Alloa new boy Isaac Layne is determined to repay his gaffer Barry Smith with performances on the pitch in return for his chance to shine in the SPFL Championship this season.

The talented teenager has been thrust straight into the middle of the Wasps relegation dogfight by the manager and he showed what he was made of at the weekend with a man-of-the-match performance in the crucial 2-0 win over rivals Cowdenbeath.

But the former Southend United star revealed how he screamed for goal hero Mark Docherty to hit the volley at his goal for fears the treacherous Central Park surface may spoil the chance.

Layne told Advertiser sport: “It was a battle out there, a real brutal battle, but we were determined to get the three points and it’s happy days that we managed to do that.

“Central Park is obviously a tough place to win when you see some of the teams they have beaten here this season and the pitch there was like nothing I have ever experienced before so we are just relieved with the three points.

“The results elsewhere went our way as well so hopefully now we can build some momentum from this and take that into the next couple of games.

“I was delighted with the assist and I was just screaming for Mark to hit it because the pitch was so poor, and luckily for us he did and it sailed into the net.

“It was such a great feeling to see it hit the back of the net and he has done well because it was a world class finish.

“Barry is a great manager and he talks to me all the time on what I am doing right or what I can improve on. I am really grateful to him for the faith he has shown in me to throw me almost straight into the team and hopefully I can keep repaying him on the pitch.” Layne played a crucial role in his side’s opening goal with a superb assist but says he is just delighted to be able to do anything he can to help the team to stay in the division.

He said: “You could see what it meant to the whole squad because we have all celebrated both goals together and we are absolutely buzzing now.

“The way the previous week’s game had gone and then to go in 0-0 on Saturday again after dominating and being the better team, we were all thinking ‘here we go again’, but this time we were determined to kick on.

“I am kicking myself that I didn’t score in the game because I had a few good opportunities, but I am confident in my ability and I know if I keep playing the way I am then the goals will come. At the moment, the three points is all that matters and I am delighted to do my bit.

“I am starting to settle in here now, everyone has been so friendly to me and now I hope to repay them by making a decent impact and scoring a few goals to keep us up.” Alloa now face the challenge of an in-form Hibs side, who visit Clackmannanshire at the weekend, and the young hitman admits he can’t wait for a crack at the Edinburgh giants.

Layne added: “The Championship is a very good standard where the ball gets moved about very quickly and the tempo is very high so I am enjoying it very much.

“Every game in this league is a massive one for us, but the Hibs game will be huge this weekend.

“The lads beat Hibs the last time here at Alloa in the league so hopefully I can help us to do the same again this time around.”