BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
Alloa boss Jack Ross admits he is gutted he will not get the chance to cross swords with Ian Murray when St Mirren come to town today.
Ross was assistant to Murray at Dumbarton as the pair enjoyed a hugely successful stint together at the Rock between 2012 and 2014, establishing the part-time Sons as a Championship outfit against all odds.
However, their fortunes differed wildly this week when Ross was appointed the new Alloa manager – just 72 hours after Murray had been sacked by the Buddies.
It is another subtext to an intriguing fixture, which also sees the 39-year-old go up against one of his former clubs in his maiden match in charge of the Wasps.
He said: “I would have liked it if Ian (Murray) had been in the opposition dug-out because he’s a close friend of mine.
“I’m really disappointed for him for the way things went at St Mirren, but I’m sure he will be involved in the game again soon.
“However, I’m just desperate to win the game regardless. It’s slightly ironic it’s St Mirren. It happens more and more, the longer you go on in your career – you come up against old clubs and friends.
“We have got Falkirk, who I spent time with as well, in a couple of weeks.
Ross, meanwhile, is adamant he will not get hung up on style as he attempts to drag the Championship strugglers off the foot of the table.
And he was heartened by Alloa’s 1-0 win at Livingston last week under the temporary stewardship of Paddy Connolly.
He continued: “My style? I want a winning style of football, simple as that. That’s the clearest answer I can give. That’s what competitive sport is about.
“Saturday’s win was very important because the players can take some belief from that, a result against Livingston who are closest to them in the league.
“I was at the [Livingston] game and it was not just the result, it was the nature of the performance which shows they are more than capable of picking up positive results and going on a run.
“That is what you need to propel yourself up that league.”
