Alloa caretaker boss Paddy Connolly says he will fight all the way alongside the players to help keep the club in the SPFL Championship for another season.

The former Dundee United striker, who has been put in interim charge on a game by game basis by chairman Mike Mulraney until a new manager can be found, says he has no interest in the role full time, but is happy to guide the Wasps for as long as it takes in the meantime.

The Wee County side have a busy week with the midweek visit to Ibrox to face Rangers before another live TV clash with Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park on Saturday night and the stand-in gaffer is desperate to pick up some points.

Connolly told Advertiser sport: “Just now I am only the short-term caretaker boss, and I haven’t applied for the role. I am happy in my role at the club just now, but the question about my future is one for another day. The chairman has been great to work with in the time I have been here, but he now has a big decision to make. I’m just doing the job that he has asked me for the time being, so it is week by week at the moment and we will see how it goes.

"The main thing is that the team is still fighting and we will keep that going this week. We have another big week for us to focus our attentions on with us facing Rangers on Tuesday then Raith Rovers next Saturday in two vital games for us. We have to start picking up points quickly if we want to avoid being involved in the relegation shake up so that is what we must look to do this week. We knew at the start of the season how difficult it was going to be, but there has hardly been a game this season where we haven’t been in the game.

"I will be in there battling with them until the end, but we must keep working hard until we turn it around. Obviously, we know how difficult it is and there are no easy games, but we will fight on. We may have a few walking wounded, but we will pick ourselves up and go again. The boys gave their lot and that’s all I ask for.” Connolly was left to rue what might have been last weekend as his side crashed to a 3-1 defeat to Falkirk in the live evening game on BBC Alba, and he reckons they only have themselves to blame for switching off defensively in the second half.

He said: “The defeat to Falkirk was a bit of a sore one to take. In the first half, I thought we played well, but it is the same old story for us. We lose the first goal again which is vital in this division. Disappointing that is comes from a set piece, and while it was a decent finish, I still felt the boys switched off a wee bit.

"Peter [Houston] changed his midfield in the second half which maybe tells you we were winning the battle in there, but it’s still the same again for us because the goals we lost were really poor. I will need to see them on the video again, but the second goal especially was really disappointing and then we found it so hard to get back in the game after that.” The 44-year-old was thrilled with the strike by Kevin Cawley at the weekend and felt there should only have been one winner from that point as they levelled the match.

Connolly added: “Kevin brought us right back into the game with his goal and it was a super strike. At that stage in the game it was deserved and I thought we were in the ascendancy so we went to go and win the game, but we have switched off for the second goal. John Baird had the freedom of the city to score so it looked a poor goal to lose from our point of view, especially in how the players had worked so hard to get something out of the game, but fair play to Falkirk for being clinical with their chances.”