Alloa Athletic skipper Ben Gordon reckons they must learn to win the hard way if they are to survive in the SPFL Championship this season after they crashed to a second straight defeat with a 1-0 loss to Raith Rovers last weekend.

It is the second week in a row the Wasps have watched countless chances go begging while their own mistakes have cost them dearly at the other end and the captain says he would take a scrappy win just to get off the mark in the league.

But the no-nonsense defender insists they won’t be chucking in the towel and believes there are loads of positives to take from their two defeats.

Gordon told Advertiser Sport, “The chances just haven’t gone in for us the past two games. We had Daryll Meggatt’s header that came off the inside of the post and still stays out and that sums up our luck the last two games. Obviously, that kind of thing is hugely frustrating for us we just have to get on with it. If we play like we have been doing then we will pick points up but we need to start turning our chances into goals as soon as possible.

“On the plus side, we have nothing to be down about. We have played well against two good sides in Queens and Raith who have made some good signings and we could easily have taken something from both games.

“The main emotion for us is frustration because once again we have started with a silly goal to give away. It has been a mix up in defence and then like last week, we have played really well, had all the best chances and I don’t think they caused us any problems.

“We definitely should have got something out of the game and once again we have been our own undoing. We need to start getting points out of games like that one if we are going to survive in this league because the games will run out quickly.” Gordon now believes that this weekend’s clash with fellow part-timers Cowdenbeath has become a game of huge significance for them but insists they will not underestimate Jimmy Nicholl’s side.

He said, “I wouldn’t say it is a six-pointer this week against Cowdenbeath because every game in this league will be important for us but it is certainly one we must look to go and win.

“We need to get points on the board but we know that there aren’t any easy games in this league. They showed from the draw with Falkirk that it is a tough place to go and win but from our point of view it is about turning up on the day and getting the job done.” The 28-year-old club captain believes that the games against teams expected to be in the bottom half of the table this season will be crucial to his side’s survival hopes.

Gordon added, “We have to start taking points from our home games and from any game where we have a real chance to win the game.

“We can’t afford to just let games slip by us without picking up anything because it might come back to bite us later on in the campaign.

“This year it is more important than ever given we are playing in the best second tier league there has ever been in Scottish Football so we must do better.”