Match Report - By John Hoey

Brechin City 0 Alloa Athletic 1

Alloa Athletic leapfrogged Brechin City at the top of the Ladbrokes League One table after a 1-0 victory at Glebe Park.

The only goal of the game came in the 68th minute when Wasps defender Jason Marr glanced a header past Graeme Smith but City battled back and only a point blank save from keeper Neil Parry in the last minute from a Finn Graham drive stopped City getting a share of the spoils.

Manager Darren Dods made no changes from the side that started against Stranraer a fortnight ago with defender Elliot Ford who had to come off through injury in that match retaining his place at right back.

The first clear-cut chance of the match fell City's way in the 9th minute when Lewis Spence picked up a short pass from Alan Trouten and pushed forward before trying a shot from around 20 yards which went narrowly past Parry's right-hand post but the Wasps responded quickly with a Greig Spence net bound effort three minutes later blocked by Paul McLean.

City then had what appeared to be strong claims for a penalty denied by referee John McKendrick in the 19th minute when Andy Jackson charged down a defensive clearance from Scott Taggart and pushed forward into the visitors penalty-box before being impeded by Marr but Mr McKendrick waved away the City player's claims for a spot-kick.

Alloa thought that they had broken the deadlock in the 33rd minute when a cross into the City box from Taggart was bundled home by former City striker Jordan Kirkpatrick but the referee indicated that the forward had used a hand in the process before chalking off the goal and then booking him.

Both sides had one further chance apiece before the interval with a Watters shot in the 42nd minute being saved by Smith and at the other end a couple of minutes later, an Ally Love drive from the edge of the penalty-box was easily gathered by Parry.

City grabbed the initiative at the beginning of the second-half and put pressure on the Alloa goal without really creating anything clear-cut but it was the visitors who came very close to opening the scoring eight minutes into the half when Kevin Cawley broke free down the left before crossing into the City box for Kirkpatrick who fired in a drive but Smith brought off a great save to thwart his effort. City then had an equally good chance three minutes later when a Jackson pass found Trouten deep in the box and although he steered the ball towards the bottom corner of the net it lacked pace and defender Andrew Graham cleared the ball away.

Cawley then saw a drive go well over the bar in the 65th minute before the Wasps opened the scoring three minutes later. Having won a free-kick on the left side of the City half Flannagan stepped up to flight a good ball into the box for Marr who glanced a header past Smith.

City tried to get back into the match but we're finding it very difficult to find a way through a well,organised visitors defence. City had again strong claims for a penalty turned down by the referee when a Jackson shot clearly struck a hand and they came very very close to equalising in the final couple of minutes when firstly Ross Caldwell had a drive blocked by the Wasps defence and in the final minute, Parry brought off a point blank save to deny Graham.

Other Results - Ladbrokes League One

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Livingston 1 Albion Rovers 2

Good Away Win For Rovers

Queen's Park 1 East Fife 0

One Goal Does It For Spiders

Stenhousemuir 0 Stranraer 5

Blues Go Nap At Ochilview