Alloa star Kevin Cawley says there is no time like the present to turn their form around as they prepare to face league leaders Hearts in the live TV game on Saturday night at the Indodrill Stadium.

The former Celtic trainee admits the whole squad were left frustrated by another luckless day in front of goal as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Raith Rovers last weekend and he believes they must look to the keeper more when in good areas of the pitch.

Robbie Neilson’s men head to Clackmannanshire off the back of a shock 3-2 loss at home to Falkirk, their first defeat of the season, and the talented forward reckons that only makes their task even harder. Cawley told Advertiser sport: “Hearts losing against Falkirk last week only makes life tougher for us because they will want to bounce back, but we have done well against the bigger sides this year so there is no reason why that can’t continue on Saturday.

“We haven’t won in a while now, but all the players are determined to change that and there is no time like the present so the Hearts game is probably exactly what we need right now. To win or even just get a result in that type of game would give us all such a lift so that is what we will be going all out for.

“These are brilliant games to play in and being live on BBC Alba make it even better so hopefully our luck will change for us come Saturday. The Livingston result puts pressure on us with the win and obviously Hearts are clear leaders at the top of the league so we know it will be a tough game. All the players are frustrated with the way things are going at the moment and against Raith we must’ve had three or four chances where the ball has only just gone wide. We need to be more direct and maybe when we get half a yard, get the shot away, but we are still getting in the areas so I am sure things will turn for us.” Cawley believes that last weekend’s stalemate with Raith was a missed opportunity for them given their second half dominance, but feels there are positives to take in the way they limited their opponents to very few chances.

He said: It was a frustrating match because we felt it was a good opportunity missed to get the three points. I thought we played well in spells and at other times the game was a bit scrappy, but we didn’t have enough shots on target and we should be working the goalie more.

“We just need that little bit of luck in front of goal at the moment, but I am confident once we get that then we can go on a run. We were solid at the back in the Raith game and got a clean sheet so as long as we keep picking up points then we will be fine.” Alloa’s attacking threat was boosted by the arrival of Southend United striker Isaac Layne last week and his new team mate is hopeful the 19-year-old striker can hit the ground running at the club.

Cawley added: “Isaac has come in and we are trying to make him feel welcome to help him settle in as quickly as possible and hopefully he can make a difference in the team when he gets his chance.”