ALLOA boss Peter Grant admitted Saturday's result left his players distraught but says they will never give up.

Arbroath took the lead in the second half before Alan Trouten equalised. However, another mistake gifted Dick Campbell's men a goal and they held out for three points to take them seven ahead of the Wasps.

With four games left, time is running out for Grant's men but he insists they will fight until the very end.

"It's hard," he said. "It's a hard one to take, there's no doubt of that. The boys are distraught, obviously, with the result.

"If there's only one team to win it in the second half, I thought it was us. I thought the first half was very scrappy and we can understand the conditions, the pitch isn't great and that's no disrespect, that's how it is all over just now.

"I thought in the second half we created chances, missed them and, sod's law, we make an error and concede.

"That's probably been the make up of the season so far, we've shot ourselves in the foot at important times.

"They gave everything they've got, they kept going, kept going and kept punching and that's what I said you've got to do. You never know, football has a strange, strange way of working.

"You never give up, you've got to give everything you've got right up until the final whistle and when the season blows, where you end up, that's where you deserve to be because you've not won enough games of football.

"[Saturday]'s obviously a big blow for us because it's a game we felt we could come and win, as we do no matter where we go."

Asked if the club are capable of getting out the position they're in, Grant said: "100 per cent, and I've said that to the players.

"I know what it's like because I've been sitting in a dressing room like that where the manager's saying things and you're thinking he's just trying to build you up or keep the chins up but I said we're all going to hurt with the result, we're hurting.

"It's sore, it's a really difficult one but you never give in, it's like everything else, you've got to fight until your last breath, you've got to keep going and keep going and I know I've got a group of players that do that. I think that was proved [on Saturday] but it's proved since the day and hour I came into the job."

Next up for Alloa is Hearts and Grant insists they'll prepare the same way they do for every game.

"That's the way we go into every game and I know we're capable [of winning]," the gaffer said.

"As I say, it's the same preparation that goes in to play Arbroath as it is to play Hearts and that's the way; you've got to respect every team in this league and we'll do that.

"Hopefully, they show us the respect that we deserve. We think we've earned that.

"If we go on Friday night and win the game all of a sudden Saturday becomes different for everybody else again.

"So, there's still swings and roundabouts in the competition, but we've got to look after ourselves because if we win our games we've got a right good chance of still being in this division next year."