DARYLL MEGGATT reckons Alloa were desperately unlucky to come away from their final Betfred Cup group game with a 3-0 defeat to Hibernian.

The Wasps matched their Premiership opponents for long spells, and Meggatt reckons the visitors’ three-goal victory was harsh on his side.

But he admitted that the Hibees are playing Premiership football this campaign for a reason.

Meggatt told Advertiser Sport: “I thought we started well but the first goal was a bit of a killer. We restricted Hibs and didn’t give them many chances. Neil Parry didn’t have many saves to make.

"At the start of the second half, we were probably the better team for a spell but the second goal killed us.

"We had to open up after that and try and get back in the game, and when you do that there is always a risk of conceding again.

"But even though Hibs are a very good team, I don’t think the gap between the two sides was as big as the scoreline suggests.

"They are playing two divisions above us and there’s a reason for that. When you give the ball away cheaply, teams from that level will punish you for that when others maybe wouldn’t.”

Meggatt, who is now in his second spell at the Indodrill Stadium, insisted that Hibs’ decisive second goal should have been chalked off twice after Jon Robertson was fouled in the build-up before Simon Murray handled the ball.

However, the defender admitted that poor decisions can be part and parcel of the game.

He said: “Over the course of the game there were a few harsh calls that went against us and there were two in the build-up to the second goal.

"There was the initial foul on Robbo to win the ball back, and then when the cross has come in, Murray has put it in with his hand. But sometimes these things go against you in football and unfortunately that’s what happened.”

Despite the defeat, Meggatt believes Alloa’s performance leaves them in a good position ahead of Saturday’s league opener against Raith Rovers, with ex-Wasps Greig Spence and Liam Buchanan set to lead the line for the Fife side when they visit the Wee County.

He added: “We weren’t at it on Tuesday but we got that out of our systems with what was a good performance against Hibs, although that wasn’t reflected in the scoreline. It wasn’t a 3-0 game.

"We played well and it puts us in a good position going into the Raith Rovers game at the weekend.

“Liam and Greig are both goalscorers, so it will be a busy afternoon with the two of them up front. But we have what it takes to stop them.”