Barry Smith has warned his Alloa players that they must be mentally stronger if they are to win their battle to avoid the relegation playoffs at the foot of the SPFL Championship.

The manager’s stark warning came after he watched his side slump to a 4-1 defeat after being dismantled by fellow part-timers Dumbarton at the Bet Butler stadium last weekend.

But the 39-year-old also reckons his men must forget about the defeat and now focus on the task ahead.

Smith told Advertiser Sport, “The players all work hard and give their all for the club, they just need to have a stronger mentality at times when things aren’t going their way. It was a very disappointing afternoon for us and the boys all know that they can play a lot better.

“It was just a bad day at the office though where we haven’t defended properly but that isn’t just down to the defenders.

“It was a whole team problem. In the first half, I thought we competed well and did the right things early on. There just seems to be that fear factor among the players when they concede a goal, we just seem to be very vulnerable and I can’t seem to get to the bottom of it.

“Every game from now until the end of the season is a big game for us now. We will look for a reaction from them against Morton but the players now themselves that the performance wasn’t good enough and they must improve if we are to take three points in that game.” The Clackmannanshire outfit still hold one of the best defensive records in the league despite a run of poor recent results and Smith believes that proves they still have the quality to stay in the division but admits they will have to start taking their chances.

He said, “There is definitely enough quality in the team that, if we do go a goal down, we should be able to score. We just don’t seem to be taking our chances when they come along either.

“Some of the goals we lost in the match were really uncharacteristic from our point of view. We have got a good defensive record so it was unusual to concede four goals and in the manner that we lost them in.

“We can’t afford to concede a goal like we did as early in the second half like we did because we didnt get a chance to settle into the game in the second half. But then we need to react better to the situation.” The Wasps boss revealed that he found it difficult to criticise his players too much for the performance because they have given him everything they have in recent weeks and he reckons it is belief in their own abilities that will get them over the finishing line.

Smith added, “It is hard to slaughter them after a game like this where they have played well in stages and created chances but then we are conceding bad goals.

“I still have great confidence and belief in this team because I know they will do everything in their power to keep us in this division. I believe it, I just need the players to start believing in it.”