Alloa Athletic boss Danny Lennon says his side are ready for battle as they head for a difficult opener against Queen of the South at Palmerston Park this weekend.

The Doonhamers had an all conquering home record in the division last season that helped propel them towards fourth place finish and a playoff spot, but the former St Mirren boss has warned his side are not going there just to make up the numbers.

The Wasps were left hurting after a late capitulation against Berwick in the League Cup last Saturday, but the gaffer believes his men will have learned an important lesson from that defeat.

Lennon told Advertiser sport: “We have a few wee niggles as you expect after the first few games, but hopefully the players in question will make it. We are desperate to get off the mark in the league as early as possible - there is no doubt about that, but Palmerston Park is always a difficult place to go and leave with a positive result. Queen of the South won 13 of their last 18 home games last season in the league with nine clean sheets so that is a really impressive record.

“People will look to the fact they have lost a lot of players in the summer, but they have also brought in quality replacements so we are well aware of the task ahead of us on Saturday. They will want to start the league on a positive note, but we are going there with the belief that we are capable of winning there. We believe the squad is capable of picking up more points on the road this season and it is important to start that on Saturday.

“There is no doubt the players will be looking to give me a big reaction from last week. Everyone one of us was hurting along with the fans after the Berwick defeat, but there is a lot more to learn in defeat than in a win and hopefully we’ll have learned that lesson ahead of the Queen’s game. If we can do that and play our own game then I am confident that we have the quality to take something away from Palmerston on Saturday.” Alloa had a slow start to the season last term winning just two of their first 10 games, and this time around Lennon wants to hit the ground running to help propel them up the table.

He said: “Every point is crucial for us and we are determined to get off to a better start than the club had last season. I am really happy with the squad I have put together, but our aim first and foremost is to secure our Championship status for a club record fourth consecutive season. That would be a massive achievement in itself, but the challenge beyond that is to get as high up that table as we possibly can.

“I believe I have assembled a squad of hungry and ambitious players that gives us the right mentality to drive our goals this season. Whether it is the younger ones looking to make their mark in the game or the older lads looking to prove they can still shine at this level so we have a nice balance. That gives me the hope that at the very least we will be competitive in every single game we play.” The 46-year-old gaffer admits he is still on the hunt for new additions, but is happy to play the waiting game in order to land his top targets.

Lennon added: “It is always difficult to add the final piece of the jigsaw in terms of my squad and as we approach the end of the window that becomes more difficult still with clubs waiting till the last minute. I always said I wanted two players for every position and I am only one or two short of that. It will have to be the right player who can add to the group though, I will not add a player just to fill a slot. It has to fit well for us, but we are in advance stages of trying to make that happen over the next week or so.”