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ALLOA ATHLETIC 2-1 COVE RANGERS

The side fell to a sickening defeat in Clackmannanshire despite taking an early lead through Adam Emslie. They created countless chances, but lost out to a late double sucker-punch, allowing Alloa to secure what might be a crucial victory in their promotion push.

Paul Hartley made one change from last week, Quinn Coulson in for Liam Parker, with Arron Darge and Mikey Doyle resuming their central defensive partnership. It was Doyle’s 50^th successive start for the club.

Will Gillingham and Declan Glass remained sidelined, joined by Fraser Fyvie who was ruled out through illness.

It was a positive start to the match, the team showing real intent from the off, and Coulson and Dylan Lobban each created openings in the first four minutes, their crosses cut out.

Adam Emslie was next to threaten, racing down the left before finding Mitch Megginson in the area. The striker held the ball up then cut it across the box, but Neill was on hand to intercept.

The breakthrough came in the eighth minute when Lobban lifted a pass over the top for Findlay Marshall to run onto. The midfielder controlled it, looked up, then rolled the ball across for Adam EMSLIE, who took a touch to steady himself, before drilling his shot low past Morrison.

In our next attack, Marshall wriggled clear before passing into the box. Blair Yule looked to be running on to it, but a defender got a toe on the ball to nudge it to safety. It was one way traffic and Megginson almost found Emslie in the area, but Neill got an important touch to deny us.

In the twentieth minute, Quinn Coulson slipped past Thomson and let fly with a powerful angled drive which was beaten out by the keeper. Dylan Lobban was on to it and blasted goalwards, his effort taking a deflection and flying inches wide.

Mitch Megginson then turned away from Taggart before shooting, Morrison snatching the ball at the second attempt. There was a rare Alloa attack soon after, O’Donnell moving clear on the right, but his low angled shot was held by Nick Suman.

We were soon back on the front foot without creating any clear-cut chances, but the front line were combining well to keep the pressure on. Just past the half hour mark Emslie found Marshall in a good position, Findlay’s low drive taking a nick and flying marginally wide.

There was a scare seven minutes before the break when Josh Gentles span away from Doyle and unleashed a well-struck effort from twenty yards, Suman diving to his left to pull off a superb save.

Then we came agonisingly close to doubling our advantage when the ball ran free for Ryan Harrington outside the box. The full-back caught his shot sweetly and was unlucky to see it cannon off the back post.

Blair Yule was pulling the strings in midfield and twice came close to creating opportunities, but the Alloa defence stood firm.

It had been an impressive first half showing by the boys, the only disappointment being the inability to add to Emslie’s early opener.

After a quieter start to the second, we should have been 2-0 up in the fifty-first minute from a quick counter. Nick Suman threw the ball out, Findlay Marshall lifted it down the line and Quinn Coulson raced clear before crossing low, but from just a few yards out, and the keeper beaten, Emslie scooped over the gaping goal from just a few yards.

Alloa then enjoyed their most sustained period of pressure, the boys having to defend desperately on occasion, and the danger was only averted when Sammon’s shot took a deflection and Suman was able to gather.

We were again denied by the upright soon after. Yule spread the ball wide, Lobban ran in behind to cross, Magginson laid the ball off, and Scully shot from the edge of the box only to see his sidefoot effort strike the base of the right post.

Alloa came close, O’Donnell curling his twenty-three yard free-kick just wide, then Findlay Marshall was just as unlucky at the other end, spinning into space before shooting just beyond the far upright.

Adam Emslie and Marshall fashioned our next attack, forcing Neill into conceding a corner, and from that, Doyle volleyed just past the near post.

The home side made a double switch and Nick Suman had to be off his line quickly to prevent one of the substitutes, Luke Donnelly, from making an instant impact. The game was swinging from end to end now, and after Dylan Lobban linked up with Megginson, Connor Scully had another opportunity, his shot beaten away by the diving Morrison.

The home side levelled in the seventy-fifth minute when the ball ran to Luke DONNELLY and his shot from the edge of the area took a deflection and flew past Suman.

The manager made his first change in the wake of that, Myles Gaffney on for Coulson, and we came so close to restoring our advantage almost immediately. Adam Emslie’s pace took him clear on the left and Megginson made good connection on his cross, but the keeper, diving the wrong way, threw out his right hand and somehow diverted the ball wide.

O’Donnell then pressurised Arron Darge, Suman out quickly to make the save, and from the resulting corner Dewar headed narrowly wide.

With five minutes left we found ourselves behind in a game that should have been out of sight, given the chances we had spurned. Alloa built down the right, and when the ball ran for Stefan SCOUGALL he lashed it into the net from twenty yards.

Alloa were reduced to ten men when Miko Virtanen, just on as a sub, was red-carded for a mistimed challenge on Scully, but although we pushed hard for the equaliser, the boys were unable to find a way through, and the home side saw it out to claim the points.

ALLOA ATHLETIC (3-5-2): Morrison; Taggart (c), Neill, Dewar; Buchanan (Mullen 90), Roberts, O’Donnell, Scougall (Virtanen 88), Thomson (Donnelly 69); Gentles, Sammon (MacKenzie 69)

Substitutes: Ogayi, Graham, Cawley, Honeyman, Rankin

Goalscorers: Donnelly (75), Scougall (85)

Booked: Dewar (25)

Sent off: Virtanen (90)

COVE RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Suman; Lobban, Darge, Doyle (c), Harrington; Yule, Scully (Parker 90); Coulson (Gaffney 78), Marshall, Emslie; Megginson

Substitutes: Demus, Murray, McGrath

Goalscorers: Emslie (8)

Booked: Doyle (61)

Referee: Sean Murdoch

Attendance: 622

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