Alloa boss Danny Lennon hopes his side's fighting spirit can earn them the bragging rights when they travel to Falkirk for the local derby this weekend.

The Wasps produced one of the their best displays of the season when they last faced their rivals in the reverse fixture, when they battled back from a goal down to earn a late draw with only ten men.

And Lennon insists his men will have to produce a similar level of performance against the in-form Bairns this time around. 

Lennon told Advertiser sport: "Derby matches always bring that little bit of extra interest to a league game. In derbies, current form doesn’t mean too much going into the game. It’s all about who really wants it most on the day.

"We have been talking this week about our last game with Falkirk this week. Being a part-time team in a full-time league puts us at a disadvantage, but we can rise above that and surprise people. 

"I feel that one of our strengths this season, with the exception of only a couple of games, has been our fighting spirit and our unity as a group. 

"We have been competing at a level that has had many games in the balance, but unfortunately more often than nor this season, we have finished on the wrong side of the line in terms of earning a positive result. 

"In the last Falkirk game, we created some great chances in the first half, but didn’t take them. Falkirk were awarded a penalty in the second half and we had a man sent off. However, our team did not bend or break and we kept fighting for a positive result. Eddie Ferns won a corner for us in the last moments and Colin Hamilton scored the equalizer with the last kick of the ball."

Lennon will be without on-loan Celtic star Michael Duffy, and has some injuries and suspensions to deal with, but hopes it provides a chance for others in his squad to stake their claim for a regular spot in his starting 11.

"Our focus is on believing that if we stick to the game plan, do our jobs to the best of our ability, then we can earn points in this league.

"Unfortunately, I won’t have the same starting XI against Falkirk, due to injury and suspension. Michael Duffy is also away on international duty. However, this is a great opportunity for the other players in the squad who have been doing ever so well in training to show what they can do in the team."

The former St Mirren gaffer is well used to producing results against all the odds from his time with the Paisley club, and he insists his Alloa players will be going all out to make that happen this weekend. 

Lennon added: "Nothing would give me more pleasure than a strong performance and a positive result on Saturday for our fans. 

"Our club is the small fish in the big pond, but it would be tremendous to create some waves on Saturday and give our fans some bragging rights. Rest assured, we will be doing all we can to make that happen."