ALLOA have sealed the return of Jordan Kirkpatrick on a loan deal until the end of the season.

The 25-year-old was a fan favourite at the Indodrill last year and was lured to St Mirren by former gaffer Jack Ross in the summer.

He made a handful of appearances for the Buddies but has been loaned back to Jim Goodwin's side on the eve of Alloa's Scottish Cup showdown with Dundee United.

The playmaker told Advertiser Sport: “I really enjoyed last season here so I’m happy to be back. It’s really a case of coming back and trying to get some game time under my belt.

“We are in a different position to last season, but the squad we’ve got is definitely strong enough to match what we achieved. Hopefully we can even go one step better.

“The club should always be setting out to get promoted and it’s just about having the confidence and the faith in ourselves to push on and do that."

Kirkpatrick goes straight into the Wasps’ squad for tomorrow’s encounter and reckons they are capable of causing a major upset.

He said: “We have to be confident going into the game because we have a good squad of players. It will be a good test for the boys and it should be a really enjoyable game against a good team.

"If we can get the win it will give us a bit of momentum going back into the league games next week.”

The attacking midfielder is enjoying being part of the setup at St Mirren and is hoping a successful spell back at the Indodrill Stadium can help him force his way into the Buddies’ first team.

Kirkpatrick added: “I love being involved at St Mirren, and one of the good things about coming back to Alloa is that I’ll be able to still be involved in training there. It’s the best of both worlds.

“I have another year left on my contract after this so my plan has to be to show Jack [Ross] that it wasn’t a mistake giving me that.

"Hopefully I can get a few goals under my belt, then go back to St Mirren and really push on next season.”