JIM GOODWIN was full of praise for Alloa Athletic as the former gaffer returned to the Recs for Kevin Cawley's testimonial.

The former player-manager was one of the returning faces at the weekend, having previously coached the Wasps between 2016 and 2019.

Though now the Dundee United boss, he was on the touchline to manage the Legends team, pitted against Brian Rice’s current squad.

Speaking to Advertiser Sport after the match, Goodwin said it was a joy to come back to Alloa and praised the club for the opportunities they gave him.

“It’s great to be back,” he said. “I always enjoy coming back to Alloa where it all began for me in my managerial career.

“I’ve still got a great relationship with a number of people behind the scenes and I’m still very grateful to Mike Mulraney for giving me the opportunity in the first place.

“Today, to get the invite to come back and manage the Legends team for Kev’s big day was a privilege for me and there was no way in the world I was going to miss it.

“I was delighted that there was such a great turn out of ex-players which gives you an idea of the level of respect that Kevin has within the game.

“He’s been an extremely loyal servant to Alloa, huge number of appearances and a great amount of very important goals throughout that period.

“He was influential to me in helping getting that team promoted from League One and helping us to stay in the Championship the following season.

“I’m absolutely delighted for him and a great turn out from the Alloa people as well. A really good day for Kev, his family and his friends.”

Goodwin managed the club from 2016 to 2019, during which Cawley returned from a year at Dumbarton to begin his second spell with the club.

Throughout their time together at the club, Alloa secured promotion to the Championship, where the remained for three seasons.

Goodwin labelled Cawley as one of the most professional players in the business, lauding him

“He was one of the best pros that you could imagine – in terms of training, he was always bright, always bubbly, always positive, always showing a good attitude.

“He was very influential in the games and as I said scored some crucial goals during my time to help us get valuable points on the promotion run.

“He’ll be a big player for Alloa again next season and as always I’ll be cheering Alloa on from afar.

“He is one of the most respected players that I can remember and there is nobody that you will hear have a bad word to say about Kevin Cawley, both past and present players.”