ALLOA boss Jim Goodwin had faith in his players, even when it looked as though promotion had slipped through their fingers.

A last-gasp effort from the Wasps clinched a place in the Championship as they continued their habit of coming from behind.

And the manager insisted he never doubted his players’ character and belief.

He told Advertiser Sport: “It looked like it wasn’t going to come but we had a good chat with the boys about the number of times we’ve come back and the one that stood out was the Forfar game a few months ago. We were a goal down in the 88th minute and won the game.

“Nine times this season we’ve come back from losing positions to win the game and that’s testament to the players’ character.

"They never, ever, ever stop going and they never know when they’re beaten. They got what they deserved over the two games.

“As time goes on you start getting concerned that you’re going to run out of time, but I know my players never give up.

"I knew that if we took it to extra time we’d win because fitness-wise, I doubt there’s a part-time team out there who are as fit as us.”

Loanees Ross Stewart and Jordan Kirkpatrick scored the goals which made the difference in the final, but Goodwin insisted that the whole squad played their part in Alloa’s success.

He said: “The loan signings have worked and have definitely made a positive impact for us, but I don’t want to single out any one or two players. There were so many good performances.

"I’m over the moon for everybody connected to the club, from the board right down to the fans, and we’ve got a lot of volunteers behind the scenes who do a great job as well.

"Most importantly I’m pleased for the players because these moments don’t come around too often.”

The manager will sit down with his players to discuss their futures in the coming weeks, and he admitted he is hoping that the bulk of the squad will decide to stay with the club for their latest foray into the Championship.

Goodwin added: “I’ve got a good core of players who I want to take with me, and hopefully they’ll all want to come with us. We just want to go and play the exact same way.

"We are not going to go into the Championship and sit with ten men behind the ball to grind out 0-0 draws. I believe in the players and I believe they’re good enough to go and take teams on.

"We will try and add more quality to the squad in the summer. We’ve already identified one or two and we are definitely now a more attractive proposition for players going into the Championship.”