ALLAN MILNE praised the tenacity of his players to bounce back from heavy defeat as they earned a point against Gleniffer Thistle.

Alloa Athletic Women carried out a brilliant first half performance which saw them two goals to the good by the break.

Jess Marland got the Wasps ahead at the half hour mark, tucking one away into the bottom corner after a misplace pass from the Thistle keeper.

Nic McPhee doubled Alloa’s lead as she scored her first goal for the club, a superb strike after carrying the ball from the midfield into the box.

However, Milne rued two instances of “switching off” which led to Thistle creating two chances and scoring two goals, ensuring the points were shared in a game Alloa should have taken more from.

Despite the draw, Milne was full of praise for his side and looked to build on the energy and grit they showed in the first half as the league comes to a close in the coming weeks.

Speaking to Advertiser Sport, he said: “The last couple of weeks, we’ve not been at our best so it was good to get back to a better performance.

“In the first half especially, the girls were relentless in their pressing for the ball and the football we played at times was very good and pleasing.

“We had a lot of intricate play and we scored two good goals – Jess got one which was good for her confidence and then Nicole McPhee got her first goal for Alloa which was fantastic.

“Second half, we made changes but we switched off and they got a goal, then in the very last minute, we switched off again and they brought it back to two each.

“Again, we had so many chances and could have been eight or nine goals up so it’s all about realising we need to be more clinical with them and kill the game off more.

“Compared to the past couple weeks, it was a lot better and these are the performance levels we expect from them which is pleasing for us and it’s a marker that they don’t drop from now until the end of the season.

“It was disappointing for the work and effort they put in to only come out with a point in the game but that’s football.

“You can be playing so well and don’t take your chances, but the other team take theirs and bring it back level.

“For us as a coaching staff, we’re very pleased with how they’ve bounced back the past couple weeks and in the performance levels in games.

“We just need to keep moving forward and building on doing the right things.”