ALLOA boss Jim Goodwin revealed his players executed their gameplan to perfection as they battled to victory over playoff-chasing Airdrie last Saturday.

The Wasps were made to work for their three points, but Goodwin revealed he set out to nullify the home side’s threat and was delighted as his players followed his instructions to the letter.

And the manager revealed he had opted to choose a different approach with the crucial promotion playoffs within sight.

Goodwin told Advertiser Sport: “We made a few changes and set up a bit differently to the Brechin game, and that was deliberate to deny them the space in behind. We knew their main threat comes from the pace of Andy Ryan and Iain Russell, and they can be dangerous. But we played a more counter-attacking game ourselves, and that gave me the chance to see how we coped with that kind of gameplan. It was good to be able to tinker with it and see how the lads coped with a different setup. I thought they were brilliant.”

The victory also saw the return of Jordan Kirkpatrick, who came back from injury to score the winner, and Goodwin admitted the midfielder could have played last week but was rested as a precaution to ensure he is fighting fit for the game which will make or break their season.

He said: “We knew Jordan’s injury wasn’t anything major but we took the chance to rest him. If there had been more riding on the games he would have played through the pain barrier but there was no need for him to do that. It was better that we rested him because he is so important to us. The playoff games are so important that we need all of our key players available and he is one of them.”

The Wasps’ final home game of the regular season sees them face Stranraer on Saturday, and although second place is already secured, Goodwin urged his players to maintain the standards they have set and stake their claims for a place in his starting lineup.

He added: “We have only lost two games in the league since Christmas Eve and the boys have been amazing over the course of that run. We would love to continue that over the last two games. But I have said so many times that there are no easy games in this league, and if we turn up on Saturday expecting one we will be caught out. It’s so important that we maintain our standards and make sure everyone is competing for places. My team is by no means picked for the first playoff game so it’s up to the boys to give me a headache between now and then.”