Wasps aim for a quick return to winning form
Hamish Hutchinson • Published 16 Feb 2012 08:00
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Alloa Athletic boss Paul Hartley shows off his Irn-Bru Phenomenal Third Division Manager of the Month award for January.
IT appeared to be the curse of the IRN-BRU Phenomenal Manager of the Month award once again for Alloa Athletic.
Just days after the Wasps gaffer Paul Hartley picked up the award, Alloa were on the receiving end of a defeat.
A win by Berwick Rangers may have slightly knocked Alloa's title challenge but didn't derail it.
That was as much to do with second place Stranraer drawing away to Peterhead, only narrowing the previous nine point gap to eight points.
The loss by Alloa brought an end to the magnificent 15 league match unbeaten run that dated back to 15 October last year.
It also marked the second time the Recs side had taken a hit after Hartley was rewarded for his efforts from the dug-out.
The last time the manager took the award in September on the back of three straight wins, the boys in black and gold suffered their biggest defeat of the season - losing by five goals to nil against Elgin.
Hartley took the defeat to Berwick on Saturday in his stride.
He said, "Sometimes you get a result that you don't see coming. It could have been worse but it could have been better.
"All games in this division are difficult and I have said that to the players. They have just got to take a game at a time and re-group and try and bounce back.
"We were on a good run of form and we need to pick ourselves up. The makings of a good team is how you respond to a defeat and we hope to do that against Elgin on Saturday. We played two hard games against them already this season."
The Wasps travel to Elgin this weekend.
The Moray men are currently chasing a play-off spot and drew against Annan Athletic last week, causing the once dominant league leaders to slip to fourth.
Meanwhile Alloa's Steven Masterton, who is currently getting treatment for an injury, remains a doubt for the clash.
This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 15 Feb 12
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