Sons not set on our bid to go up
Cawley believes Alloa can be away-day specialists and reach Championship
KEVIN CAWLEY remains convinced Alloa’s bold bid to make a return to the Championship is not over.
The former Dumbarton midfielder admitted Wednesday night’s play-off final first-leg defeat to the Sons – sealed by a spectacular early goal from Stuart Carswell – was hard to take.
But the 29-year-old believes the Wasps can still produce a sting in tail tomorrow at the Rock by killing off Dumbarton’s hopes of staying in the Championship for a seventh straight season.
Cawley was a member of Jim Goodwin’s Alloa side who reached the play-off final last season only to agonisingly lose out to Brechin in a penalty shoot-out. While they are up against it again this time round after the frustration of midweek, the midfielder is backing his Alloa team to turn the tie around.
Cawley said: “It was a wonder strike they scored and then they just sat in and made it difficult for us.
“On another day we could have scored. Their keeper made a few good saves and Jordan Kirkpatrick hit the post for us.
“But we just have to stay positive because there are still another 90 minutes to go.
“Dumbarton will do the same and sit in again so we just have to stay patient and if chances come we will need to take them.
“It’s only half-time as everyone says and we have to take a lot of positives.
“We moved the ball well against Dumbarton and maybe we just have to tidy it up a wee bit better in the final third. You never know what might happen.
“It just didn’t go our way on Wednesday night but we don’t need to be down.
“We were the better team. They just had that bit of luck and that great strike from the boy from 25 yards. He will
remember that one! But we will go again this weekend and play the same way, play our normal game.
“All it takes is one goal and we just need to make sure we get the first one.”
Dumbarton boss Stevie Aitken has called on his players to dig deep again and secure their Championship berth, which would be hailed as another major achievement for the club.
Aitken said “We restricted Alloa to where they passed it. Our shape was really good, our whole back four were outstanding and we were a threat on the counter attack.
“There’s another big 90 minutes on Sunday. We have to rest up and give it another big effort.”