Alloa mark appearance landmarks of three key players

Ahead of the start of the team's draw with Peterhead, Steven Hetherington, Calum Waters, and Luke Rankin, each received presentations marking their achievements.

Hetherington has now surpassed the 300 game mark for the Wasps, whilst Waters and Rankin have both gone beyond 100, earlier in the season, for Andy Graham's side.

Central midfielder Hetherington, 33, initially arrived at the Recs in the summer of 2014 from Motherwell, with Barry Smith in charge of the team.

During his first spell with the club, he helped them reach the Challenge Cup final, which they lost to Livingston, but suffered relegation in the following campaign.

Midfielder Hetherington has made more than 300 appearances, in two spells, with Alloa. (Image: David Wardle.)

After agonisingly missing out on an immediate return to the second tier, losing the Championship play-off final, on penalties, to Brechin City, Hetherington made 41 appearances in all competitions as Alloa won promotion via the play-offs in the 2017/18 campaign, under Jim Goodwin.

Having also turned out for Danny Lennon, Peter Grant, and Brian Rice, Hetherington left the Wasps for Falkirk in the summer of 2021.

After 51 outings for the Bairns, plus 13 on loan with Arbroath in the second half of the 2022/23 season, the he returned to Alloa three years ago and remains a key player for Graham.

He reached the 300 appearance mark in July's Premier Sports Cup group stage tie at Ayr United, with the game against the Blue Toon taking his total to 307.

Waters is another player who is in his second spell at the Recs, having initially signed over a decade ago, in May 2016.

Calum Watters made his 100th appearance for the Wasps in the summer. (Image: David Wardle.)

Having played under both Jack Ross and Goodwin, he left the following year to join Kilmarnock, and later had loan spells with League of Ireland side, Sligo Rovers, St Mirren, and Greenock Morton.

The full back was brought back to the Wasps by Graham in June 2024, and made his 100th appearance in June, against East Stirlingshire in the Stirlingshire Cup.

Rankin, who reached a century of games in an Alloa shirt against Montrose last month, and marked it with a goal in a 3-0 win, was brought to the club by Rice from Falkirk four years ago.

Luke Rankin has also made more than 100 appearances for the club. (Image: David Wardle.)

At the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign, he was loaned out to the 'Shire, where he finished as their top scorer, before returning to the Wasps and becoming a regular part of the side.

The 21-year-old has, to date, played 103 games, netting 27 times, and is the team's leading scorer, with five in all competitions, so far this season.