the second tier for our small club. We surprised a lot of people by staying up last year and we are looking to surprise even more people by staying up again. To do that, we have to earn more positive results than we have done so far this season. The performances have certainly improved as the season has progressed and I firmly believe the results will come now too.”