JIM Goodwin insists Celtic loanee Jack Aitchison will play a crucial role in the relegation run-in, despite the teenager still waiting for his first start for the Wasps.

The much-hyped Scotland youth international made the switch to the Indodrill Stadium in January, but has only appeared in brief cameos off the bench so far.

His time at the club has been limited due to international call-ups and appearances for the Celtic reserves, but Goodwin is convinced Alloa fans will see the best of him before the season is out.

The Irishman told Advertiser Sport: "Jack has been a little bit unfortunate and his loan period has been pretty stop-start.

"I didn't expect him to be as involved with Scotland and with Celtic as much as he has been and that's been the reason why he hasn't been able to make much of an impact.

"Jack needs to be here to be playing games. But he is a great boy and has been doing brilliantly for Celtic and scoring every week for their reserve team.

"He is a terrific young talent and it's just been his time away from the club.

"He's done well at his own age group and he has fitted in really well to the Alloa squad. You can see the quality he has got.

"I am sure he will have a key role to play towards the end of the season."

The 19-year-old had been set to miss Saturday's game against Morton after playing for the Celtic reserves on Thursday night.

Unsurprisingly, as the wintery weather took hold of the country, the Championship clash fell foul to the cold after failing a pitch inspection.

However, Goodwin revealed he believed that to be a 'blessing in disguise' as it emerged he was set to be without Sam Roscoe and Iain Flannigan, too, due to injury.

As Advertiser Sport was going to press, the club were nervously awaiting the results of a scan on Roscoe, who injured himself while training with Aberdeen, and the defender could miss several weeks of Alloa's relegation fight.

Goodwin continued: "We were going to be without Sam and Iain, so it may have been a blessing in disguise.

"We were going to have to shuffle the pack around and play players out of their natural positions.

"It will buy a little bit of time for Flanny to recover properly and in an important game like Morton it is vital we have a full squad to pick from.

"Sam will be going for a scan and we should hopefully know this week, whereas Flanny was more of precaution.

"The last couple of years Gerry Docherty (club physio) and Jordan Clelland (sports therapist) have managed to keep Flanny fit in the main and they deserve huge credit for that. They are the best in Scotland, as far as I am concerned."

The cancellation means Alloa will have to visit Greenock for a midweek clash, something which Goodwin admitted was not ideal for his side.

The Wasps will also make the long journey to Inverness on Tuesday following their trip to face Dundee United this weekend.

He said: "From our own point of view, midweek games are not ideal with boys being at work and it can all be a bit rushed. So it's another Tuesday night game we will have to pencil into the calendar.

"It doesn't suit us as a part-time club. There is no getting away from that."