FRUSTRATED Alloa Athletic boss Jack Ross says the whole squad were left devastated by their late collapse in the 2-2 draw at Stenhousemuir last weekend. 

The Wasps were 2-0 up and cruising at Ochilview, but Jim Goodwin’s red card and an inspired rally in the last 10 minutes saw Brown Ferguson’s side produce a spirited comeback to earn a point share of the spoils. 

The manager, however, prefers to focus on the positives as the point was enough to keep his side top of League One on goal difference. 

Ross told Advertiser Sport: “It’s incredibly frustrating and disappointing to come away with only one point, but you have to give credit to Stenhousemuir because it is not easy to come back from two goals down in a game and score so late on. 

“I didn’t think we conceded that many chances in the whole game even with 10 men. I thought we had created good opportunities at the other end, but you need to be ruthless at both ends of the pitch. 

“This group of players gives me a lot on a regular basis, so they are frustrated as a group as well, but it is another point in the right direction, as much as I feel it should have been three. 

“The sending off obviously changes the dynamics of the game because Stenhousemuir could then throw caution to the wind and they did that. They were brave with the substitutions they made. 

“We tried to combat that and felt we had almost done it until they scored with about the last kick of the ball.” 

It was the third game inside seven days for the Wee County outfit after gruelling games with Queen’s Park and Celtic, but Ross refused to use that as an excuse for their late collapse. 

He said: “I don’t believe Wednesday night’s exertions played a part today. I spoke to all the players individually and thought we were the better team for long periods in the game and when we get to 2-0 up, we were comfortable in the game at that time. 

“This was always a difficult week on paper with the league games we had in between the Celtic cup game.

“To get through it by hook or by crook with two wins in the league and a good performance in the cup tie was our target and we were almost there. 

“We know to go and have a successful campaign you are going to have bumps and dips along the way and I have a group of players in the dressing room who are desperately disappointed and it is the most frustrated I have been in my time here.” 

The 40-year-old manager had absolutely no qualms about the sending off and revealed that his former St Mirren team mate had apologised to the rest of his team mates after the game. 

Ross added: “I thought it was a sending off, but I don’t think the referee had a particular good game in general, but the sending off was correct.

"Jim was apologetic to the group, but we have done things together as a group and we will continue to do that.”