RED-HOT Liam Buchanan says it was nothing personal as he helped put former club Alloa Athletic to the sword in the top of the table showdown at Livingston last weekend.

The former Wasps hero, who scored 17 goals for the club in the 2014/15 season to help keep them in the SPFL Championship, notched a double last Saturday as his current side recorded a 3-1 win in their crucial clash at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

The 31-year-old capped off a brilliant performance with a superb solo goal, but doesn't believe this latest win will have any bearing on the next time the sides meet.

Buchanan told Advertiser sport: "It was a good ball from Rafa for the first goal and I was pleased with the finish. The second one was a special goal for me. I nutmegged Jason Marr which made it all the sweeter, but we scored some good goals and this was a massive win for us. It just seems to be one of these things where I have had a good record of scoring against Alloa since I left, but the most important thing for me was the three points and so friendships had to be put to one side.

"People will say that this latest win means we have Alloa's number or that we have an edge over them now, but I wouldn't say so. They are a quality side full of good players. I think we have just played better on the day in both games this season, so I don't think there will be any extra edge for us in the next game. It is really just about who turns up on the day and gets the breaks at the right time, but we know come the end of the season that Alloa will be right up there with us fighting for promotion."

Buchanan admits he was shocked to see former strike partner Greig Spence pass up a guilt-edged chance to score just before his opener, but has backed the Wasps top scorer to brush off the miss and bounce straight back.

He said: "Greig Spence obviously has a great chance to put them ahead just before we score and that was definitely a turning point in the game. It is not like Greig to pass up that kind of opportunity because he normally sticks them away without thinking. He is normally so clinical in that kind of situation and he was when we played together at Alloa, so I am sure if he gets that kind of chance again he will take it.

"I think the first half was very tense and a bit scrappy, so there is no doubt the first goal settled us down and helped us to relax into our normal passing game. That gave us a foothold in the game, and we never really looked back from there."

The former Partick Thistle striker is delighted by the arrival of new signing Rafa De Vita and believes his signing could just give the Lions the edge in the title race over the coming months.

Buchanan added: "Rafa is a great signing for us at this point in the campaign. He gave us a big lift ahead of the Alloa game and obviously the quality of his pass for the opener shows the talent he has to change games in our favour."