NEW Wasps midfielder Jon Robertson admits he almost gave up entirely on football before Jack Ross signed him after enduring his worst season yet at Stenhousemuir last season.

The 27-year-old helped Brown Ferguson's side escape relegation by the skin of their teeth, but was left frustrated by a lack of opportunities as well as his own displays.

But now he hopes his new surroundings can inspire him to recapture his very best form as he looks to aid Alloa's push for promotion back to the SPFL Championship.

Robertson told Advertiser sport: “I was surprised by the way things panned out for me last season at Stenhousemuir and to be honest I almost lost my faith in football a wee bit, but as soon as I had interest from Alloa and the gaffer in particular as well as from other clubs then that really gave me a lift again. From day one of Jack showed interest in me, I always had a good instinct and feeling about coming to Alloa. I have spoke a number of other people about the club and the gaffer and I only got brilliant reports so it seems like a good fit for me.

“My good friend Scott Linton worked with Jack at Dumbarton and could not recommend him highly enough so that made it an easy decision for me.

“I feel like I had lost my way a bit by trying to play in a more defensive role and I think that maybe stemmed from going up to the higher level at St Mirren. My natural game is to try and get up and down the pitch as much as I can for 90 minutes and go from box to box, so hopefully the fresh start here will allow me to get back to that. I have a natural fitness to bring to the table so hopefully I can use that to effect the game both defensively and in attack.

“I would just like to put the frustrations of last season behind me now and look to hit the ground running here now. I was pleased to help Stenhousemuir stay in the league, but now my focus is fully with Alloa and I hope I can help them achieve their goals this season.”

The former St Mirren and Cowdenbeath midfielder is looking forward to the challenge in what he believes will be a highly competitive League One campaign.

And he reckons the presence of both Airdrie and Livingston as full time clubs in the league can act as extra motivation for the club in their hunt for promotion.

“I think the league will be very tight this season with a whole host of clubs who are capable of competing and I don't think there will be much in it between a lot of the teams, but hopefully we can hit the ground running and get ourselves up their competing for promotion from the get go.

“I think the likes of Livingston, Stranraer, Peterhead and Airdrie are all capable of challenging and the new clubs coming up from League Two have something to add as well so it could be a really exciting league.

“It was always going to be interesting what Livingston were going to do financially, but it is great for the league to have both them and Airdrie as full time clubs in the league and there is no doubt they will be a threat to all the part time clubs in the league. Airdrie have really thrown a spanner in the works going full time so it will be interesting to see how that works out for them. It is something for us to look forward to and as a part time club it is always a good challenge to test yourself against full time players. It is always nice to take a full time scalp.”

Robertson is hoping his experience across most of the leagues in Scotland from the top to the bottom can stand him in good stead to make his mark at the Wee County outfit this season, but admits it is a completely fresh challenge for him.

He added: “I have experience of playing in all the divisions now and hopefully I have the right type of experiences now to help the team. I feel like I am at a good age and hopefully I can bring a lot to the table from that perspective. I know Dougie Hill from my time at Cowdenbeath with him, but I am not sure what he is doing yet. Other than that, it is pretty much a fresh start for me, but I am looking forward to getting to know the lads before the season gets underway.”