Popular defender Mark Docherty reckons the Wasps must start taking their chances if they are to get themselves out of the relegation zone at the foot of the SPFL Championship table.

The former St Mirren trainee was left gutted by the concession of a late goal against the run of play last Saturday as Hearts stole all three points with a 1-0 win at the Indodrill Stadium.

Alloa dominated the match and had a host of chances to take the lead before the Hearts goal and the versatile full back believes they were at least worthy of a point from the match.

Docherty told Advertiser sport, “The very least we deserved was a point because we were the better side for long spells of the match and we have gone on to show once again what a good team we can be.

“This is one of the worst feelings that I have had in football in a long time. We put everything into the game and so to come away with nothing at the end of it is absolutely devastating for us.

“I think with the chances that we created, we have to take one of them, and if we do then we win the game. If you want something from these games against the big sides then you must take your chances but to be fair to us we have created numerous chances in the game. We just couldn’t take one and then we have been punished for it with the late goal.

“Now it is about winning against the sides round about us. We have played everyone now and so we know there is nothing to fear but we must beat the teams around us if we want to start climbing the table.” Docherty reckons the Wasps must now focus on the games against the teams around them in the table as they prepare for a crunch match against fellow part-timers Cowdenbeath.

He said, “It is ok playing well against the big teams because those games take care of themselves but it is the games like this weekend against Cowdenbeath where we must show we are a good team and not just a decent one.

“We had a great performance against Cowdenbeath through there at a tough venue so they won’t be fancying the trip through here. It is important that we take the performance levels from the Hearts game into that one and pick up a vital three points.

“I can’t believe we are sitting where we are in the table but it doesn’t lie. We know in the dressing room that we should be much higher up the table but we have let too many points slip.” The 26-year-old believes the manner of the Hearts winning goal is testament to the way things have gone for the Wasps in the opening quarter of the campaign but it is up to them now to change it.

Docherty added, “I think the goal is a lucky one for them as it has hit Benny on the thigh and spun in but that sums up our luck at the moment.

“I think you make your own luck as well sometimes though so I am confident that if we can put one or two wins together then things will turn for us.”