Alloa Athletic, Clackmannanshire, boss Jack Ross and attacker Jordan Kirkpatrick scoop Ladbrokes League One awards for August

Despite Alloa's part-time status, gaffer Jack Ross led the Wasps onto a record-breaking 10-game winning streak, before Livingston put an end to the unbeaten run last week.

It has today been announced he won the Ladbrokes League One Manager of the Month award for August.

He told Ladbrokes News: “It's the first award of this type for me and you must take pride in any individual award.

"Sometimes, especially in this country, you play things down and say you're not really that bothered.

"But it's a great feeling for me and a reflection of what everyone is doing.

"It's a really good club to work for - I've got a great relationship with the chairman and there are people around the club, from training days to match days, who give up their time for nothing and are a tremendous help.

"The backroom staff I inherited and the ones I added are all very good characters. They are aligned with how I try to approach things. They have to put up with my slightly OCD nature at times as well.

"I've been on the other side of it where I've been an assistant and managers get the reward, but we've not had the recognition.

"I do know that they'll take pleasure in it and be fully aware that they've played a huge part."

Ross managed to scoop the award just 10 months into his managerial spell at Alloa.

The Wasps were leading the league before losing to Livi and with full-time teams achieving promotion from League One every season for the last four years, Ross welcomes the challenge.

He added: “It shows you the size of the task ahead for any part-time team to win it.

"Expectation has been placed upon us by so many people predicting we'd be there or there abouts.

"But I'm happy with it. There's an ambition within our group and you can't have that without accepting the expectancy around it. There's got to be a pressure on yourself to reach your standards.

"The full-time teams don't have a huge advantage in terms of physical fitness - a lot of part-time players look after themselves really well.

"They do have an advantage with their preparation just simply on the hours to spend with their players.

"That's not complaining about it, that's just the reality. In an ideal world, would I like more hours with my players? Of course I would. We have to squeeze a lot into four hours a week like every part-time manager has to do.

"But that's the challenge, and I don't complain about it as I knew the situation I was going into when I took the job.

"We manage it in the right way and if we keep doing it we make ourselves competitive against these full time teams."

Several young stars in his team have dropped down to League One after spells in the Premiership, including ex-Celtic kid Calum Waters and August Player of the Month Jordan Kirkpatrick, who started his career at Hamilton.

Kirkpatrick has bagged six goals for the Wasps already, but the modest 24-year-old insists he has the gaffer and the rest of the squad to thank for the strong start this season.

He told Ladbrokes News: “To be honest, I’d have to say it’s been down to the rest of the team, and definitely the manager.

"Obviously I wouldn’t be getting the chances if the boys weren’t creating them for me, so massive compliments to them for creating and giving me the chance to get these goals.

“The gaffer has helped a lot – not just with me – in terms of confidence and expressing ourselves. He’s helped me enjoy playing again.

"A lot of the boys in the team probably haven’t enjoyed it as much over the last couple of seasons as they have this season under the gaffer.

“He is very good one-to-one with you and knows a lot about the game. From what I witnessed at Dumbarton, he helped a lot of the boys there. He’s came here and we all saw a turn-around from Alloa last year, even though they were at the stage where they were facing relegation, they still managed to become a bit more stable and consistent. It just shows you that he can definitely go very far in the game if he just keeps doing what he’s doing.

“He’s always involved with the boys at training and he’s always getting involved in the banter, so he’s good that way. But if there’s wee spells where he can get a chance to pull you aside and have a wee one-to-one then he’ll give you some tips on things you’ve done and the weekend and where you can improve.

“He’s all about trying to progress the boys. He’s not about keeping them where they are, he’s trying to get them to go as far as they can, which we all notice and appreciate."