Alloa Athletic eased past Highland League side Fort William in their first pre-season friendly

Captain Graeme Holmes and vice captain Jason Marr were on holiday for this one, so the Wasps were light in numbers, but they still produced a decent performance in their first outing of the pre-season campaign. 

The hosts wasted little time in opening the scoring as they broke the deadlock within the first few minutes of the game. 

Isaac Layne was sharp to latch onto hesitancy in the Fort William defence and as he turned to shoot, he was upended by Tawse and the referee had no option, but to point to the spot. Iain Flannigan stepped up to take it and sent the keeper the wrong way to give Alloa the early lead. 

The Wasps did not take long to double their advantage when Layne seized on another error in the visitor’s defence to burst into box and slot past the helpless keeper. 

It was one way traffic in the early stages and it was almost a debut goal for former St Mirren star Jim Goodwin as he met a Steven Hetherington corner to head the ball goal-ward, but the effort came back out off the crossbar. 

The pressure soon paid off again when another debutant Andy Graham got his name on the score sheet. Flannigan’s corner was headed down towards goal by Graham, but as defender blocked, he was there to lash home the rebound for 3-0. 

Fort William sprung to life on 22 minutes when Scott Chisholm’s long pass sent Barna Tot through on Neil Parry, but the striker could only blaze his shot over the bar. 

Flannigan then got the hosts back on the front foot moments later, when he combined well with Goodwin before bursting into the box and forcing the keeper into a decent save from the angle. 

Jamie Longworth then had a golden opportunity to open his Wasps account when Flannigan got free on the left before standing the ball to the back post, but Longworth could only head past the post from close range. 

Calum Waters then ventured forward well down the left and his diagonal cross fell kindly for Longworth in the box, but again the striker was off the mark with his effort. 

That man Flannigan threatened again on 42 minutes when he coasted past the full back to fizz the ball across the face of goal, but it was too fast for Layne and he could only direct it over the bar. 

The half with a moment of the both the sublime and the ridiculous. A foul on Goodwin gave the Wasps a free kick 25 yards from goal.

Flannigan stood over the ball to allow Jon Robertson a shot, the ex-Stenhousemuir midfielder never read the move, much to the hilarity of the crowd.

When Robertson did strike the kick the laughs soon turned to applause when his ferocious effort came back out off the post with the keeper beaten all ends up. 

Alloa boss Jack Ross made a double change at the break with returning duo Kevin Cawley and Greig Spence who replaced goal scorer Layne and young defender Ryan Hoggan. 

The returning pair wasted no time in getting involved in the game when they combined well to create a shooting chance for Cawley, but the keeper produced a top save to tip the effort on the post and wide. 

The Wasps looked bright after the restart with the fresh front trio of Longworth, Cawley and Spence causing problems and each of them tested the keeper early on into the second half without success. 

The match was now being played at a friendly tempo, but Alloa kept producing flashes of attacking prowess as the match went on. 

On 64 minutes, some great interplay between Cawley, Spence and Longworth again soon had Cawley racing in on the keeper again, but this time a brilliantly timed last ditch tackle from Richard Tawse saved the day for the Highlanders. 

Alloa controlled the tempo of the game from here on in and could have added to their tally in the closing stages. 

Some great hold up play by Longworth sent Flannigan through on goal on 83 minutes, but the keeper did well to force onto a tight angle, and the shot went into the side netting. 

Scott Taggart looked more confident to burst down the right hand side more often as the game went on and he did well on 86 minutes to send Cawley into space. The cross was met by the head of Spence, but the Wasps favourite could only head over. 

Spence did have the ball in the back of the net with one minute remaining when he latched onto Taggart’s through pass to slot cooly past the keeper, but the Linesman’s offside flag saved the Highlanders as the game ended 3-0 to the hosts. 

A good work out overall for Jack Ross and his men, but the level of opposition will be cranked up when Dunfermline are the visitors to the Indodrill Stadium on Wednesday evening. 

Advertiser sport man of the match: Iain Flannigan

Alloa Athletic: Parry, Taggart, Waters (Wilson 78), Graham, Hoggan (Spence 45), Goodwin (McKinnon - trialist 65), Flannigan, Robertson, Layne (Cawley 45), Longworth, Hetherington (Baker - Trialist 73). Subs not used: Kirkpatrick, McDowall (GK).