WASPS WILL NOT ROPE US IN AGAIN
HAMILTON defender Lee Kilday admits Alloa had Accies on the ropes in their first leg clash – but is confident his side can bounce back and KO the Wasps today.
The tie is perfectly poised at 2-2 after an enthralling encounter saw the sides trade blows at the Indodrill on Tuesday.
The Lanarkshire side held a half-time advantage thanks to an acrobatic effort from former Alloa striker Euan Henderson.
But the Wasps stung Accies just 50 seconds after the restart with an equaliser from Taylor Steven before Kurtis Roberts’ strike turned the game on its head just eight minutes later.
Accies required a Kevin O’Hara header to haul themselves level in the 75th minute but Kilday insists John Rankin’s men have learned enough from the first leg to take a step closer to an immediate return to the Championship with a win today.
The 32-year-old said: “We needed to manage the game better than we did in that wee 10-minute spell.
“They had us on the ropes a wee bit. They got their tails up, scoring the two goals in quick succession, so we had to hang in there – but we finished the stronger.
“We are at home on Saturday so hopefully that helps us over the line.
“Alloa have been good all season against us and it will be another tough game but we need to be ready for it.
“It was a great header from Kev. He’s done that all season and it was a great finish from Hendo in the first half as well, so we’ve got players who can score goals. We have been good at the back this season as well.
“We’ve had something like 18 clean sheets in the league, so taking it back to our place, we will feel confident going into it.”
Wasps scorer and St Johnstone loanee Steven says being involved in the play-offs is one of the biggest moments of his young career so far and he will be keen to impress further with his contract expiring at McDiarmid Park this summer.
The 19-year-old, who sparked Alloa’s revival with a cool finish inside the box, featured five times for the Saints at the start of the season before being loaned out to Andy Graham’s side.
He said: “This is up there with the most important games I’ve played in.
“The boys were class, especially in the second half, so we believe we can go there and win the tie now.
“There’s not been much chat about my future at St Johnstone but we’ll see how the play-offs go and speak about it then.
“But I think we can hurt any team in this league and we will go to Hamilton with the same gameplan to try and win the game.”