Alloa boss Barry Smith says it was his side’s lack of belief that saw them slump to a 2-0 defeat to Hibernian at Easter Road last weekend.

The Wasps had given Hibs a run for their money on two previous clashes already this season, but the gaffer reckons they just weren’t at the races this time around as the Hibees cruised to the three points in the capital.

The former Dundee boss must now prepare his side for a second consecutive trip to Edinburgh this weekend as they get set to face runaway league leaders Hearts at Tynecastle, but he reckons they can still spring a surprise.

Smith told Advertiser sport, “We will go to Tynecastle next Saturday with the belief we can win. That’s nothing to do with Hearts, but all about Alloa. We will make sure Alloa give a good performance and show belief and we will go there to try to win three points.

“The same as any game, we will look to win the three points, if it were Hearts or any other side, we must make sure we are ready to go.

“We got in good areas against Hibs, but for the first time this season we didn’t have the conviction to follow it through. We never got on the ball and passed it as well as we can, but maybe that’s credit to Hibernian as well for the way they played.

“We defended well to a point, but the disappointing thing is the fact we didn’t show the belief we have in previous games against them. I didn’t think we created any real clear-cut chances, but that was down to not showing enough belief.

“We had a couple of great corners and a great free kick that if we had shown a bit more determination we might have been able to score.” The 40-year-old reckons it is a sign of just how far the club have come when they are disappointed with a narrow loss at the home of the Edinburgh giants, but he now hopes to have more of his top team stars back fit for their clash against their city rivals Hearts this weekend.

Smith added: “Graeme Holmes and Kevin Cawley weren’t fully fit, but it was good to get them out there for half an hour. It was good to get them back on the pitch, but they were not 100% which shows just how down to the bare bones we are at the minute.

“Hopefully though, we can get a few others back in time for the trip to Hearts because we are still light in terms of numbers and that would be a big boost.

“The one thing about these boys is they keep working hard and from Alloa’s point of view that is why we are disappointed coming to Easter Road and not performing.

“That shows just how far Alloa Athletic have come - we have to remember Hibernian were in the Premier League last season and top sides were getting beat here by them, but the disappointing thing for us was we never performed.” Meanwhile, Hibs boss Alan Stubbs believes his men were worthy winners and admits even he was surprised by the finish from striker Dominque Malonga for their decisive second goal.

He said: “I do not know how he did it. It’s come to him very quickly and he has tried to react. He has caught everyone by surprise, but when you are a good striker you are in the right position and you react.

“It was a freak goal but I’m not complaining. From the first whistle to the end I thought we controlled the game. It’s always difficult to break down a 4-5-1, but I thought we were patient, took our chances and that’s the most important thing.

“We knew this game was going to be difficult and we knew that on any given day, if you are not at the standard you try to set you can get results like when Alloa beat Rangers.”