ALLOA boss Jack Ross has heaped praise on his battling players after they came from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with Greenock Morton.

A second half fightback saw the Wasps show some great character when it would have been so easy for them to crumble and the gaffer reckons it is a measure of just how far they have come in the last six weeks.

Ross told Advertiser sport: “I thought we did better in the latter stages of the first half after a slow start, but then we played well in the second half.

"I thought Morton were the better team for the first half an hour of the game, but once we adapted to their system we were much better and I think if you add it all up over the piece then a draw was probably a fair result.

"Both sides had good spells in the game, but naturally when you come back from 2-0 down in a game to get something from it then that has to be a positive.

“I am delighted the character and attitude the players showed to fight back. Bare in mind this is a team that still have not won at home this season and they have taken a lot of criticism throughout the course of the season so their confidence has been battered.

"In that sense, the spirit they have shown over the last five or six weeks to get competitive again in this league speaks volumes for them.

"Over the piece, I think both teams could argue that they deserved to win the game. Morton had chances in the first half, then we had the momentum in the second, but we have to take a step back and say it is another point forward for us. Every single point is crucial now for us.”

Ross now has very little time to recover his squad as they prepare for the visit of SPFL Championship leaders Rangers this weekend, but he insists his men will go into the game looking for a shock victory.

He said: “My message to players is always a positive one and we always look to go and win the game so it will be no different on Saturday against Rangers.

"I was lucky as a player to enjoy wins over the Old Firm and sometimes when teams haven't done it for a long time it can be a nice surprise when they do.

“Saturday is a brilliant game for us. It is one the players should look to relish and enjoy being out there, but it is a game we will look to go and win. We will give our all and see where that takes us.

"You are not ever going to win every game even if your the best team in the league, but if you set out to win it then you give yourself the best chance to get something.”

The 39-year-old manager was full of praise for his goalkeeper Scott Gallacher as the former Rangers and Hearts player produced a host of top saves to keep Morton at bay in the first half.

Ross added: “Gallacher had a spell of great saves for us and that was vital for us because we were struggling with the system early on.

"He made a number of key saves in that period of the game for us, but that is why I signed him because he is a top goalkeeper.

"I told him when he joined here that it was a chance to put himself in the shop window because he ultimately wants to get back to full time football and performances like that will certainly do him no harm.”