Alloa thumped by Hillfoots ahead of Midlands Bowl final

AFTER losing the first derby match of the season in October, Hillfoots took their revenge on Saturday as they warmed up for another clash in the final of the Midlands Bowl.

Try-less Alloa largely failed to land a blow and that will be a huge concern as the two rivals square up again at Tillicoultry this Saturday with a trophy on the line.

As well as damaged pride, it was their first league defeat since the beginning of September and saw them lose top spot, with Howe Crusaders now a point ahead in first place of the Caledonia Midlands Region League Division 2. 

Alloa got off to the worst possible start with wing forward Daniel Murrell injured in the first minute. 

The two rivals will square up again in another derby match this weekend, with the Midlands Bowl to be won. (Image: Jim Gove) Hillfoots got on the board after slotting a long range penalty via the boot of winger Alan Fraser.

With the early penalty count mounting, Alloa lost two players to a yellow card in quick succession - Kris Aitken for a high tackle and Graham Lindsay for offside at the breakdown.

The visitors took advantage and after turning the ball over inside their own half, standoff Peter Duncan sped clear for a try under the posts.

Fraser added the conversion.

Back to a full 15 players, Alloa gradually worked their way back into the match and scored what turned out to be their only points from a Lee Cairney penalty.

However straight from the kick off they were penalised for obstruction and Fraser's second penalty restored his side's 10 point advantage at the break.

Alloa and Hillfoots get to grips in the league clash on Saturday. It ended in an away win. (Image: Jim Gove) Alloa continued to fall foul of the referee in the second half as the penalty count increased. 

They struggled to get a foothold in the match and a third Fraser penalty gave Foots further breathing space.

Alloa emptied their bench to try and breathe some life into the match, however one of the replacements, Daniel Jackson, was red carded following a tip tackle offence.

A man down, the home team kept going and came close on a few occasions with Mark Murray particularly unlucky to be grounded just short of the line.

As the game drew to its conclusion Jonny Gray was the fourth home player to be carded.

The win meant the Bobby McGill Memorial Trophy returned to Tillicoultry after a short stay at Earlsfield.

Hillfoots head coach Graeme Simpson said: “It was a strong effort from the players to come away with a result against a very primed and physical Alloa side.

"The defence on display at times was phenomenal and there were a few special performances in the pack.

"We know the job is only half done and we go again on Saturday and deliver the same standard as a minimum.

"However, I feel the group are more than up for the challenge and I am excited about what they can achieve.”

It was a deserved victory for Hillfoots who created the right pictures at the breakdown and defended well when they needed to.

Alloa were their own worst enemy in terms of their discipline and will need to sort that out before the next clash.

And the local rivals now do it all again on Saturday in the final of the Midlands Bowl - kick-off 2pm at Tillicoultry.