IT WAS derby day disaster for Alloa Athletic as they were crushed 5-0 by red-hot rivals Falkirk.

Danny Lennon made three enforced changes as Jason Marr and Colin Hamilton missed out with injury and Eddie Ferns was suspended. That meant starts for Mark Williams, Robbie Crawford and the returning Dougie Hill. 

The game was end to end to start off with, but it was the hosts who had the most of the play and they should have gone in front after only two minutes. Blair Alston's cross was met by the head of Luke Leahy, but the full back's effort was blocked off the line by a combination of Hill and Andy McNeil. 

At the other end Alloa had the ball in the net off their first real attack of the match. Great hold up play by Michael Chopra payed the ball back for Crawford in space. He threaded a superb lofted ball back into the path of Chopra in behind the Falkirk defence, the keeper Danny Rogers blocked the shot, Crawford was there to follow up and slot home, but the linesman's flag ruled the goal offside. 

The Wasps went into the game with a mountain to climb on paper and it only took until the 11th minute for reality to bite as the home side went in front. 

Bob McHugh, who had a goal ruled out minutes earlier for a foul on McNeil, laid the ball back to Mark Kerr, he picked out a cutting through pass into the box allowing in-form striker John Baird to turn inside Mikk Reintam and slot past a helpless McNeil for the opener. 

The Bairns' direct approach was causing havoc for the makeshift Alloa back line and they almost doubled their advantage on 15 minutes.

Vaulks long searching ball sent Baird racing in on goal as he spun away from Kyle McAusland, but this time Reintam was alert to the danger to get across and block. 

The visitors rallied and created a chance of their own on 20 minutes. Graeme Holmes combined well with Hill down the left wing before feeding the ball into Connor McManus in space. He spotted the brilliant run of Chopra and picked him out with a clever reverse pass, but Vaulks was alert to the danger to make a brave block on the shot. 

Peter Houston's men doubled their advantage on 31 minutes. A neat 1-2 between Craig Sibbald and the goal scorer Baird saw them advance into the Alloa box, Sibbald's effort was blocked by McAusland, but Baird shook off the attentions of Reintam to smash home the rebound. 

Falkirk then had a spell of relentless pressure that forced skipper Hill to produce two last ditch blocks in quick succession off of shots from Sibbald and then McHugh as his side came under fire. 

Alloa then caught their hosts on the counter attack when Hill's long searching through ball was flicked on by Crawford into the path of Chopra who broke the offside trap to race in on the keeper. But unfortunately for the Wasps, Rogers got raced out of his goal to diffuse the danger with Chopra inches away from dis possessing him for a certain goal. 

Just as Alloa looked to finally be getting a foothold in the game, the Bairns struck again on the stroke of half time. Alston's corner was only half cleared and the ball fell to an unmarked Baird, 12 yards out, who smashed the ball home for his hat trick and a 3-0 lead. 

Alloa started brightly after the restart. Michael Doyle got down the right to cross into the box, Hill nodded the ball down into the path of Crawford, but his goal bound shot was deflected wide by Vaulks. 

Good hold up play by Chopra saw him lay the ball back for Williams, he burst past two players and into the box to shoot, but his effort was well saved by Rogers. 

The introduction of Steven Hetherington for Williams on the hour mark looked to give Alloa more balance on the left hand side and it almost paid off instantly. Doyle's cross into the box fell kindly for Crawford, but his shot-come-cross fizzed agonisingly across the face of goal and just inches away from the on-rushing Hetherington at the back post. 

In keeping with the way Alloa's season has gone so far, they were soon punished for not taking their chances as the home side extended their lead further to heap on the misery for Danny Lennon and his players. 

Leahy whipped in a dangerous low cross and McHugh got across his marker to guide the ball into the far corner with his right foot to make it 4-0.

Vaulks could have made things even worse for the Wasps on 67 minutes when he unleashed a thunderbolt from long range, but Burton O'Brien was brave to deflect the shot wide. 

Alloa tried to hit back when McAusland dribbled out of defence and found O'Brien in space. He picked out the run of Hetherington in behind the Falkirk defence, Rogers got out bravely to gather at his feet. 

Danny Lennon sent out youth duo Scott Hynd and Michael Hardie on 74 minutes and the youngsters soon combined to carve out Alloa's best chance of the match. Holmes spotted the run of Hardie and picked him out with the through ball, the pace of the 19-year-old caught the Bairns' defence cold and he fed fellow sub Hynd. He burst into the box past his marker and got his shot away, but Rogers produced a special save to deny him. 

Falkirk hit Alloa with a fast break at the other end to add the gloss onto an already accomplished performance. Substitute Ryan Sinnamon's whipped cross picked out Leahy at the back post and he guided a looping header up and over McNeil for 5-0. 

The home side peppered the Wasps' goal in the closing stages as they sensed more goals, but the visitors held out and the damage was already done as the five goal mauling was confirmed by the referee's final whistle. 

It was a disappointing display from the Wee County side, who now face the small matter of hosting title contenders Hibs next weekend, and Danny Lennon knows he has his work cut out to lift his players for that one. 

 

Advertiser sport man of the match: Michael Chopra 

 

Alloa: McNeil, Williams (Hetherington 60), McAusland, Hill, Reintam, O'Brien (Hynd 74), Crawford (Hardie 74), Doyle, Holmes, McManus, Chopra. 

Subs not used: D.Crawford, Paun, Hoggan, Wilson.