......as it's a top of the table clash.


It's important we get off to a good start as we can't afford to be playing catch-up early on in the season. To do so, we'll need to be far more clinical in front of goal.

I can't say I'm too confident, though.


1 thing though, it's 5 years since we started a league campaign at home, when we beat Berwick Rangers thanks to a goal from Simon's favourite player.

dam right we need a good start legand.

no offence to any wasp fans but this is a great game for us to start the season. i dont see alloa bein a force in the league this year and is a great chance to start wit 3 points.

millgate at 2 leg? or bookies?

I reckon to say Alloa won't be up there is an odd statement to make. They have strengthened their squad with players like Stevenson, Hill and Scullion. I reckon Alloa should be able to get a win here.

Alloa r a decent outfit but in my opinion its between raith and east fife this year!
Think they will b battling for final playoff place this year!

could think of harder opening games. For example Raith away,East Fife at bayview,a long trip to stranraer or Ayr

Alloa may have strengthened but not strong enough for the super Lichties 1st half demolition was a joy to watch................

Superb first half. It wasn't one way traffic as the scoreline may have suggested, but we were very good in front of goal. The cross for the 2nd goal by Rennie was absolutely inch perfect (which was sweet after the Alloa fan slagging him in the pub before the game )

2nd half I don't think we had any idea how to approach it so we ended up sitting a bit deep and inviting pressure, which we dealt with quite well. Alloa goal was well struck and looked like it was past Hill before he could dive.

We picked it up in the last 15 minutes, as Alloa looked to tire worse than us, got the 4th and could have maybe done a bit better on other occasions.

Terrible result for us but maybe not a great surprise as we've had a few opening day shockers (last season apart) in the last few years. Can only get better....

Would just like to note before anyone else does how far my predictions are off the mark. Well done to Arbroath!

Got stuck in some horrendous traffic jams/road works on the A & M90. This was maybe someone's way of telling me not to bother? Ignoring these sage warnings to turn back I arrived 15 minutes late to find Alloa a goal down and already feeling sorry for themselves.
Credit to Arbroath however, they looked hungry and up for it, fully deserving this thumping win. I don't think they'll have it as easy as this from now on though.

I missed the game due to domestic duties but have to say what a result. Not too surprised though as the scoreline could have been the same last weekend against Forfar if the same people who scored today took their chances.

Can Scott continue and keep us up?

I also got stuck in some truly horrific tailbacks on the drive up due to an accident and roadworks, and got in the ground just as the referee blew for half time. Thanks to this I was only witness to our attempts to close the game down, last fifteen minutes or so excepted, but at least I got to see Reilly's goal.

Kind of mixed feelings on the drive up when each goal was announced on the wireless, with my obvious delight at our suprisingly great start, somewhat tempered by me waving my fist at the God's for conspiring against me and making me miss all the fun and games.

Still, I was approaching this game with a degree of trepidation, so to say the result was a pleasant surprise would be an understatement.

Can't believe i wasted 20 seconds of my life reading that

Weel done Aberbrothock. I thought youd get some sort of result but never expected 4 - 1.

Last season Alloa had one of the best home record and worst away forms. Somewthing to do with their plastic grass, methinks

That'll do. That'll do nicely!

I too got stuck in horrendous traffic, but I followed the diversions, until I ran out of diversions and ended up winding my window down and asking people. I think I went via Fintry? in the end.

But what a good game. First of all, Alloa didnt play that badly. They had a couple chances, and moved the ball reasonably well at times. However, we were on FIRE! We looked powerful, capable, and hungry. A few of us did warn that we didnt need that many signings over the summer, and today we proved it.

Hill was as solid, and dealt with everything asked of him. Rennie and Flyer have got a really good partnership going on. Flyer in particular looks like he has slimmed down and rediscovered his spark since the end of last season. He looked hungry and capable. Lunan in the middle is playing well, he controls the ball and gives us options. Another inspired signing! Scott has been outstanding in the last couple games, works hard, gets in the right places, and scores (not something our strikers usually make a habit of). Oh, and I was pleased to see Reilly get the fourth, he didnt get as many as he deserved last season, and he is a player I rate highly.

I think the rest of the division has underestimated us a bit. The season will be long and hard, but I honestly dont think we'll struggle as much as some people are making out. All in all though, a fantastic day out.

I've been saying all along Arbroath are going to surprise this division.

I hope we can use this result as a springboard to put in a couple of solid months and get a good chunk of points on the board to enable us to survive (which will still clearly be our objective).

Looking at the players today, I think simply being in the 2nd division has sparked some of the players who'd probably felt they'd spent too long in the 3rd. If we keep the same kind of commitment and effort for the season, our players are good enough to steer us to safety.

Next week may be a better indicator of what our season will entail, as we're coming up against a team that have already had 2 highly impressive results this season.

B*llshit, nothing but a lazy cliche. Our home form last season was excellent but the away record wasnt all that bad, middling perhaps but nowhere near "the worst". Indeed todays defeat was I think our first away loss in the league since being beaten by an excellent Ross County side in February.
As your own manager said last season Raith train on the same surface we have at the Recs every week and couldnt use it as an excuse for being beaten by Alloa. The pitch isnt an issue.

Well done Arbroath, got the confidence from the early goal and took their chances well.

Strange game, one of those games where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for Alloa. A nightmare. We had quite a lot of the ball as someone mentioned. Jamie Stevenson was absolutely brilliant for Alloa, but even he must have lost heart from the defence leaking goals every time the opposition went up the park.

I hope Maitland read the riot act to the defenders. Excellent last week against Dundee, they were abysmal against Arbroath. They might as well have stayed in the M90 contraflow in the first half.

2 big home games to come, so hopefully they can put yesterdays nightmare behind them and move on.

A great day out which was only slightly ruined by the game itself. These train things are brilliant. Never realised that Arbroath had so many pubs and is quite a nice place.

The game itself (well the first half, as I walked out in disgust at half time) was a joke. Or should I say our defence was a joke. We were recently quoted at 7-1 to win the league. More like 70-1 on yesterdays performance. That had better be a one off.

I honestly didnt think you were that bad, we were just outstanding! The only bit of really pishpoor defending was when your keeper failed to deal with the first goal. The second was an outstanding cross and header, and Scott scored an absolute peach in a crowded box. You did have a couple chances, but our keeper and defence were equal to everything, plus you scored what looked like (from where I was standing) an absolute peach of a free kick. We were brilliant though.

It was a bit of a laugh to see Alloa sent out early at half time and given a serious talking to by the manager.

typical alloa we build them up all pre season to be shattered in the 1st game of the season couldnt make the game but dissapointed by the result

"Quite a nice place" It is the centre of the universe mate, heaven on earth even! Super Lichties now odds on to win the league now

Not much to say about Saturday but it is amazing how football builds you up and then knocks you down again.
I was really looking forward to this Season, more than I have for a long time after a good campaign last year and what looked like general strengthening, but it all went badly wrong on Saturday.
Arbroath looked far hungrier than Alloa and were deserved winners against a very lack lustre Wasps. Defensively we were awful and apart from Jamie Stevenson devoid of any ideas going forward.
Hopefully this was just a blip or it is going to be a long hard season, never mind Ayr, Raith and Peterhead up next.