Hamilton Academical player/manager Alex Neil has heaped praise on Alloa Athletic after they pushed his title contenders to the limit at New Douglas Park last weekend.

The Lanarkshire men clung on for a vital 2-1 win despite a brave late rally from the Wasps and their gaffer admits the men from Clackmannanshire have provided stern opposition for them this season.

Neil told Advertiser Sport, “Alloa have given us some tough matches this season but we feel like we have played well against them despite two defeats, but they are stuffy opponents who are difficult to break down and you have to give them credit for having a proper go at the end of the match. The early goal was a massive boost for us especially against a side like Alloa who sometimes come here and sit in but to be fair to them I thought they were a lot more expansive in their play. They came with a bit more adventure and attacked a lot more than our previous encounters. Credit to them though because they made it a real fight for us. It is not easy when the pressure is on and anything can happen. Alloa have run us really close and Morton have beaten Dundee.” The Accies boss admits his side were spooked by events elsewhere as the crowd let them know the Dundee score but says he is glad his men came through the Wasps’ onslaught.

He said, “We were careless in the first half with possession and should have added a second before half time but luckily we started the second well and got the goal. We asked the players to raise the tempo and we did that but then we really panicked. You could visibly see the reaction of our players as the pressure of the Morton result heaped the pressure onto them. They started doing silly things. We have got a young group and the pressure got to them but they will learn from the experience and I am glad we managed to survive it. I was kicking every ball in the end trying to see us hang on and I was mightily relieved to hear the final whistle.” The 32-year-old New Douglas Park gaffer reckons Alloa will be ok in the Division and wished well against fellow title hopefuls Dundee this weekend.

Neil (pictured above) added, “I don’t think Alloa have anything to worry about on evidence of our games with them this season. They look pretty safe in the division to me because although Cowdenbeath have won, it is still a big ask for them to win their next two as well. I wish them all the best for the rest of the season and I especially hope they play REALLY well against Dundee.”