Alloa Athletic…1

Albion Rovers…1

ALLOA were left frustrated once again as they were held to a draw by Albion Rovers at the Indodrill Stadium.

The Wasps were on top for the vast majority of the game and led through Jordan Kirkpatrick, but Paul Willis levelled the scores with the last kick of the first half.

The hosts huffed and puffed throughout the second half but failed to find a way past a resolute Rovers defence.

Albion started strongly and Ryan Wallace had the first chance, sending a speculative shot over the bar from just outside the box.

And Ross Stewart should have done better with a free header which he could only direct into the arms of the grateful Neil Parry.

But Alloa seized control and Greig Spence forced Stewart’s namesake between the Rovers posts into a save, which the goalkeeper gathered at the second attempt after fumbling the initial effort.

And Spence found another opening seconds later, making a darting run to meet a beautiful chipped pass from Jordan Kirkpatrick, but Stewart rushed off his line to gather.

The clearest chance of the opening stages again fell to Spence, and the striker really should have made the breakthrough. Kevin Cawley found him arriving at the back post with a fine cross, but with just the goalkeeper to beat from only a couple of yards out, the Wasps’ top scorer somehow nodded the ball over the crossbar.

But twenty minutes into the game the Wasps did finally open the scoring. Cawley found himself with his back to goal just outside the box, but had the presence of mind to roll the ball into the path of Kirkpatrick, who produced a wonderful first-time shot which curled away from Stewart and into the corner.

Rovers immediately went in search of a leveller and Ryan Wallace was not far away with a free kick which sailed just a few inches over the Alloa bar.

Willis was on target with a powerful drive from distance, but it was straight at Parry, who was well-placed to deal with the effort, while at the other end, Ross Dunlop made a tremendous block to divert Frank McKeown’s half-volley over the crossbar.

McKeown was involved at both ends and had to be alert to flick away Stewart’s cross, with Wallace lurking just behind him.

Wallace was causing the Wasps defence a few problems, and he did well to turn a corner goalwards, only to see the ball hacked off the line by Andy Graham.

Kirkpatrick was posing a huge threat and almost produced a carbon copy of his opener, but this time his effort was well Stewart.

Ross Gilmour almost pulled his side level with a header which shaved the outside of the post, but they would get their equaliser on the stroke of half time.

Substitute Connor Shields, on the field for a matter of seconds after replacing the injured Stewart, slipped the ball through the static Alloa defence, and Willis was left with the simple task of slotting the ball past the helpless Parry.

Minutes into the second half, McKeown came agonisingly close to restoring Alloa’s lead, his powerful header being cleared off the line by Kyle Turnbull.

Steven Hetherington fizzed a shot wide from a long way out, but that was a rare effort in a second half which saw the visitors shut up shop.

The Wasps were having to resort to letting fly from distance, and Scott Taggart went close to what would have been his second goal in as many games with a thunderous effort which only just cleared the Rovers bar.

Stefan McCluskey entered the fray and immediately caused panic in the Albion defence with a bursting run down the right, Mark Ferry getting back to head the former Morton man’s cross out from underneath the crossbar.

Shields almost put his side into a shock lead when he arrived to meet Wallace’s cross, only for McKeown to make a heroic block when the striker seemed certain to score.

Andy Graham had the golden chance of the half in stoppage time, but he could not get a decent contact on his header and Stewart gathered the ball comfortably.

That was the final action on what was a frustrating afternoon for the Wasps, whose title ambitions now look remote in the extreme ahead of Saturday’s meeting with leaders Livingston.

Alloa Athletic: Parry, Taggart, Waters, McKeown, Graham, Holmes (Longworth), Cawley, Hetherington, Spence, Kirkpatrick (McCluskey), Flannigan. Not used: McDowall, Marr, Robertson, Hynd, Martin.