GAFFER Jack Ross says he has nothing but pride in his Alloa Athletic squad following their narrow 2-0 loss to Celtic in the Betfred Cup Quarter Final at Parkhead. 

The Wasps produced a heroic effort to push the Hoops all the way and it took two late goals from James Forrest and Moussa Dembele to break their resolve late on. 

The manager believes it is a mark of how far his side have come this year that they left Celtic Park disappointed to lose. 

The former St Mirren defender believes Celtic keeper Craig Gordon should have been sent off following a collision with Greig Spence in the 42nd minute, but says they cannot complain after riding their own luck throughout the 90 minutes. 

Ross told Advertiser Sport: “My players are all hugely disappointed to come away from Celtic Park with a narrow defeat and for me that is a marker of where they are a group this season.

"They have not been used to losing games and although we were at the toughest venue in the country to come at the moment, it was still a quarter final and we had ambitions to progress so my players put an enormous amount into the game.

"To hold Celtic for that length of time in the game, especially given the form they are in at the minute was a terrific effort from them. I think when they reflect back on it at a later date once the disappointment has passed then they will be proud of their efforts. 

“At the time of the incident, the fourth official told me he didn’t think it was an obvious goalscoring opportunity, but having seen it again on the video, in terms of the foul itself, then it is a red card.

"If an outfield player makes that challenge then it is a straight red without hesitation. On the flip side of that, we did carry good fortune in the game as well. 

“Our goalkeeper played well and equally we got breaks at certain points in the game when Celtic got chances, so we can’t complain too much about it.

"It might have been a turning point in the match, but I still think it would have been difficult because of the players Celtic possess in their team. I always thought we would have been a threat with the players we have in our side, but we just couldn’t get enough of the ball to do that.”

Ross reserved special praise for goalkeeper Neil Parry after he produced an inspired performance to keep Brendan Rodgers men at bay for much of the night.  

He said: “I recognised in the build up to this one, that if we were to take something then Neil Parry would have to have a good game. He did that and very early on he did it which was vital for us.

"From my own experiences here as a player, if you do concede in that opening spell, then it becomes very difficult and a long 90 minutes.

"Neil made a lot of good saves throughout the match and his overall presence in the game was very good.

"He is as good as you get at the part time level in terms of his size, stature and goalkeeping ability. He was actually disappointed in the dressing room after, but when he reflects on it later down the line then it is a game he will be proud of.”

The Wasps’ boss must now quickly lift his players for the weekend’s trip to face Stenhousemuir in League 1, but says he has no doubt they will once again rise to the occasion. 

Ross added: “The difficult thing for us is we don’t now see the guys again until Stenhousemuir on Saturday, but they will be fine because they are a terrific group for professionalism.

"We have a few bumps and bruises, but nothing major so we will assess things from there.

"It might be a bit of an adjustment mentally going into Saturday now, but I believe I have the squad to handle that. Stenhousemuir will be another difficult game, but I believe in the ability of the group to go there and get a result.”