BRIAN RICE believes there was not much between the two sides as Alloa lost 2-0 to league leaders Dunfermline.

A tight match in Fife saw Dunfermline prove why they are top of the table, with Jay Hogarth needed to make some fine saves in the early minutes.

The Wasps had their fair share of chances, with King coming close near the end, but it was Dunfermline who managed to convert and take the three points.

Rice said: “They scored two goals from two crosses; we should’ve been able to clear that.

“We knew the dangers from set pieces; they’ve scored a lot of goals from set pieces – but we don’t pick it up from the first goal.

“It came down to an individual mistake. For the second goal, we didn’t stop the cross and the centre half should have cleared it again.

“The difference between the top of the table and us comes down to two crosses and two goals.

“They started the game well and then we got control of it and there was nothing in it. Going into halftime, there was nothing in it."

Alloa remain in fourth place, holding onto a play-off spot, but have been hindered by injuries this season.

"Kevin Cawley’s not played for four or five weeks and is coming off the bench,” Rice explained.

“Luke Donnelly’s carrying an injury, that’s why he can’t start the games. He’s only got about 30 minutes in them if he starts.

“These boys are struggling but they’re playing through the pain to get us into the playoff positions.

“But, this isn’t why we got beat today. We got beat today because our centre half couldn’t head the ball out the box."

With just nine games left of the campaign, Alloa will be looking to guarantee a playoff spot.

They next pay a visit to FC Edinburgh, with Rice adding every game now is a big chance to secure playoffs.

“Every game is a big game for us at this stage of the season," he said. "We’ve got a great habit of bouncing back.

“Edinburgh is a tough place to go and it will be a tough game, but hopefully we can get more training into the injured boys.

“That gives us more options but we are limited in what we can do at the moment.”