ALLOA extended their unbeaten run to six games under Andy Graham as they drew 1-1 with Queen of the South.

The Wasps visited Palmerston Park looking to build on their momentum from their win over Edinburgh City the previous week.

Meanwhile, pressure remained on Queens manager Marvin Bartley, who has been winless in his last two games, to secure three points and lift his side further up the table.

Graham made only one change from last week, with Taylor Steven starting on the right wing in place of the injured Steven Buchanan.

The Wasps were lively throughout the first half, Steven playing in a good cross which narrowly missed the head of Bobby Wales.

Alloa broke the deadlock starting with a terrific long ball from Scott Taggart reaching Steven, he does well to control the ball and fend off Oscar MacIntyre before firing it across the six yard box.

Bobby Wales, Alloa’s main man, was there to tap it in and give the Wasps the lead in Dumfries.

Queen of the South grew into the game as the first half progressed, forcing PJ Morrison into making a crucial save to deny McGuffie from close range.

The hosts found a way back into the match as Kieran McKechnie drove forward, sending the ball towards the centre of Alloa’s box.

Steven Hetherington had a vital touch to stop the ball from reaching Jacob Hutchinson, but it went only as far as former Wasp Lee Connelly, whose shot is deflected off Hetherington to slip past Morrison.

Both teams battled it out throughout the second half, with chances coming from Coulson, Steven and O’Donnell.

In the end, the points were shared between the sides, with Andy Graham expressing disappointment with the result but pride at Alloa’s mentality.

“It’s a good point in the end,” Graham said. “You come to a full-time team and you’ll take that.

“The fact that I’m disappointed and the players are disappointed with the point shows where we’re at mentally, we’re in a good place.

“We wanted to win the game and I thought in the final 10 minutes, we were the team in ascendancy and really looking to win the game.

“We had a couple opportunities that we didn’t take but the pleasing thing for me is that we’re getting these opportunities, we’re looking strong in terms of fitness and showing desire to win a game late on.

“We did it up in Cove and we did it last week against Edinburgh and again today, we were looking like the team that were going to score.

“Queens had their opportunities to score as well, it was a good game of football to watch as well.

“I’m pleased with the performance and pleased with the way the boys went about their business.”

Alloa received a huge squad boost on Saturday with several first team players returning from injury to feature on the bench.

Stefan Scougall returned from a slight groin issue he picked up against Montrose, coming off the bench to make his first appearance in the new year.

Jon Robertson and Luke Donnelly also started on the bench, with the latter making their return from injury and featuring in the squad for the first time since October last year.

Josh Debayo also continues to feature on the bench since his injury, with Graham explaining that it is now down to the players to fight for their place on the pitch.

“The bench getting stronger can only help things,” Graham added. “There’s a still a couple of them that are away, big Donnelly and Robertson had their first minutes in a friendly against Clyde.

“They’re maybe not ready to get out there on a Saturday, but it’s good to get them in a rhythm of Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday again.

“They’ve been out long term so we need to make sure we get them back fully fit but I’m pleased with the options I’ve got.

“I’m delighted with the squad that I’ve got, it’s about getting everyone as fit as we can and injury free and then it’s up to them to fight for their place.

“That can only help us on the pitch on a Saturday if everyone’s trying their best to get in that team.”

Alloa’s draw with Queen of the South means the Wasps now go six games unbeaten, their last defeat coming in Graham’s first game against Edinburgh, a 3-0 win for the Citizens.

This makes for the best unbeaten record for an Alloa manager since Jim Goodwin’s run between December 2018 and January 2019.

“It’s never about me,” Graham continued. “They’re six unbeaten, it’s them that go out there and they deliver on the pitch.

“I’m happy for them but at the same time, I want to win games of football, not draw them. That’s still at the back of the mind that we’re still happy we’ve not won the game.

“But, it’s about building momentum and building confidence and belief in the team. They’ve now shown that they can compete with anyone in the league and that’s what we’re looking to build moving forward.

“That’s the only way that we’ll get anything from this season.”

Alloa next visit Motherwell in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup before hosting league leaders Falkirk the week after.